Associate Director

Title: Associate Director – Strategy & M&A

Location: London or Amsterdam

Salary: Competitive

Ref: HR021

Global Software & Data Business

A global leader in professional software, data, and information services is hiring an Associate Director into their Strategy & M&A team, supporting one of their largest and fastest-growing business divisions.

With global revenues of approximately €6 billion and a highly stable recurring revenue model, this company is a well-capitalised platform pursuing strategic growth through both acquisition and organic initiatives.

The Role:

You will play a key role in driving the company’s global M&A activity, working closely with senior leadership to shape investment priorities and execute transactions across data and analytics, software, and tech-enabled business services sectors.

Key Responsibilities:

• Origination of new investment opportunities, including proactive outreach and relationship-building with founders, CEOs, PE houses, bankers, advisors, and brokers
• Leading deal negotiations, structuring, pricing, and valuations
• Managing the full execution process, including overseeing due diligence workstreams and ensuring successful deal completion within agreed timelines
• Supporting integration planning and synergy realisation alongside specialist teams
• Involvement in a variety of strategic projects to support broader business growth
• Mentoring and developing junior members of the team

The Candidate:

• Strong background in M&A and/or Corporate Development, with experience in deal origination and execution
• Exposure to data, software, or tech-enabled business services sectors is highly advantageous
• Proven experience managing negotiations, valuations, deal structuring, and leading due diligence processes
• Strong strategy experience, including market analysis, competitive landscape assessment, investment prioritisation, and growth strategy development
• Excellent relationship-building skills across founders, investors, advisors, and internal stakeholders
• Strategic mindset with the ability to balance hands-on execution with broader business objectives
• Experience in managing and developing junior team members is desirable.