Manager-Mergers and Acquisition

ROLE SUMMARY

A senior analyst role in a lean, in-house M&A team that evaluates a large number of ideas and executes only a few — well. You will work across the full life of a transaction: sourcing, screening, business and financial evaluation, due diligence, structuring, Board approval, closing and the early years after the deal. This is not an advisory role and not a modelling-only role. The work is deeper than a DCF: understanding how a business actually makes money, whether it should belong to us, what could go wrong after we own it, and whether the price and terms protect us if it does. Most ideas you examine should end in a clear, well-reasoned “no”. Only a few will proceed that will be taken to the Board — and you will be expected to stand behind your analysis.

WHAT MAKES THIS ROLE DIFFERENT

Corporate M&A offers fewer deals than a bank, a fund or a Big 4 transaction team — and far greater ownership of each one. You will see a transaction through beyond signing, live with its consequences, and learn how integration, people and culture decide whether a deal creates value. We are looking for the rigour and pace of a Big 4 / investment banking / private equity background, combined with the patience, judgment and long-term commitment that a corporate requires. If deal count, short tenures or the next exit are your primary drivers, this role will not suit you.

EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION

   6–9 years post-qualification experience in M&A / transaction advisory / corporate development — Big 4 Deals / Transaction Services, investment banking, private equity, or a corporate M&A team. Pure audit, Taxation, Research-only or Back-office experience will not be sufficient.

   Chartered Accountant, or MBA (Finance / Strategy) from a premier institute; CFA an advantage.

   Direct, hands-on involvement in at least 2–3 transactions taken through evaluation / diligence to a decision — signing, closing, or a reasoned walk-away.

   Experience on the buy side, or advising buyers, is strongly preferred.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

   Sourcing & pipeline: Build and maintain relationships with investment bankers, advisors and intermediaries; independently set up and facilitate first meetings, source opportunities aligned to our strategy, and maintain a disciplined, current deal pipeline and tracker.

   Evaluate the deal in its entirety: Go beyond the information memorandum. Understand the business model, industry, customers, competitors, management quality and unit economics; assess strategic fit, pros and cons, synergies, and risks — financial, commercial, operational, legal, tax and reputational. Form an independent view on whether we should pursue, at what price, and on what terms — and what the business will look like 3–5 years after acquisition.

   Due diligence & execution: Scope, coordinate and critically review financial, tax, legal, commercial and operational diligence with internal teams and external advisors. Identify dealbreakers and value leaks, test the quality of earnings and cash flows, and translate findings into valuation, structuring and contractual protection. Key attributes are looking beyond a diligence report.

   Valuation & modelling: Build and own robust, auditable models — operating forecasts, DCF, comparable companies / transactions, accretion–dilution and scenario / sensitivity analysis — triangulated against business reality and not run mechanically. Challenge assumptions, including your own.

   Investment memoranda & Board communication: Prepare concise, Board-ready investment memoranda and presentations that state the rationale, the case against the deal, the risks and mitigants, valuation and recommendation with clarity. Present and defend the analysis before senior leadership when required.

   Closing, integration & post-deal review: Support term sheets, transaction documents and closing; work with Legal, Tax, Treasury, Secretarial and business teams; support integration planning and post-deal performance tracking against the original investment thesis.

SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE

   Advanced Excel (financial modelling, scenarios, sensitivities) and PowerPoint (structured, executive-ready storytelling). Familiarity with Capital IQ / Tracxn / VCCEdge or similar databases is an advantage.

   Strong grounding in accounting, quality of earnings, cash-flow and working-capital analysis; working knowledge of deal structuring, valuation methods, and key clauses in term sheets, SPAs and SHAs.

   Excellent written and verbal communication — the ability to make a complex deal simple without making it simplistic.

THE PERSON WE ARE LOOKING FOR

   Integrity first: Uncompromising integrity, ethics and confidentiality. No exceptions, no shades of grey on this.

   Independent judgment: The practical wisdom to discern right from wrong — in numbers, in people and in situations — and the courage to say “no”, respectfully and with reasons, however attractive a deal looks or whoever is sponsoring it.

   Composure: Emotionally steady and evidence-led; not swayed by deal excitement, seller narratives or momentum. Calm and dependable under pressure during the intense phases of a live deal — intensity here is episodic, not constant.

   Attention to detail: Zero-defect mindset on numbers, documents and follow-through; if it goes to the Board with your name on it, it must be right.

   Curiosity & foresight: Genuinely curious about businesses, eager to keep learning, and able to think ahead to second- and third-order consequences of a decision.

   Values & commitment: Values-driven, wants to contribute meaningfully to the organisation’s and their own long-term growth, and is looking to build a career with one team — not to collect logos.

SUCCESS IN THIS ROLE LOOKS LIKE

In 12–18 months: a trusted pipeline and banker network you run independently; screening notes and memoranda that senior leaders rely on without re-checking; at least one transaction evaluated end-to-end with you as the analytical owner; and a reputation — inside and outside the team — for sound judgment, discretion and work that is right the first time.