Transactions Specialist - Ernst & Young

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This is a high-profile role working with some of the world's largest companies and offers an exciting opportunity to gain exposure to the dynamic world of Transaction Forensics. Our team is highly ambitious and has significant growth aspirations over the next year.

The opportunity

EY's Transaction Forensics – Sale and Purchase Agreements (SPA) team provides expert support to clients, investment banks, lawyers, and deal teams on Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) pricing mechanisms and the accounting aspects of SPAs, including support around any post deal Completion Accounts. You will assist clients in their SPA negotiations and will interact with deal teams and clients across the transaction life cycle.

Your key responsibilities

• Working closely with clients, their bankers and legal advisers, transaction diligence teams and guiding other SPA team members to manage and deliver advice around the price adjustment mechanisms on M&A transactions. This may include analysis of cash, debt and working capital adjustments, preparation of pricing schedules, reviewing, and commenting on the financial aspects of the SPA, assisting the client with their preparation or review of Completion Accounts, and performing Leakage reviews.
• Supporting and contributing to the delivery of Transaction Forensics engagements, per agreed timeline and budget
• Adhering to Quality and Risk Management (QRM) to ensure client work is delivered consistently and in compliance with EY's quality standards
• Providing insightful, deal-relevant points of view and recommendations to the client by leveraging your technical and commercial experience
• Building valued relationships with internal contacts and external clients to develop and expand your own portfolio of projects, focusing on high value opportunities
• Supporting negotiations with clients throughout the transaction, agreeing detailed and compelling outputs

Skills and attributes for success

You will demonstrate an ability to communicate clearly to clients and other advisors and be able to confidently prepare and deliver high calibre presentations and thought leadership. Interpersonal skills and risk management are key as you will be working closely with due diligence teams to identify and mitigate risk for clients, as well as developing a strong internal and external network. For the right candidate, this opportunity will provide stimulation and challenge and the prospect of career development in a key specialism within the firm.

To qualify for the role, you must have

• Fully qualified as a chartered accountant e.g., ACA / ACCA / CA / ICAS / ICAEW or international equivalent
• Experience directing M&A transactions in a managerial capacity
• Expert in financial information analysis, including modelling, testing, documenting financial scenarios and anticipating challenges
• Commercial awareness and the desire to learn and retain industry knowledge
• Project management and people management experience

Ideally, you'll also have

• An application and solution-based approach to problem solving
• Strong negotiation capabilities, able to analyse strengths/weaknesses of opposing cases, formulate alternative scenarios, and advise on strategic implications
• Ability to simultaneously handle multiple pressing assignments and sensitive and adversarial situations

What we look for

We are looking for an individual who is hands-on and rigorous in their working style and a highly motivated team player, capable of working in a fast-paced environment. We're interested in people with a desire to develop their specialist skill set in a high value-add area for corporate and private equity clients with excellent analytical and negotiation techniques.