General Information

Job Title
Director, Global Mergers & Acquisitions - EMEA
Job ID
59228
Category
Finance
Employment Type
Permanent Full-Time
Location(s)
London

Description & Requirements

COMPANY OVERVIEW:
Bain & Company is the management consulting firm that the world’s business leaders come to when they want results. Bain advises clients on strategy, operations, information technology, organization, private equity, digital transformation and strategy, and mergers and acquisition, developing practical insights that clients act on and transferring skills that make change stick.  The firm aligns its incentives with clients by linking its fees to their results. Bain clients have outperformed the stock market 4 to 1. Founded in 1973, Bain has 63 offices in 38 countries, and its deep expertise and client roster cross every industry and economic sector.


POSITION SUMMARY:
Bain’s Global M&A team leads the evaluation and execution of acquisitions, mergers, minority investments, and other related transactions that accelerate growth, advance the firm’s strategy, add critical capabilities/talent, and drive value creation.  This highly visible global team partners with senior leaders across industry/capability areas, regions, and functions to drive the deal process and enable decisions by Bain’s Global Operating Committee, Investment Committee, and Board of Directors. 
 
Working as a senior member of the Global M&A team with a focus on the EMEA region, you will play a critical role in helping Bain capitalize on the most attractive inorganic opportunities, with responsibilities spanning all aspects of the M&A process including: opportunity screening and pipeline development, financial and strategic analysis, business plan development and review, commercial and functional due diligence, deal structuring/valuation and negotiation, documentation, execution/closing, and integration planning.  You will help to evaluate the fit of potential targets with our strategic M&A priorities and drive the successful deal process, negotiation, and execution required to advance Bain’s M&A agenda.  In the process, you will work closely with senior leaders across Bain, including members of the Board, Global Operating Committee, Investment Committee, regional and practice area leadership, and functional leadership.  

RESPONSIBILITIES:
As part of a small, highly collaborative team working on strategic initiatives commanding the attention of Bain’s senior leadership team, we are looking for creative, analytical and structured thinkers who can work effectively with cross-functional teams.  Key responsibilities will include:
  • Play the role of deal quarterback/captain to drive successful deal execution, partnering with business deal sponsors, coordinating cross-functional internal deal teams, managing external advisors, and representing Bain in interactions/negotiations with target company management/advisors 
    • Shepherd all aspects of the deal execution process internally and externally, including playing lead role in organizing/interfacing with Bain SMEs, managing outside experts, and coordinating key diligence process deliverables (e.g., IC presentations, functional diligence readouts, issue/position summaries, etc.)
    • Develop executive-ready presentations and written materials with strategic framing, analysis, and recommendations to support reviews/decisions by the firm's Investment Committee and Board of Directors
    • Interface with key internal stakeholders (e.g., diligence teams, deal sponsors and steering committees, and senior leadership) and external advisors as required to drive recommendations/decisions on key deal issues
    • Engage with management teams and critical employees from potential target companies as required to further progress deal structuring, due diligence, or integration planning
    • Collaborate on the drafting, review, negotiation, and execution of initial offers, letters of intent (LOI), and purchase agreements and other deal documentation, working closely with internal legal and tax experts and third-party advisors
    • Develop command over all details in the purchase agreement negotiations, and exercise the right judgment in determining which issues to escalate to deal sponsors, deal steering committees, and Global M&A leadership
    • Advise deal sponsors/leads on negotiation posture and lead key elements of the negotiations, including working capital, earnout design/metrics, etc.

  • Leverage M&A expertise to serve as trusted advisor to business deal leads/sponsors on all aspects of the deal process from initial screening to structuring to close
    • Engage with investment bankers and other external deal sources to review opportunities and connect with the right internal leaders on targets that could be attractive 
    • Build and maintain relationships with business leadership and other internal stakeholders to assist in understanding the landscape of potential targets and competitors that form the pipeline in priority areas 
    • Coordinate across senior business leaders and internal SMEs in initial screening/assessment of potential opportunities that arise from both proprietary relationships and deal processes
    • Advise internal deal sponsors and teams on how to navigate the deal process and engage appropriately with both target companies and Bain's Investment Committee 
    • Identify the critical diligence issues to shape workplans and advise other members of the deal team (e.g., business deal sponsor, commercial diligence teams)
    • Support initial op model design and integration planning and coordinate with internal merger integration teams as required to ensure successful transition from execution to integration
    • Help frame the pros and cons of key decisions that come up in deal negotiations/structuring, and drive the group to the right decisions

