EY Parthenon - Senior Manager - Deal Origination

EY; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career development

Flexible work policy

Wellness incentive + flex leave

Parental leave

Salary negotiable

Job summary

EY-Parthenon in Australia is seeking a Senior Manager, Deal Origination to lead our dedicated origination hub across Australia and New Zealand. You’ll identify attractive acquisition targets, develop actionable M&A theses, and build relationships with private equity and corporate clients.

This role emphasizes strategic thinking, data-driven insights, and the application of AI to enhance origination. You’ll work with EY-Parthenon and broader EY teams to convert opportunities into pursuits and

Qualifications

• 5+ years’ relevant experience in M&A, corporate finance, deal origination, private equity or closely related environment.
• Strong commercial judgement and analytical capability to turn information into focused theses.
• Ability to engage directly with market participants and build relationships across accounts.
• Experience leading or developing a small team and using data/AI to improve origination.

Responsibilities

• Originate and qualify M&A opportunities by identifying targets and themes and developing credible theses.
• Develop acquisition theses by sector analysis and company intelligence.
• Engage with market participants to generate relationships and opportunities.
• Support priority accounts and campaigns, mapping portfolio companies and identifying opportunities.
• Build EY relationships and work with account teams to develop approaches and routes to decision-makers.
• Lead day-to-day operation of the Deal Origination Hub, set priorities, and oversee the pipeline and AI-enabled tools.

Skills

M&A experience

Corporate finance

Deal origination

Private equity

Relationship management

Tools

AI tools

Job description

Other locations: Anywhere in Country

Date: Oct 19, 2026

Requisition ID: 1753956

At EY, we’re all in to shape your future with confidence.

We’ll help you succeed in a globally connected powerhouse of diverse teams and take your career wherever you want it to go.

Join EY and help to build a better working world.

The opportunity

At EY-Parthenon, our unique combination of transformative strategy, transactions, tax and corporate finance delivers real-world value - solutions that work in practice, not just on paper. Benefiting from EY’s full spectrum of services, we’ve reimagined strategic consulting to work in a world of increasing complexity. With deep functional and sector expertise, paired with innovative AI-powered technology and an investor mindset, we partner with CEOs, boards, private equity and governments every step of the way.

As our Senior Manager, Deal Origination, you’ll play a leading role in building and operating our dedicated Deal Origination Hub across Australia and New Zealand. You’ll identify attractive businesses and acquisition opportunities, develop actionable M&A ideas, build relationships across the private equity and corporate market, and convert market intelligence into genuine transaction opportunities. This is not a traditional business development or research role.

This role can be performed from any of our EY offices across Australia.

Your key responsibilities

• Originate and qualify M&A opportunities by identifying attractive businesses, acquisition targets and transaction themes, assessing strategic fit and developing credible transaction or commercial theses.
• Develop acquisition theses by combining sector analysis, company intelligence and commercial judgement to identify attractive acquisition opportunities.
• Engage directly with the market, including business owners, private equity investors, advisers and other market participants, to develop relationships and opportunities.
• Support priority private equity accounts and targeted origination campaigns, including understanding investment strategies, mapping portfolio companies and identifying credible acquisition and bolt-on opportunities across priority accounts, sectors and market themes.
• Build new-to-EY relationships and identify opportunities within EY’s existing relationships, working with account teams and Partners to develop transaction hypotheses, appropriate approaches and routes to decision-makers.
• Lead the day-to-day operation of the Deal Origination Hub, setting priorities, allocating work and developing team members; overseeing the origination intelligence platform and pipeline; using data, technology and AI to improve origination; and working across EY-Parthenon and broader EY teams to convert originated opportunities into pursuits and mandates.

Skills and attributes for success

Ideally, you’ll have the skills and attributes below, but don’t worry if you don’t tick all the boxes. We’re interested in your aptitude, attitude and willingness to learn.

• 5+ years’ relevant experience in M&A, corporate finance, deal origination, private equity, corporate development or a closely related environment, with a strong understanding of M&A and acquisition strategy.
• Strong commercial judgement and analytical capability, with the ability to turn detailed company, market and sector information into focused acquisition or origination theses.
• Confidence and persistence in approaching business owners, investors and advisers directly, together with demonstrated relationship-building and senior stakeholder management capability.
• The ability to manage and develop a small team while remaining personally involved in origination, operate with initiative and personal accountability, and use data, AI and emerging technology to improve research, screening and origination.

What we offer you

At EY, we’ll fuel you and your extraordinary talents in a diverse and inclusive culture of globally connected teams. We’re proud to be recognised as the #1 WORK180 Endorsed Employer in the Top 101 Employers for Women 2026. Learn more .

• Career development: At EY, your career is yours to shape! We’ll develop you with future-focused skills and equip you with world-class experiences ey.com/au/careerdevelopment
• Flexible work arrangements: Our flexible work policies empower you to balance your professional and personal life, fostering a culture of trust and autonomy.
• A comprehensive benefits package: From a yearly wellness incentive, to access to additional 8 weeks of flex leave per year, and family-friendly policies, including up to 26 weeks of gender-neutral paid parental leave, we cater to your diverse needs to help you thrive both personally and professionally www.ey.com/au/benefits
• Salary: We offer a competitive salary which is open to negotiation pending on skills and experience.

Acknowledgement of Country

EY acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands on which EY offices are located around Australia. We pay our respects to their cultures, and to their Elders — past, present, and emerging. Find out more about our vision for reconciliation at ey.com/en_au/careers/indigenous

Inclusiveness is core to who we are and how we work together, driving value for our people and for our business. We encourage applications from people of all ages, nationalities, abilities, cultures, sexual orientations, and gender identities and are committed to providing an equitable and barrier free recruitment experience for all. We encourage you to share any support and adjustments you need to be your best and participate equitably in our recruitment process. We understand sharing your needs with us can be daunting, so if you have questions before or during your application, we welcome you to get in touch at [e-mail] or [phone] (option 2). Anything you tell us will be kept completely confidential.