Group Strategy & Corporate Development Associate

Hello, we’re Starling. We built a new kind of bank because we knew technology had the power to help people save, spend and manage their money in a new and transformative way. We’re a fully licensed UK bank with the culture and spirit of a fast-moving, disruptive tech company. We’re a bank, but better: fairer, easier to use and designed to demystify money for everyone. We employ more than 3,500 people across our London, Southampton, Cardiff and Manchester offices.

We are looking for a highly motivated and curious Associate to join our Group Strategy and Corporate Development team. This is a high-impact role designed for a professional who thrives on rigor and wants to play a foundational part in our inorganic and organic growth initiatives. As an Associate, you will be deeply embedded in the execution of strategic projects and M&A transactions, providing the data-driven insights that inform the long-term roadmap for both the Bank and our global SaaS business, Engine.

• Strategy & Transaction Execution
• Workstream Execution: Support complex strategic projects by owning specific workstreams, disaggregating problems, and conducting the analysis required to reach a recommendation.
• Deal Support: Act as a core member of the execution team for M&A, joint ventures, and partnerships. This will include valuing businesses, supporting the development of deal rationales, managing data rooms, coordinating due diligence providers, and preparing initial drafts of investment committee materials.
• Owning Deliverables: Draft clear, high-quality presentations and board papers. You will be responsible for ensuring that complex data is synthesized into a narrative that is succinct and clear.
• Analysis & Financial Understanding
• Financial Modelling: Build and maintain financial models (new ventures, M&A target business plans, and bank merger models) to evaluate new business cases and corporate opportunities.
• Valuation & Research: Perform detailed valuation analysis using multiple methodologies (Comps, Precedents, Fundamental).
• Market Intelligence: Monitor the global FinTech, Banking, and TMT landscape, providing regular briefings on competitor moves, regulatory shifts, and emerging trends.
• Team & Culture
• Cross-Functional Liaison: Work closely with FP&A, Investor Relations, Finance, Legal, and other teams to gather data and validate assumptions for strategic initiatives.
• Execution Rigour: Maintain a high velocity of output, ensuring all deliverables are accurate, formatted to a high standard, and delivered ahead of schedule.
• Continuous Improvement: Proactively suggest ways to improve internal processes.

We are looking for 2–4 years of experience in a high performing, and analytical environment, typically:

• Investment Banking: Senior analyst level, preferably within a FIG, FinTech, or TMT coverage group.
• Strategy Consulting: Senior associate level, with experience in commercial due diligence or corporate strategy.
• Corporate Development / PE: Early-career experience in a deal-oriented environment within the financial services or technology sectors.

• Problem Solving: Ability to structure a clear approach to complex questions.
• Excel Technical Skills: Strong financial modeling skills. You should be comfortable building models from scratch that are logical, flexible, and error-free.
• Communication: Strong PowerPoint skills and the ability to write concise, professional long-form documents.

• First-Principles Thinking: You take a logical and data-driven approach to any task, even if it’s something you’ve never done before.
• Attention to Detail: You have minimal tolerance when it comes to data accuracy and presentation formatting.
• Drive & Autonomy: You are a self-starter who can manage your own time and take initiative without constant supervision.
• Low Ego: You are happy to roll up your sleeves on any task, from high-level strategy to administrative deal management, to help the team succeed.

• 25 days holiday (plus take your public holiday allowance whenever works best for you)
• An extra day’s holiday for your birthday
• Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
• 16 hours paid volunteering time a year
• Salary sacrifice, company enhanced pension scheme
• Life insurance at 4x your salary
• Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth including mental health support and cancer care.
• Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr&Mrs Smith and Peloton
• Generous family-friendly policies
• Perkbox membership giving access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
• Access to initiatives like Cycle to Work and Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships

You may be put off applying for a role because you don't tick every box. Forget that! While we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’re always open to discussion. So, if you’re excited about working with us, but aren’t sure if you’re 100% there yet, get in touch anyway. We’re on a mission to radically reshape banking – and that starts with our brilliant team. Whatever came before, we’re proud to bring together people of all backgrounds and experiences who love working together to solve problems. Starling Bank is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster diversity & inclusion in the workplace.