Strategy & Integration Lead: M&A & Transformation

Vermelo RPO; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Starting with 25 days annual leave

Yearly bonus

Private Medical Insurance

Life Assurance 4x annual salary

Collaborative, fast paced working

Hybrid Working

Modern, vibrant offices

Job summary

Vermelo RPO is seeking a Strategy and Integration Manager on a 12-month fixed-term contract to lead the development and delivery of target operating models and post-acquisition integration priorities. The role is hybrid, based in Manchester, requiring two days per week in the office, with executive-level reporting and governance oversight.

The successful candidate will drive M&A due diligence, financial modelling, synergy tracking and roadmaps, working across functions to deliver focused

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience in strategy, M&A, integration, transformation or a comparable role.
• Practical experience of target operating model assessment and design, including as-is and to-be analysis.
• Experience supporting or leading M&A due diligence, with the ability to assess complex information, identify integration implications and present balanced recommendations.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including experience of building or interpreting financial models, business cases, scenario analysis and sensitivity analysis.
• Demonstrated experience of developing and overseeing integration roadmaps, including Day 1 readiness, milestones, dependencies, risks, governance and reporting.
• Experience of synergy and benefits management, including baseline definition, ownership, measurement, forecasting, evidence and variance analysis.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to structure ambiguity, interrogate complex data and convert analysis into simple, practical actions.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, including confidence working with senior leaders and constructively challenging accountable owners.
• Proven ability to create concise, high-quality executive presentations, reports, dashboards and decision papers using clear, jargon-free language.
• Advanced Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel skills; experience of SharePoint, Teams, reporting or data-visualisation tools would be advantageous.
• Experience within financial services, UK General Insurance or another regulated environment would be advantageous but is not essential.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support strategic and integration initiatives covering target operating model design, M&A activity and post-acquisition integration.
• Work with business owners to undertake structured as-is and to-be operating model analysis across capabilities, processes, organisation, governance, technology, data and performance measures, identifying gaps and defining practical transition roadmaps.
• Support M&A due diligence by coordinating inputs across functions, analysing information, identifying material risks, dependencies and integration implications, and translating findings into clear recommendations for decision-makers.
• Develop and maintain financial and operational models, working closely with Finance and business owners to validate cost, benefit, synergy, investment and sensitivity assumptions.
• Develop integration strategies, Day 1 readiness plans and delivery roadmaps, ensuring milestones, dependencies, resource requirements and decision points are clearly defined.
• Provide oversight across integration workstreams, maintaining a consolidated view of delivery status and ensuring risks, issues, actions, dependencies and decisions are actively managed through the appropriate governance forums.
• Work closely with Finance to establish and maintain synergy and benefits baselines, measures, ownership, delivery timing and supporting evidence, providing clear actual-versus-forecast analysis and early identification of underperformance.
• Analyse delivery and business performance, challenge assumptions and variances, and work with accountable owners to agree recovery actions or revised plans where required.
• Produce high-quality executive presentations, reports, decision papers and dashboards that communicate complex information clearly and support effective senior leadership and governance decisions.
• Build strong relationships across business functions, Finance, Risk & Compliance, Commercial, Technology and operational teams, using credibility and constructive challenge to align stakeholders and drive timely outcomes.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of strategy, due diligence, operating model, integration and benefits-management frameworks, while maintaining appropriate confidentiality and complying with company, legal, regulatory and information-security requirements.

Job description

Vermelo RPO is seeking a Strategy and Integration Manager on a 12-month fixed-term contract to lead the development and delivery of target operating models and post-acquisition integration priorities. The role is hybrid, based in Manchester, requiring two days per week in the office, with executive-level reporting and governance oversight.

The successful candidate will drive M&A due diligence, financial modelling, synergy tracking and roadmaps, working across functions to deliver focused