Finance Associate — M&A & Portfolio Growth

The CSP Group; Clayton (MO); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The CSP Group, a St. Louis-area private investment firm, seeks a motivated Finance Associate to support M&A and finance operations for portfolio companies.

You will model acquisitions, analyze performance, and coordinate due diligence with lenders and providers, while partnering with CFO and VP Finance. Responsibilities span investment analyses, financial modeling, and portfolio company finance enhancements, with emphasis on profitability, efficiency, and data-driven decisions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business Analytics, Finance, or related field is required.
• Approximately five years of post-graduation professional experience.
• Strong Excel and data analysis/business intelligence skills.
• M&A or underwriting experience, preferably with due diligence.
• Public accounting experience is a plus.
• General accounting and financial analysis skills.
• Cost accounting experience is a plus.
• Experience with manufacturing or distribution businesses is a plus.
• Ability to organize complex information and communicate concisely.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Ability to prepare analyses and communications ready for execution and review.
• A minor or second major in Business Analytics, Systems, Applied Mathematics, or related discipline is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own acquisition and divestiture analyses, including return, forecast, lender models, and due diligence materials.
• Build integrated income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow models for target companies.
• Coordinate due diligence with third-party providers and lenders.
• Prepare financial analyses and materials for investment committee review.
• Participate in investment committee discussions and presentations.
• Analyze monthly reporting packages and forecasts; explain business implications.
• Coordinate with portfolio company Controllers and FP&A on data requests.
• Identify working capital and margin improvement opportunities.
• Enhance BI usage across portfolio companies (Workday Adaptive Planning, Power BI).
• Improve forecasting processes including 13-week cash flow.
• Build data models connecting ERP/CRM and other data sources.
• Support integration of systems for new platforms and add-ons.
• Assist with special projects such as bridge and sales analyses.

Skills

Excel

Data analysis

M&A experience

Public accounting experience

Cost accounting

Manufacturing or distribution exposure

Organizing complex information

Deadline management

Communication of analyses

Business Analytics minor/second major

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting / Finance / Business Analytics

Tools

Workday Adaptive Planning

Microsoft Fabric

Power BI

Job description

The CSP Group, a St. Louis-area private investment firm, seeks a motivated Finance Associate to support M&A and finance operations for portfolio companies.

You will model acquisitions, analyze performance, and coordinate due diligence with lenders and providers, while partnering with CFO and VP Finance. Responsibilities span investment analyses, financial modeling, and portfolio company finance enhancements, with emphasis on profitability, efficiency, and data-driven decisions.