M&A Associate
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The M&A Associate is primarily charged with supporting the business through M&A due diligence, transaction execution, and following all risk related policies and practices. The M&A Associate also oversees and guides/coaches activities of M&A analysts concerning the engagement of prospective business/company owners and executives through telephone, email, and social media platforms prior to qualifying these potential mergers and acquisition as viable prospects for the business.
The M&A Associate is responsible for overseeing mergers and acquisitions from the initial contact all the way to the finalization of the transaction. This role is differentiated from an ordinary sales role; it involves engaging companies about buying out their business and goodwill.
Therefore, the role requires an individual who has proven business development and prospecting experience. The M&A Associate must be completely comfortable with building their own personal pipeline through research and networking, while also aiding the business in identifying appropriate targets.
Objectives and Responsibilities of the M&A Associate
Management/Strategy: The M&A Associate has a responsibility for managing communications and engaging with prospective businesses from the time of initial contact through to completion. Here, he plays an active role in performing various outbound call campaigns as well as lead generation activities, and in coordinating and implementing due diligence for any potential transactions.
He efficiently manages prospect pipelines in order to produce and surpass expected results. The M&A Associate performs his duties against specified goals and embraces accountability for all outcomes of mergers and acquisitions success or failure.
The M&A Associate plays an active role in negotiating all transactions between the business and potential acquisitions; he creates investment conclusions and similar presentations for senior M&A management for aiding decision making in these sensitive transactions.
Research and Prospecting: The M&A Associate is tasked with leading the M&A analysts in researching and prospecting new merger and acquisition targets within a specified profile that is in line with the buy-and-hold strategy of the business. In this position, the M&A Associate conducts extensive research, gathers information about target businesses, and liaises with analysts to develop a prospecting list.
In this position, the M&A Associate is in charge of initiating first contact with the identified business’ owners or executives with an offer for merger or acquisition. In this position, the M&A Associate is in charge of conducting assessments on a wide range of businesses, inclusive of reviews of their industrial operations, performance, and past activities in order to determine compatibility.
Collaboration: The position of the M&A Associate is not an entirely independent position and as mentioned, he regularly works with the M&A analysts in conducting research and prospecting potential mergers and acquisitions and the creation of a prospecting list. In his collaborative role, he is also tasked with commencing and conducting preliminary negotiations with prospective business owners and executives on behalf of the business.
The M&A Associate will also work closely with the senior M&A management narrowing down on the business’s approach to companies on the prospecting list with acquisition offers. He will also liaise with the legal and finance departments in ensuring that there is a seamless execution of merger and acquisition transactions.
Analytics: The M&A Associate plays an analytical role where he is in charge of overseeing and conducting daily meetings, reviews, metrics, and clear documentation of follow ups with prospective businesses. He uses CRM interaction tools such as Zoho to document all activities and interactions with the prospective businesses.
In this position, the M&A Associate develops detailed financial models and valuation analyses for all potential transactions and provides input into the preparation of technical reports for senior M&A management that effectively communicate all review findings.
Knowledge: The M&A Associate keeps up with industry M&A trends and best practices, constantly imparting them on the department in order to ensure continuous improvement in efficiency and effectiveness of the business’s merger and acquisition activities.
He also stays informed on current and developing legislation governing mergers and acquisitions within the business’s jurisdiction, ensuring that all of the business’s M&A initiatives are within the confines of the law.
Other Duties: The M&A Associate performs similar duties as he deems necessary for the proper execution of his duties and duties as delegated by the M&A Vice President, Director M&A, and the Chief Business Development Officer.
Required Qualifications of the M&A Associate
Education: The M&A Associate must have a bachelor’s degree (master’s degree preferred) in Business, Accounting, Finance, Economics or any other related field. An equivalent of the same in working experience is also acceptable for the position.
Experience: A candidate for this position must have had at least 5 years of professional experience working in an M&A position within a fast-paced, highly competitive, and dynamic industry, preferably working as an M&A analyst. The candidate must also have had a proven track record building relationships and successfully managing foreign business executives and multiple stakeholders.
The M&A Associate will also have experience in venture capital and corporate M&A as well as demonstrate experience in research analysis and modeling in heavily transactional situations. The candidate must also demonstrate an understanding of accounting elements and be sufficiently familiar with the state’s mergers and acquisitions regulations.
A suitable candidate will have experience playing an active role in regular reviews, metrics, and documentation of on-going M&A transactions.
Communication Skills: Communication skills are a must have for the M&A Associate, both in written and oral form. The M&A Associate will need to have exceptional communication skills in order to effectively oversee and guide the activities of the M&A analysts, which will in turn determine the overall performance of the department. Being a collaborative role, the M&A Associate will also need to possess good communication skills especially for the purpose of enabling smooth interactions with prospecting business owners and executives.
The clarity and quality between the M&A Associate and these owners and executives at first contact may very well determine the success of the impending merger or acquisition. He will also be responsible for drafting regular reports and reviews for senior M&A management, which will demand that he also be equipped with outstanding presentation skills, having the ability to convey the most complex messages simply, clearly, and convincingly.
Ms Office/Software: A candidate for this position must also demonstrate proficiency in the use of Ms Word, Ms Excel, and PowerPoint, necessary for the creation of both visually and verbally engaging reports, reviews, and presentations for senior M&A management and collaborating personnel. As a bonus, the candidate will also be proficient in at least one SaaS software such as Workday and HRMS software.
Analytical Skills: The M&A Associate must also demonstrate a deep passion for research and analysis as well as skill in processing raw information and data, drawing useful insights and recommendations from it. A candidate will also need to be skilled in working with relational database management systems such as MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, and Sybase.
Interpersonal Skills: The candidate must also possess certain personal attributes that will make him a preferred choice for the position. He will be a result-oriented individual, be self-motivated, driven, and proactive requiring minimal supervision, work well independently and with a group, and be comfortable working with business executives.
The M&A Associate will have an ability to work in a fast-paced volatile and constantly evolving environment, be open and welcoming to change, have an ability to thrive in a highly demanding environment, have an ability to handle multiple projects and meet tight deadlines, and have an ability to remain calm in times of pressure and uncertainty.
People Skills: Being a representative of the business who makes first contact with prospective mergers and acquisitions, the M&A Associate must be confident yet approachable and relatable, portraying the same image of the business. He will have a natural ability to establish strong and meaningful relationships with others as well as an ability to move and influence cross-functional teams and business owners and executives.
