Value Creation & Synergy Lead

Grant Thornton; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 213,000; Full time

Job summary

Grant Thornton is seeking a Value Creation Manager to collaborate with private equity and corporate clients across the transaction lifecycle, focusing on operational due diligence, cost assessments, and integration/separation planning. You’ll lead cross-functional teams and drive EBITDA improvements with data-driven analyses and actionable roadmaps.

From day one, you’ll be empowered to help clients maximize value before and after a transaction, while supporting business development, mentoring

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred.
• Minimum 6 years of experience in transaction advisory, management consulting, operational due diligence, integration and separation, corporate strategy, private equity, or related field.
• Industry recognized professional certification required.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including financial analysis, data modeling, and process mapping.
• Ability to synthesize complex information into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Ability to travel as needed.

Responsibilities

• Managing buy-side and sell-side transaction engagements in coordination with Financial Due Diligence, IT, Supply Chain, Human Capital, and other diligence teams.
• Leading operational due diligence workstreams to assess business performance, operational risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Managing standalone, one-time, and stranded cost assessments.
• Leading synergy assessments and interdependency analyses.
• Leading cost optimization assessments to drive EBITDA improvement, including baselining of operations, procurement, SG&A, and overhead spend; identifying and sizing initiatives (base/high cases, one-time-to-achieve, HC vs. non-HC); and building prioritized roadmaps with clear owners, timing, and risks.
• Leading cash and working capital optimization workstreams (AR, AP, inventory) alongside cost levers to deliver a holistic plan, and overseeing initiative tracking, governance, and realization reporting from identification through post-close execution.
• Overseeing Day 1 readiness and 100-day planning efforts.
• Developing integration and separation plans, from high-level blueprints to detailed multi-phase workplans.
• Providing Integration Management Office (IMO), Separation Management Office (SMO), and Transition Management Office (TMO) leadership and support.
• Leading Transition Services Agreement (TSA) scoping, negotiation support, and schedule preparation.
• Supporting operating model design and organizational structure planning.
• Managing change management and stakeholder communication efforts.
• Managing client relationships.
• Preparing clear and concise reports and presentations for clients and other stakeholders
• Managing multiple engagements simultaneously, ensuring timely delivery and high-quality work.
• Lead and support business development activities, including identifying new client opportunities, developing proposals, budgets, and work plans, and participating in meetings with prospective clients.
• Mentoring and developing junior team members, providing guidance and support to help them grow professionally.
• Performing detailed analysis to identify opportunities for improvement and documenting conclusions.
• Assisting with training sessions to support team-up-skilling.
• Serving as a coach and mentor to other team members in support of their professional development.
• Meeting or exceeding targeted billing hours (utilization).
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Financial analysis

Data modeling

Process mapping

Presentation skills

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MBA preferred

Tools

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Grant Thornton is seeking a Value Creation Manager to collaborate with private equity and corporate clients across the transaction lifecycle, focusing on operational due diligence, cost assessments, and integration/separation planning. You’ll lead cross-functional teams and drive EBITDA improvements with data-driven analyses and actionable roadmaps.

From day one, you’ll be empowered to help clients maximize value before and after a transaction, while supporting business development, mentoring