Alternatively, Grant Thornton

At Grant Thornton we do things differently - looking to the future, driving ambitious growth and pioneering positive change in our industry. Providing audit, tax and advisory services, we empower clients through strategic insight, curiosity, and genuine partnership. And we empower our people with real opportunity, an inclusive culture and work life balance. A true alternative.

With over 5,000 people in the UK, and a presence in 150 global markets, we're on an ambitious journey, from great to exceptional, and we need the best people to help us achieve our potential. And with that comes the opportunity to help redefine what our industry looks like, and what you want from your career.

Job Description:

VALUE CREATION ADVISORY (VCA) ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR JOB DESCRIPTION

NEW GROUND WON’T BREAK ITSELF.   

Our Value Creation Advisory (VCA) team advises clients on how to increase the value from transactions, focused on business operations and working both pre-deal and post-deal. We pride ourselves in being highly practical, pragmatic and totally focused on what really will make a difference for our clients. Every deal which we work on is different and the approaches which we take to our work reflect that.

Our clients include public companies, privately held businesses and private equity investors. The services which we provide have a heavy focus on carve-out due diligence, carve-out execution (both for businesses divesting and acquirers), merger integration (including synergy assessment, operating model design and execution) and other value creation initiatives that enhance EBITDA. This includes cost reduction, operating model changes to support revenue growth and other rapid targeted interventions, with the goal of maximising transaction  value at the point of investment, during ownership or upon exit.

We work very closely with other Grant Thornton teams in the UK and internationally. These include specialists in technology, financial due diligence, corporate finance, tax, sale and purchase agreement advisory, financial modelling, financial reporting, restructuring and many more. Something which really sets us apart is how we combine the expertise at our disposal to form single client teams based on what our clients need, both in the UK and internationally.

A look into the role   

As an Associate Director within the Value Creation Advisory team, you will:  

• Lead day-to-day client work for a range of project sizes. This will include devising and leading client meetings, undertaking analysis, preparing high-quality client deliverables and being responsible for commercial and risk management on a day-to-day basis. You’ll need to be able to do this working by yourself on some of our smaller projects and to lead small teams in doing this on larger ones.

• Interpret and analyse a large volume of complex information, identify and articulate the issues which are most important in the context of our work.

• Contribute to a positive team working environment, working effectively and enthusiastically with other Grant Thornton people, our clients and other parties. You’ll show leadership and always be prepared to get involved.

• Prepare sales proposals, pitches and support wider sales efforts, particularly working with Directors and Partners. You’ll have a track record of proactively building internal and external networks to generate opportunities through the qualification of leads and will continue to do this at Grant Thornton.

• Support the wider team, particularly more junior colleagues, to learn and develop. You may also be a people manager for more junior colleagues.

• Assist the Directors and Partners with the day-to-day running of the VCA practice, leading internal initiatives, and providing an appropriate level of delegation and support to other team members. 

Knowing you’re right for us   

Joining us as an Associate Director, the minimum criteria you’ll need to have are: 

• Significant experience in working on at least two of our core groups of services across carve-outs (including in a due diligence capacity), integrations and other value creation work (as outlined above, particularly around defining and implementing revenue growth and cost reduction initiatives). This must include working in an advisory/professional services context and may also include in-house/industry experience.

• Experience of leading small teams in complex, fast-paced environments. 

• Extensive experience of preparing and reviewing high-quality written reports, Excel analysis and presentations. You will have very high attention to detail.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English with the ability to tailor and adapt your style for different stakeholders and audiences.

• Project management and/or change management and/or transformation skills. 

• Strong analytical skills.

• Excellent Microsoft Office skills, particularly PowerPoint and Excel.

• Flexibility to travel in the UK and internationally based on client requirements

• Experience in the use of AI tools in the delivery of your work while maintaining your judgement and the benefit of your extensive experience

It would be great if you had some of the following skills, but don’t worry if you don’t tick every box, we’ll help you develop along the way.   

• Foreign language skills 

• An accountancy or other finance qualification 

Knowing we’re right for you  

 Embracing uniqueness, the culture at Grant Thornton thrives on the contributions of all our people. We never settle for what is easy; we look beyond to deliver the right thing, for everyone. Building an inclusive culture, where we value difference and respect our colleagues, helps our people to perform at the best of their ability and realise their potential.  

 Our open and accessible culture means you’ll interact with leaders who are interested in you and everything you bring to our firm. The things that set you apart, we value them. That’s why we give you the freedom to bring your whole self to work and pursue your passions inside and outside of work.   

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