Associate Director – M&A Advisory

MVA International Headhunters; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

MVA International in London seeks an Associate Director for a senior, hands-on transaction role within a growing independent M&A advisory firm. You will work directly with Partners and clients, with a clear path toward Director and origination.

You will lead live buy-side and sell-side engagements, analyse EBITDA and cash flow, and shape deal structures while managing client relationships and contributing to business development.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in a core deals environment (Investment Banking or Transaction Advisory).
• Hands-on deal execution with strong commercial judgement and senior client engagement.
• Not FP&A or pure accounting; focus on how financial analysis drives transaction decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage live buy-side and sell-side M&A engagements.
• Analyse EBITDA, cash flow, working capital, forecasts and net debt.
• Identify issues influencing valuation, pricing, deal structure or investment decisions.
• Advise private equity sponsors, corporates, investment banks and other deal principals.
• Challenge management assumptions and translate financial data into commercial advice.
• Lead client relationships, senior meetings and transaction teams.
• Contribute to pitches, proposals and business development.
• Develop towards originating and winning mandates.

Skills

Deal execution

Client management

Financial modelling

Valuation analysis

M&A advisory

Job description

MVA International is supporting a growing independent M&A advisory firm with the appointment of an Associate Director.

This is a senior, hands-on transaction role for someone with strong experience in a deal-related environment who wants broader exposure across the transaction lifecycle, direct access to Partners and clients, and a genuine route towards Director and origination.

The Role

• Lead and manage live buy-side and sell-side M&A engagements
• Analyse EBITDA, earnings quality, cash flow, working capital, forecasts, net debt and key value drivers
• Identify issues that could influence valuation, pricing, deal structure, negotiation or investment decisions
• Advise private equity sponsors, corporates, investment banks and other deal principals
• Challenge management assumptions and translate complex financial information into clear commercial advice
• Lead client relationships, senior meetings and transaction teams
• Contribute to pitches, proposals and business development
• Develop towards originating and winning your own mandates

Who We're Looking For

You will have significant experience within a core deals environment, ideally from:

• Investment Banking
• Transaction Advisory / Deal Advisory
• A closely related transaction-focused team

You should have strong hands-on deal execution experience, excellent commercial judgement and the confidence to engage directly with senior clients and investors.

Importantly, this is not an FP&A, management reporting or purely technical accounting role. We need someone who understands how financial analysis influences real transaction decisions and outcomes.

You do NOT need to arrive with an established book of business.

The firm is looking for someone who is already a strong transaction professional but has the commercial potential, credibility and ambition to become an originator over time.

Why consider it?

You will join an entrepreneurial advisory platform where you can work closely with Partners, take genuine ownership of transactions and build towards an all-round Director role combining execution, client leadership and origination.