Associate Director - Transaction strategy execution

Ernst & Young Global Limited; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 800 000 - 1 200 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading professional services firm in Johannesburg is seeking an Associate Director to lead transaction strategy execution. The ideal candidate will have 7-10 years of experience in business operations, a relevant bachelor's degree, and strong project management skills. You will guide client engagement teams, ensure client satisfaction, and develop client relationships. This position requires excellent problem-solving capabilities and the ability to adapt to new challenges, and offers an opportunity to lead a dynamic team.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years of related work experience or equivalent experience.
• Experience leading complex business environments.
• Certification related to transactions is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead client engagement teams to execute transaction strategy.
• Demonstrate skills in project leadership and problem-solving.
• Develop client relationships to ensure satisfaction with engagement.

Skills

Deep business operations experience

Strong system or technology understanding

Excellent problem solving

Project management

Strong written and verbal communication skills

Ability to adapt to new challenges

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, finance, supply chain, or related field

Professional services / consulting experience

Job description

Job title: Associate Director - Transaction strategy execution

Job Location: Gauteng, Johannesburg

Deadline: January 16, 2026

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Responsibilities

• Lead client engagement teams in developing and executing their transaction strategy to secure deal value.
• Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of integrations, carve-outs, and other types of transaction engagements.
• Demonstrate skills in project leadership, including synergy assessment, project management, problem-solving, and facilitation.
• Identifying risks and issues related to integration planning, timelines, and functional areas.
• Develop client relationships at the appropriate client level and be responsible for a high degree of client satisfaction with the engagement process and work products.
• Lead business development activities including preparing proposals, presentations and attending pursuit meetings with clients to help sell and cross sell work within SaT and EY.
• Work the market and develop pipeline of work
• Be responsible for fostering an open and inclusive teaming work environment.

To qualify, candidates must have:

Deep business operations experience:

• Deep understanding of one or more core operational functions (such as IT, supply chain, finance, sales & marketing, HR etc.); experience in business process re‑engineering, cost optimisation, business integrations, with a demonstrated aptitude for quantitative and qualitative analysis
• Operating model development and design
• Strong understanding of the link between a businesses’ operating environment and resulting financial performance

Qualifications:

Candidates should ideally have one of the below qualifications and / or experience :

• A bachelor's degree (business, finance, supply chain, engineering, computer science or related field, etc.) and approximately 7 - 10 years of related work experience; or equivalent work experience
• Professional services / consulting experience : from a management consultancy, corporate finance firm or as an 'internal consultant' in a corporate environment
• Experience related to transactions (ideally due diligence, M&A, carve-out or integrations experience)
• Related certification a plus

Other Skills Required:

• Experience in leading and managing complex business environments
• Strong systems or technology understanding (incl. ERP systems) with ability to make detailed assessments thereof
• Ability to make detailed assessments of operations or manufacturing infrastructure
• Ability to determine risks and opportunity areas
• Ability to synthesize approaches to complex integration conflicts
• Analytically strong, with the ability to link operational analysis to financial statements and understand the implications of findings to client strategy
• Ability to adapt to new challenges and ideas
• Excellent problem solving, project management, facilitation, and interpersonal skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• A dedication to teamwork
• Lead and mentor team members
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