S&VC,M&A Operations – Technology, Senior Manager (Cloud & Infra) in London

About the role:

PwC’s S&VC M&A Operations team assists both Corporate and Private Equity (PE) clients in a wide range of business critical operational and transformational challenges, driven by Merger and Acquisition (M&A) activity. We advise our clients on deals with values ranging from £50 million to over £100 billion and our clients include some of the most well-known brands and businesses in the world. We have around 200 dynamic and friendly people from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines. We recruit proactively from industry, consulting, private equity and audit to create a blend of relevant experience to support each transaction. We have a team of technology specialists with deep experience and are looking to enhance this team with senior individuals who can lead engagements, develop client relationships and contribute to achieving our ambitious growth goals.

This is a technical Senior Manager role. Alongside leading technology M&A engagements, you will bring deep expertise in cloud architecture and infrastructure design, and act as a technical authority for the team and our clients on cloud and infrastructure matters across the deal lifecycle.

As a Senior Manager in the team, you will be responsible for:

• Leading technology workstreams on buy and sell side due diligence, typically for Private Equity and Corporate clients, from scoping and proposal through to final report and SPA/TSA input.
• Acting as the day-to-day senior point of contact for clients and deal teams, presenting findings, red flags and value creation opportunities to investment committees, boards and C-suite stakeholders.
• Shaping the technology investment thesis: assessing IT strategy, operating model, architecture, cost base and capex requirements, and quantifying risks, one-off costs and run-rate impacts with supporting business cases.
• Leading the cloud and infrastructure elements of due diligence and separation/integration work: assessing hosting, data centre, network, security and end-user estates; evaluating technical debt, resilience and scalability; and designing target-state cloud and infrastructure architectures.
• Acting as the team’s technical authority on cloud architecture and infrastructure design, including cloud migration and modernisation strategies, landing zone and hybrid architectures, FinOps and cloud cost optimisation, and infrastructure-related TSA and exit planning.
• Leading analysis of IT costs and operations to identify synergies, standalone costs and value creation opportunities, and translating these into practical, deal-ready recommendations and 100 day plans.
• Managing multiple concurrent engagements and multi-disciplinary teams across geographies, ensuring quality, risk management and delivery to tight deal timetables and budgets.
• Working closely with Partners and Directors, and with colleagues across Deals, Strategy& and Consulting, to deliver integrated advice across the deal lifecycle.
• Leading proposals and supporting Partners and Directors in business development and marketing initiatives (both internally and externally), building relationships with PE houses and corporate clients to grow our position in the market.
• Contributing to the development of our propositions, methodologies and thought leadership in technology M&A.
• Acting as an active counsellor, coach and role model to Managers and junior team members, and supporting recruitment and team development.

A career in the S&VC M&A Operations team is a unique and rewarding challenge. When working in an M&A environment, the work is often complex and done under tight deadlines, as we have to rapidly develop an understanding of the target / client business in order to quickly assimilate the key issues around the transaction. As a result, the opportunity for personal and career development is extraordinary, with great opportunities for progression; however, this can also be challenging at times. Whilst the team is London based, deal activity is global in nature and therefore projects can involve international travel, which can be at short notice. Occasionally, projects may also involve being temporarily based overseas and candidates should be prepared for this.

What your days will look like

S&VC M&A Operations focuses on providing support for potential and actual M&A transactions and assists clients in all operational aspects of the transaction, pre and post deal, including:

• Pre-deal value creation advisory (i.e. helping clients to prepare their business, or parts of their business, for sale)
• Buy and sell side operational due diligence (i.e. reviewing and reporting on the technology risks and opportunities for the business)
• Synergy development and review (i.e. helping to develop, or providing an external independent review of, the level of synergies available from putting two or more businesses together)
• Carve-out and divestment support (i.e. helping to develop the standalone operating model, one-off costs and standalone operating costs of a divestment)
• Taking control and 100 day planning (i.e. helping our clients to safely take control of the business, manage risks and deliver ‘quick wins’ during the first 100 days of ownership)
• Mergers & Acquisitions integration (i.e. helping our clients protect and grow the value of an acquisition, develop a robust and realistic integration plan and then execute on it)
• Post-acquisition performance improvement (i.e. reviewing where the value might lie in the business and how realistic and sustainable cost savings can be achieved)

The role is for you if:

You have:

• Significant experience in technology M&A, technology due diligence or technology strategy, gained in consulting/advisory, Private Equity or large multinational organisations, with a track record of leading engagements and client relationships.
• Deep, hands‑on technical background in cloud architecture and infrastructure design, ideally including senior roles as a cloud/infrastructure architect, infrastructure lead or similar.
• Strong experience across one or more major public cloud platforms (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud), including cloud migration, hybrid/multi-cloud design, data centre exit, networking, security and resilience; relevant professional certifications (e.g. AWS/Azure Solutions Architect) are advantageous.
• Experience assessing and costing infrastructure estates, and designing standalone or integrated infrastructure in carve‑out, separation, integration or TSA exit contexts.
• Proven ability to undertake IT strategy formulation and analysis, and IT operating model design review/formulation.
• Experience of key business applications design and/or implementation, to include one or more of ERP, CRM, MI, Middleware, eCommerce or industry‑specific front office systems.
• Familiarity with modern ways of working (e.g. Agile, DevOps, DevSecOps, IaC, FinOps) and how technology enables business objectives.
• Expertise in creating and reviewing detailed IT cost financial models and IT budgets, interpreting data and performing scenario analysis, including synergy, standalone cost and capex assessments.
• Experience of reviewing IT-enabled performance improvement, IT cost reduction and cost‑out strategies, business case development and capital expenditure needs.
• Understanding of public cloud technologies and modern ways of working (e.g. Agile, DevOps, DevSecOps, IaC), and how technology enables business objectives.
• A demonstrable ability to ‘read’ a business/process, anticipate issues and identify potential upside opportunities, with strong commercial acumen.
• Capability to quickly assimilate large amounts of information, identify key messages and form robust, defensible judgements under time pressure.
• Excellent communication skills, with expertise in creating clear, concise presentations and drafting comprehensive reports and board papers for executive and investor audiences.
• Proven leadership experience, including building, developing, coaching and managing high-performing teams, and contributing to business development and proposals.
• Must possess an ACA/CA/ACCA qualification (or international equivalent) or have equivalent work experience. This includes international candidates who qualify through experience in their home country.

What you’ll receive from us:

No matter where you may be in your career or personal life, our benefits are designed to add value and support, recognising and rewarding you fairly for your contributions. We offer a range of benefits including empowered flexibility and a working week split between office, home and client site; private medical cover and 24/7 access to a qualified virtual GP; six volunteering days a year and much more.