M&A Associate - In House

Chris Hayes Associates; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Chris Hayes Associates is partnering with a private equity-backed business in the Midlands and North to appoint an M&A Associate who will own buy-side origination and support transactions through to completion and post-acquisition integration.

The role reports to the CFO and focuses on developing a high-quality deal pipeline, engaging with business owners and advisers, and providing financial analysis to support decision-making. Hybrid UK-based with significant Midlands and North focus.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years' experience in an M&A, Corporate Finance or related environment.
• Experience supporting or leading buy-side acquisition processes.
• Strong financial analysis and modelling skills.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage a proactive pipeline of acquisition opportunities.
• Identify, approach and develop relationships with potential targets.

Skills

M&A exposure

Corporate Finance

Strategic development

Financial modelling

Relationship building

Job description

Are you an ambitious M&A or Corporate Finance professional looking to move into a commercially focused, in-house role where you can genuinely influence the growth of a business?

Our client is entering an exciting new phase of strategic expansion and is looking to appoint an M&A Associate to play a key role in identifying, evaluating and delivering acquisition opportunities across the UK, but mainly in the Midlands and North.

Reporting directly to the CFO, this is a unique opportunity to take ownership of buy-side deal origination whilst supporting transaction execution and post-acquisition integration within a successful, private equity-backed business.

The Role

This is a broad and varied position that combines strategic thinking, commercial analysis and relationship building. You'll be responsible for developing a high-quality pipeline of acquisition opportunities, engaging directly with business owners and advisers, assessing potential acquisitions and supporting transactions through to completion and integration.

Key responsibilities include:

• Building and managing a proactive pipeline of off-market acquisition opportunities.
• Identifying, approaching and developing relationships with potential acquisition targets.
• Developing strong relationships with corporate finance advisers and industry contacts to generate quality deal flow.
• Assessing both on and off-market opportunities, including strategic fit, financial analysis, valuations and business case preparation.
• Supporting due diligence processes and coordinating internal stakeholders throughout transactions.
• Working closely with Commercial, Operations, Property and Finance teams to evaluate opportunities and gather market intelligence.
• Supporting post-acquisition integration planning to ensure successful transition and value creation.

About You

We're keen to speak with ambitious professionals who have gained exposure to mergers & acquisitions, corporate finance or strategic development and are looking for a role offering greater commercial involvement and ownership.

You could currently be working within:

• Corporate Finance
• An in-house M&A or Corporate Development team
• Private Equity or Portfolio Management
• A strategic development role within a commercial business

You'll ideally have:

• Around 1-3 years' experience in an M&A, Corporate Finance or related environment.
• Experience supporting or leading buy-side acquisition processes.
• Strong financial analysis and modelling skills.
• Excellent commercial judgement and problem-solving ability.
• The confidence to build relationships with business owners, advisers and senior stakeholders.
• A proactive, self-starting approach with the ability to manage multiple opportunities simultaneously.
• Outstanding communication and presentation skills.

Experience of post-acquisition integration, due diligence, data room management or working within multi-site businesses would be advantageous but is not essential.

Why Join?

This is an exceptional opportunity to join a growing organisation with ambitious acquisition plans and significant investment behind its growth strategy.

• Direct exposure to the CFO and senior leadership team.
• The opportunity to influence acquisition strategy from origination through to integration.
• A highly visible role with genuine responsibility and autonomy.
• Flexible hybrid working, requiring just 2-4 days per month in the office near Sheffield.
• Excellent long-term career development within a fast-growing business.

If you're looking to take the next step in your M&A career and want to play a key role in delivering an ambitious growth strategy, we'd love to hear from you and we can tell you more about the business, the sector focus and the opportunity.