SPA Advisory, Associate Director

Grant Thornton UK; Southampton; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tailored development programmes

Flexible bank holidays

Pension and life assurance

Private medical insurance

Job summary

Grant Thornton UK is seeking a SPA Associate Director to lead advisory engagements, manage board-level client relationships, and oversee complex SPA transactions. You will collaborate with specialists across the firm to craft solutions, negotiate financial terms, and supervise junior staff while driving business development and high-quality output.

The role emphasizes strong technical knowledge of SPA structures, completion mechanisms, and effective communication with clients and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Professional qualification ACA, ICAS, CA, ACCA or CIPFA with post-qualification experience in transaction advisory.
• 3–5 years' PQE in transaction services, corporate finance or SPA advisory.
• Experience advising on financial aspects of SPAs, warranties and indemnities.
• Business development experience and ability to build client relationships.
• Experience managing and developing junior team members and budgets.

Responsibilities

• Take responsibility for client relationships at board level and oversee engagements.
• Consult with specialists within the firm on complex risk management.
• Lead on preparation and delivery of engagement letters and fee estimates.
• Develop solutions to complex technical issues and interpret financial information.
• Lead completion mechanism matters, including net debt and working capital adjustments.
• Present conclusions and recommendations to clients and drive action points.
• Coach managers and provide regular feedback and performance reviews.

Skills

Client relationship management

Lead and coach teams

Financial analysis

Negotiation

Communication skills

Business development

Education

ACA/ICAS/CA/ACCA or CIPFA

Job description

Alternatively, Grant Thornton

At Grant Thornton we do things differently - looking to the future, driving ambitious growth and pioneering positive change in our industry. Providing audit, tax and advisory services, we empower clients through strategic insight, curiosity, and genuine partnership. And we empower our people with real opportunity, an inclusive culture and work life balance. A true alternative.

With over 5,000 people in the UK, and a presence in 150 global markets, we’re on an ambitious journey, from great to exceptional, and we need the best people to help us achieve our potential. And with that comes the opportunity to help redefine what our industry looks like, and what you want from your career.

A look into the role

As a SPA Associate Director within our team, you will:

• Take responsibility and ownership of the client relationship at the appropriate level in the client's organisation at board level.
• Consult effectively with specialists within the firm when faced with complex risk management.
• Oversee and manage letters of engagement internally and with the client.
• Develop solutions to complex technical issues.
• Interpret and analyse complex information, identifying business issues and applying technical knowledge appropriately.
• Oversee the preparation of deliverables to client, such as financial analysis, ensuring quality output is produced which is relevant to the transaction.
• Lead on completion mechanism matters, including net debt, working capital and other price adjustment calculations, ensuring analysis is robust and well supported.
• Review final drafts of our output.
• Manage all aspects of the transaction competently, including managing any junior team members involved on the project on technical aspects of the transaction.
• Set the fee estimate and oversees the drafting of the engagement letter.
• Lead the presentation of conclusions and recommendations to the client and discuss the implications and action points.
• Proactively seek out business development opportunities.
• Suggest innovative selling solutions whilst pro-actively identifying cross-selling opportunity.
• Review and participate in negotiations on the financial aspects of SPAs, including warranties, indemnities and disclosure letters, working closely with legal advisers.
• Lead, motivate and coach managers by inducting effectively, giving regular feedback and timely performance reviews.
• Prepare fee estimates and budgets for client assignments and manage client expectations about changes and overruns.

Knowing you’re right for us

Joining us as a SPA AD, the minimum criteria you’ll need is a professional qualification (ACA, ICAS, CA, ACCA or CIPFA) with post qualification transaction advisory experience (ideally 3-5 years, gained within a transaction services, corporate finance or SPA advisory environment), and to be confident managing a portfolio of SPA advisory engagements.

It would be great if you had some of the following skills, but don’t worry if you don’t tick every box, we’ll help you develop along the way:

• Some years experience in transactions/deals including experience of advising on financial aspects of SPAs
• Strong technical understanding of completion mechanisms, including locked box and completion accounts structures, and net debt and working capital adjustments.
• Experience reviewing and negotiating the financial aspects of SPAs, including warranties and indemnities.
• A level of business development experience, including converting sales opportunities and building long-term client relationships.
• Experience managing and developing junior team members across multiple, concurrent engagements.
• Strong report writing and communication skills, with the ability to present complex financial analysis clearly to clients and other stakeholders.

Knowing we’re right for you

The culture at Grant Thornton is what sets us apart, we’re known for our inclusive culture and creating environments where all our people can flourish. The things that set you apart, we value them, and this helps us all to perform at our best.

Our values are the unwavering principles that shape our daily behaviours and decisions, alongside our drive to do the right thing. We’re looking for people who align with our values and are purposefully driven, actively curious and candid but kind. You can learn more about our values in practice here.

It’s not just about our culture and values, in addition to a competitive salary and reward package, us you’ll also get:

• Tailored development programmes and access to coaching
• Flexible bank holidays – allowing you to celebrate the days that are important to you
• Benefits including pension, life assurance and private medical, additional holiday purchasing and health benefits
• Anytime benefits giving you access to shopping discounts, gym memberships, financial advice
• And more. Visit our benefits section to read more.

How We Work

We have a trust‑based way of working, driven by responsible people who have the best interests of our firm and our clients at heart. Our how we work framework gives flexibility in where, how, and when we work to deliver the best results for our clients, whilst helping you keep a balance between work and life. Life is more than work, the things you do, and the people you’re with outside of work matter, that’s why we’re happy to look at flexible working options for all our roles. That is how it should be.

We’re looking for people who can help drive the business forward, who want to contribute, spark fresh ideas and go beyond expectations. People who want to be able to proudly do what’s right, for the firm, our clients, our people and themselves. It’s how it should be.