Business Associate / Business Manager - M&A

Business Associate

M&A Advisory supports clients on significant strategic transactions and works closely with the broader Private Equity Client Group, Listed Client Group and Investec’s international businesses, particularly the ICEA offices. You will join the M&A Advisory team and report to the COO of M&A Advisory. This role sits at the centre of the advisory platform, helping senior leaders and bankers operate effectively through high-quality management information, business performance analysis, operational support and continuous process improvement. The position offers broad exposure across the platform and regular interaction with bankers, senior management and business-enabling teams including Operations, Technology, Finance, Compliance and Risk.

What will I be doing?

• Support the COO with business planning, performance tracking, process improvements and wider strategic or operational initiatives.
• Support operational risk management, compliance requirements, policy alignment and the preparation of materials for internal governance and oversight.
• Work with bankers, Operations and business-enabling teams to improve workflows and strengthen the quality and timeliness of management information.
• Act as a flexible resource for urgent and ad hoc priorities in a fast-paced advisory environment.
• Build and maintain reliable datasets covering historical transactions, revenue, fees, deal volumes, enterprise values, client classifications and cross-border activity.
• Reconcile information across DealCloud, finance ledgers, public credentials and regional datasets, investigating discrepancies and improving data quality.
• Maintain recurring management information, including revenue pipelines, completed-deal reporting, fee analysis, client-number reporting and relationship analysis.
• Prepare accurate analysis, presentations and reporting for the COO, senior leadership, board materials, client-segment reviews and business planning.
• Verify transaction, client and performance metrics before formal submission, ensuring reporting is consistent, clearly explained and delivered on time.
• Act as a platform manager for DealCloud and other investment-banking tools, including UpSlide and FactSet, overseeing administration and optimisation to support data, workflows and reporting.
• Manage user onboarding, training, adoption and issue resolution, escalating platform matters to the relevant internal team or external provider where required.
• Maintain relationships with technology and information providers, coordinating configuration, support, licensing and data matters as needed.
• Identify practical uses of AI and other tools for research, document drafting, knowledge management and process efficiency, supporting pilots and implementation.
• Monitor relevant technology developments and explain their practical implications to users and management in clear, non-technical language.

What do I need to bring?

• CISI Certificate in Corporate Finance.
• Strong Excel, management-information and financial-data analysis skills, including the ability to combine, reconcile, cleanse and audit complex datasets.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong PowerPoint capability for presentations, reporting and senior-management materials.
• A solid understanding of investment banking and the M&A deal lifecycle, including origination, pipeline management, deal credentials, revenue reporting and business-enablement processes.
• Experience improving business processes, coordinating stakeholders and supporting operational delivery within a professional-services or financial-services environment.
• Working knowledge of CRM platforms and investment-banking tools such as DealCloud, FactSet and UpSlide, including configuration, data quality, administration and user support.
• Familiarity with data integrations, API configurations and AI or machine-learning concepts, with the ability to identify practical implementation and efficiency opportunities.

I am good at:

• Analytical and solutions-focused, with excellent attention to detail and a strong commitment to data accuracy.
• Highly organised, with effective project-management skills and the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Comfortable working independently and resolving ambiguous operational problems.
• Collaborative and credible, with the ability to build effective relationships with bankers, senior management, business-enabling teams and e…