M&A Associate - In House

Chris Hayes Associates; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working near Sheffield

Private equity exposure

Job summary

Chris Hayes Associates is recruiting for an M&A Associate on behalf of a private equity-backed business. The role focuses on identifying and delivering acquisition opportunities across the UK, reporting to the CFO, and taking ownership of buy-side origination.

You will develop a high-quality deal pipeline, engage with business owners and advisers, conduct financial analysis and valuations, and support transactions through to completion and post-acquisition integration.

Qualifications

• 2–5 years' experience in M&A, corporate finance or related field.
• Strong financial modelling and valuation skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple opportunities and stakeholders.
• Experience supporting or leading buy-side processes is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage a proactive pipeline of acquisition opportunities.
• Engage with owners and advisers to originate deals.
• Assess opportunities for strategic fit, financial viability and value creation.
• Support due diligence and coordinate internal stakeholders.
• Assist with post-acquisition integration planning.
• Collaborate with CFO and senior leadership on strategy.

Skills

M&A experience

Financial modelling

Commercial judgement

Relationship building

Due diligence

Stakeholder management

Presentation skills

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.

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 2-5 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.