Valuations Associate Director in London

Company Description

At S&W, we help our clients thrive by simplifying the complex, illuminating new paths, and shaping solutions that make a difference. As one of the UK’s top 10 fastest-growing accountancy firms, we have been a trusted partner since 1881—helping businesses and individuals meet challenges and seize opportunities across generations. Built on expertise and driven by ambition, we provide a comprehensive range of services, including tax and accountancy, advisory and assurance, corporate finance, and restructuring. We are defined by our purpose—to help navigate challenges, unlock potential, and achieve the extraordinary.

Job Description

Our Valuations team delivers a broad spectrum of valuation services for commercial, financial reporting, and tax purposes, supporting both contentious and non-contentious matters. With a strong focus on business and share valuations, we also prepare valuations of intangible assets (for IP structuring or post-acquisition) and incentive scheme awards (e.g., share options and management share plans). This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a dynamic and expanding team across London, Birmingham, Newcastle, and Cambridge, contributing to high-impact work in a collaborative environment.

Responsibilities

• Overall responsibility for delivering a large number of valuation products and providing excellent client service at all times.
• Strong technical expertise in certain valuation fields (tax, accounting, commercial) or industries (FS, Consumer Product, TMT, etc.).
• Build and cultivate relationships with clients and potential clients of the group.
• Encourage and develop managers and other junior staff members.
• Contribute to training sessions of your department and/or office if relevant.
• Ensure clients’ requirements are serviced by team members of appropriate seniority, experience, and technical ability to meet the highest standard.
• Act for clients in a professional manner that provides a role model for your team and department.
• Assist your Head of Department or other partners/directors with proposals, marketing and business development activities for your field of expertise as agreed with your counsellor.
• Quality control, compliance and risk management: ensure compliance with the group’s internal procedures and best practice to avoid exposing the group to unacceptable risk levels.
• Maintain personal technical competence and keep developing technical skillsets to prepare for a future national technical role or industry role.
• Report complaints and potential PI issues for your team/direct reports in line with the group’s complaints procedures.
• Proactively manage teams and understand client expectations.
• Supervise the performance and workload of the team (i.e., direct reports).
• Lead a large number of valuation assignments and demonstrate exposure to a wide variety of valuation work, clients, and sectors.

Qualifications

• Significant experience of valuations across all purposes (commercial, accounting and tax).
• Advanced knowledge of valuation methodologies and modelling with first-class technical skills, history of providing these for different purposes (accounting, tax, commercial) and contexts (purchase price allocations, IP valuations, share options, derivatives, growth shares).
• Up-to-date working knowledge of key valuation methodologies and best practice modelling.
• Experience managing a team of valuers working simultaneously on different projects.
• Customer focus – core to the role is providing an excellent service to clients.
• Judgement – the firm relies on your judgement in the services supplied to clients, delivered as per client needs, technically excellent, commercial and on time.
• Technical expertise – strong technical leadership and maintaining technical competence is critical to ensuring clients receive excellent service.
• Communication – you communicate both verbally and in writing in an engaging and purposeful manner.

Professional Qualifications and Education

• MBA or similar master’s degree in finance.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent and completion or working towards a relevant professional qualification (e.g., CFA or Chartered Accountant ACA/CA/ACCA – or international equivalent).

Additional Information

• Competitive salary.
• Private medical insurance.
• Life assurance.
• Pension contribution.
• Hybrid working model (role dependent).
• Generous holiday package.
• Option to purchase additional holiday.
• Shared parental leave.
• Fully funded training towards professional qualifications.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Season ticket loan.
• Eye care support.

We are proud to value the differences that a diverse workforce brings, representative of society and our clients. We have a wide range of highly active employee resource groups and are delivering multiple diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the organisation. It is our commitment to provide a workplace where all colleagues, regardless of identity, background, or circumstance, feel respected as individuals and can achieve their full potential and work in a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment.

We are happy to make any reasonable adjustments to accommodate your needs throughout the application process. Please let your Recruiter know.