Associate Director - Acquisition Finance, Strategic Finance

Acquisition Finance is our UK‑wide Leverage Finance proposition, supporting event‑driven transactions for owner‑managed and privately‑equity‑backed businesses. This Associate Director role sits within the Acquisition Finance team in London, where you’ll play a key role in the origination and execution of new lending opportunities across leveraged and corporate transactions.

Working closely with Senior Directors alongside other internal and external stakeholders, you’ll support the end‑to‑end deal life‑cycle—from early‑stage opportunity assessment and financial analysis through to credit application preparation, structuring, documentation and completion. You’ll combine strong analytical and modelling capabilities with relationship‑building skills to deliver high‑quality credit submissions, manage transaction workflows, and help grow the team’s network and pipeline of new business.

This role within our Acquisition Finance team is focused on supporting deal origination within a specialist lending team under Strategic Finance. The successful candidate will be required to provide support to a team of Senior Directors to screen new lending opportunities, decide which opportunities are the right ones to progress, and then support throughout the transaction process through credit report writing, financial analysis and modelling.

We are a well‑established and respected lender in the leverage finance market, with a strong and proven track record of supporting UK businesses with funding for acquisitions, refinancing, recapitalisations and growth. The team has extensive experience in executing deals and works closely with all stakeholders to deliver positive outcomes and build long‑term relationships.

You will be based at our London office and can expect a hybrid working arrangement that allows you to spend at least two days per week in the office, with the remainder of your time working remotely.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll spend your day working as part of a deal team to review and assess new lending opportunities, looking at company information and financial data to decide which transactions are worth progressing. You’ll build detailed financial models and prepare clear credit papers that set out the risks and structure of each deal, while working closely with a Senior Director, colleagues across risk, legal and other internal teams. You’ll also speak regularly with prospect companies, private equity and advisers to gather information, answer questions and help move transactions forward, ensuring everything stays on track to meet deadlines. As deals progress, you’ll support the coordination of due diligence and documentation through to completion, while continuing to develop relationships and build your internal and external network to support future opportunities.

About you

• Excellent financial analysis capability, including the ability to interpret financial statements, assess risk, and build robust financial models with scenario and sensitivity analysis
• Knowledge of loan and security documentation, with experience supporting or managing documentation and due diligence processes
• Experience engaging with external stakeholders such as customers, investors and advisers, alongside internal teams, to support origination and delivery of lending opportunities
• Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and deliver to tight deadlines
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex financial information clearly and accurately

The extras you’ll get

• Access to private medical insurance
• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement
• Access to an annual performance‑related bonus
• Training and development to help you progress your career
• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme
• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death
• Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness
• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year