  • Lead or guide other team members in the development of business cases and transaction-related modeling, and leverage this analysis to evaluate deal logic, valuation, and optimal deal structuring 
    • Brainstorm and develop deal structure options, and refine with the input of key cross-functional experts (e.g., legal, tax, HR, etc.)
    • Perform and supervise junior team members in the performance of financial modeling to assess and value potential transactions, incorporating multiple deal structure scenarios and assumptions around future performance
    • Perform and supervise junior team members in the performance of detailed analysis of potential target companies, including in-depth assessments of company financial and operating data to drive synergy estimates and pressure test modeling 
    • Pressure test deal models and assumptions prepared by commercial diligence teams or deal sponsors
    • Perform and supervise junior team members in analyses related to key elements of the deal structuring, including earnout metrics, working capital peg, and purchase price adjustments

  • Drive key IP and outreach efforts that further develop Bain’s M&A capability (e.g., playbooks, relationships with bankers and 3P advisors) and promote the professional development of junior team members
    • Help augment and continually evolve the firm’s M&A playbook, and contribute to a repository of templates, lessons learned, and other materials that can be leverage on future deals
    • Keep up to date on market developments and trends in M&A, and disseminate key developments to firm stakeholders as appropriate
    • Provide proactive and actionable feedback to junior team members, serving as a coach/mentor promoting their professional development 
    • Take a leadership role in training junior team members, including proactively finding ways to bolster internal training and professional development practices
    • Build and maintain relationships with key external parties including third party advisors and deal sources
 
EXPERIENCE:
Required
  • Undergraduate degree with excellent academic track record 
  • 7+ years of total relevant business experience, including M&A, private equity, investment banking, corporate development, strategy consulting or venture capital
  • At least 4 years of “buyside” experience in private equity, corporate development, or similar investment roles 
  • Proven “at bats” leading/managing the full end-to-end life cycle of an M&A transaction from origination to close, including experience negotiating purchase agreement and other legal documentation   

Preferred
  • MBA/JD or other advance degree preferred
  • Prior top-tier management consulting experience (ideally with experience supporting private equity or M&A projects) 
  • Experience working on deals in business services or other relevant knowledge-intensive sectors, e.g., – consulting services, data analytics/tech services, SaaS, business services, sustainability, fintech, etc.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES, AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS:
  • Hands on experience in due diligence, deal documentation, and deal execution processes; highly effective at interfacing with 3P advisors/intermediaries/company personnel and deeply familiar with key diligence workstreams and issues that commonly arise in M&A transactions (e.g., financial, HR, legal, tax, etc.) 
  • Highly collaborative individual; someone who knows how to work with and through others to drive results and make change happen; ability to work effectively cross-functionally within a “client-centric” global organization
  • Sound business judgment, with affinity for leveraging data-driven insights to make decisions and ability to harness expert inputs and diligence findings to provide objective assessments on key deal issues and advise deal sponsors/Investment Committee on the right path forward 
  • Strong analytical capability, with ability to generate powerful insights and the communication skills required to make the numbers come alive by clearly conveying complex information in a way that supports decision making 
  • Exceptional project management capabilities and ability to drive multi-disciplinary teams of internal and external stakeholders to deliverables on tight deadlines; demonstrated track record as a self-starter with the ability to multi-task and prioritize among competing demands; ability to wear multiple hats and be both a “thinker” and a “doer”
  • Expertise in deal structuring, valuation, and financial/M&A modeling – able to assess deal-specific context and recommend optimal deal structure and valuation; capable of both independently building models and knowledgeable enough to coach junior resources and effectively pressure test models/business cases 
  • Professionalism and gravitas required to influence senior stakeholders internally and speak on behalf of the firm in negotiations and other high stakes conversations; compelling oral and written communication skills that can be adapted across executive, functional, and consulting audiences
  • Ability to manage confidential and highly sensitive information with the highest levels of discretion 
  • Outstanding written and verbal communications skills that can be adapted across executive, functional, and consulting audiences; English fluency required
  • Flexibility in adjusting work hours/availability to match requirements of the deal process
  • Some travel required 
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