Associate Director - Deal Execution - Integration & Separation in London

KPMG’s Deal Execution practice is looking for exceptional candidates for an Associate Director (AD) role. The Deal Execution team is part of KPMG’s rapidly expanding Strategy Group, which delivers value for clients by challenging conventional thinking, bringing deep industry and functional insights, and executing with investor-grade rigour. We are a diverse team of over 200 practitioners, working collaboratively with and orchestrating KPMG’s broad set of capabilities within our Deal Advisory business, and are focused on continually enhancing value for clients across the deal and economic cycle.

Our teams comprise specialists capable of helping clients right through from conceptual thinking of buying a business to turning their business around in times of difficulty. KPMG's Deal Execution Advisory Team is a growing and dynamic team. We work with both vendors and acquirers on mergers, acquisitions, divestments, exits and joint ventures, both pre and post-deal. The team offers four key proposition areas:

• Separation: Supporting vendors to plan and deliver a credible, discrete standalone entity to the Buyer with value preserved and business continuity in place from Day 1, including supporting the definition and implementation of transitional service agreements.
• Integration: Pre and post deal integration design, planning and implementation to integrate the target business into the Buyer’s organisation whilst mitigating risk and enhancing value.
• Synergies: Understanding the potential benefits and costs generated through a proposed transaction, and the associated plans, interdependencies, risks and issues for the delivery of base and stretch case targets.
• Joint Ventures: Helping respective partners ensure the key value considerations are identified and prioritised early and delivered through the associated business plan, leveraging each party’s specific contribution and capabilities and managing broader stakeholder relationships.

Role Overview: The role of an Associate Director (AD) focuses on leading a Deal Execution engagement at deal pace and delivering high quality client work alongside senior client stakeholders. Working in a transaction environment which may be pre or post deal, and can range from early planning, developing summary or fully detailed and costed “blueprint plans”, planning for Day 1, planning post deal implementation, and ultimately supporting execution. This will include:

• Producing and overseeing development of the initial and final draft updates, outputs and deliverables to required timescale and ahead of Partner / Director review.
• Leading client interactions and updates around the deliverables and outputs of a Deal Execution engagement.
• Understanding of the operations of a business across all functional areas and understanding the interdependencies between organisations and the transaction workstreams.
• Project managing across the entire engagement programme or a number of different workstreams on such programme.
• Closely working with a respective Director/Partner on an engagement developing engagement strategy, budget, delivery plan etc.
• Leading any wider KPMG teams on an engagement in accordance with scope agreed with the respective Director/Partner.

Leadership & Management: As an AD typically performs one of the leading roles on an engagement, the role on an engagement is seen as a leadership role modelling right behaviours to the team. An AD is expected to be challenging our people to be curious and innovative on all engagements and internal work and supportive for each other. At the same time ensuring that all outcomes are commercially focussed, value adding and effectively executed. Individuals are expected to actively contribute to developing pitches, proposals and external market initiatives which help us to win new work as well as look out and help to convert new opportunities on existing engagements.

Stakeholder interaction & Challenges: Demonstrate credibility and experience to advise and deliver on complex Deal Execution deals (involving teams from Deal Execution, DA and the wider firm). Acts as Engagement Manager for deal execution projects (where appropriate). Acts as primary point of contact for the client across overall engagement. Challenges client appropriately to ensure team size and timelines are appropriate for successful delivery of scope. Proactively understands client expectations and how the KPMG team can add value. Manages stakeholders (internal and external) to minimise reputation risk on live engagements. Takes full ownership for delivering high quality client deliverables and provides day-to-day leadership for the team on the ground. Deploys Deal Execution and DA technology on their projects, to reduce cost and improve client delivery where appropriate.

Impact, Risk, Accountability & Governance: Applies commercial mind-set to pricing and engagement profitability, whilst using professional judgement to protect the reputation of the firm. Focused on managing engagement profitability (not just focused on top line revenue), consistently applies a commercial mind-set to pricing and engagement profitability. Proactively delivers Sentinel, Client and Engagement acceptance activities, to manage the Firm's risk. Raises timely invoices. Proactively manages WIP and Provisioning. Consults proactively and appropriately with P&D in relation to engagement risk management (escalating items to the Risk register as necessary). Actively coaches and oversees engagement team members on engagement risk activities, delegating appropriately whilst taking responsibility.

Successful applicants will demonstrate the following:

• Work Experience: Extensive experience working in a leading strategy house, Big 4 firm, public sector organisation or strategy / development team in industry. Detailed understanding of the value drivers. Track record of leading complex projects with multi-disciplinary teams in a consulting, corporate or public sector environment. Experience of managing or supporting high-value business development activities with senior stakeholders. Demonstrable ability to build and commercialise relationships with senior executives. Demonstrate curiosity and innovation, striving for continuous improvement, exercising professional judgement, and making a positive and lasting impact.
• Technical skills: Strong academic track record. Sales and business development skills. Evidence of strong problem-solving & analytical capabilities. Structured thinking skills combined with creativity. Ability to talk credibly with C-level clients on the key issues and strategic considerations facing the industry. Ability to evaluate complex challenges and deliver insightful recommendations that can be practically executed. Ability to review and assess large volumes of technical data and distil the key strategic insights. Strong financial acumen. Excellent written and oral communication skills. Report writing. An understanding of the market drivers, challenges and opportunities impacting our client’s strategies and priorities, enabling them to position solutions and ideas which take these into account.
• Desirable: Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to demonstrate personal impact, flexibility, drive and commitment. Professional qualifications welcome. Possess a genuine interest in building and commercialising relationships having the ability to interact with our clients on a consultative manner as a trusted advisor. Other language skills would be a strong bonus.