Assurance - Transaction Forensics - Sale & Purchase Agreements - Senior Manager - London/Manche[...]

At EY, you will have the chance to build a career as unique as you are, with the global scale, support, inclusive culture, and technology to become the best version of you. Join us and build an exceptional experience for yourself, and a better working world for all.

This is a high-profile role working with some of the world's largest companies and PE houses 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 few years.

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:

• Lead and deliver advice around the price adjustment mechanisms on M&A transactions, working closely with clients, their bankers and legal advisers, transaction diligence teams, and other SPA team members.
• 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.
• Play a leading role in the delivery of Transaction Forensics engagements, reviewing the team's output and steering projects per agreed timeline and budget.
• Lead client calls to explain our outputs and liaise closely with other advisors and colleagues within EY.
• Take ownership for Quality and Risk Management (QRM) to ensure client work is delivered consistently and in compliance with EY's quality standards.
• Advise on negotiations throughout the transaction, agreeing detailed and compelling outputs.
• Provide insightful, deal-relevant points of view and recommendations to the client by leveraging your technical and commercial expertise.
• Build valued relationships with internal contacts and external clients to support your own career development.
• People and performance management, coaching of junior colleagues throughout the performance year.

Skills and attributes for success:

Interpersonal skills and risk management are key as you will be working closely with due diligence teams to identify opportunities 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.
• Significant experience of M&A transactions in a senior managerial or equivalent capacity.
• Expertise in financial information analysis, including modelling, testing, documenting financial scenarios and anticipating challenges.
• Excellent technical expertise and commercial acumen with proven industry knowledge.

Ideally, you'll also have:

• Experience of reviewing SPAs and pricing mechanisms from an accountant's perspective, preferably with SPA team experience.
• An application and solution-based approach to problem solving and a collaborative approach to management.
• Strong negotiation capabilities, able to analyse strengths and weaknesses of opposing cases, formulate alternative scenarios, and advise on strategic implications.
• Ability to simultaneously handle multiple pressing assignments, and sensitive and adversarial situations.
• Ability to communicate clearly to clients and other advisors, including confidently preparing and delivering high calibre presentations and thought leadership.

What we look for:

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