Associate – Exit Planning and Transaction Support

Company Overview

We are the better way to work in finance. As private equity’s value creation partner, we sit at the heart of PE—where sponsors and CFOs meet. Through financial consulting rooted in data, technology, and AI, we help clients drive value—supporting the office of the CFO to drive end-to-end value creation.

If you crave challenging work and are looking to grow, come solve complex issues alongside 1,600+ finance & technology experts in a supportive, collaborative environment. 

Backed by premier private equity firms and headquartered in New York with 11 offices around the globe, we are a high-growth, entrepreneurial firm looking for people who want to be part of building something great. Come make your mark.

Strategic Finance Practice | Exit Planning and Transaction Support Sub-Practice  

This position is an exciting opportunity to join our Exit Planning and Transaction Support sub-practice, which is a dedicated, transaction-focused team within our broader Strategic Finance practice. This position requires candidates to have 3 to 5 years of experience in investment banking, private equity, or quality of earnings. 

Strategic Finance: Accordion’s Strategic Finance practice provides strategic advisory to CFOs to unlock end-to-end value creation, partnering with Finance teams on building capabilities to enhance performance visibility, planning activities, and data analytics to enable and accelerate value creation. By combining extensive operational FP&A experience, data and technology skills, and a proprietary engagement model, we develop and implement tools and processes and deliver solutions that meet the rigor and pace required in a private equity-backed environment.

Exit Planning and Transaction Support: Our Exit Planning and Transaction Support sub-practice, sitting within our broader Strategic Finance practice, focuses on the full spectrum of M&A execution: from financial modeling, valuation, and analytical support to serving in a bolt-on corporate development capacity. From quarterbacking current deals to developing playbooks and best practices for a robust acquisition strategy, from the fund level to the portfolio level, from platforms to add-ons to carve outs, “no job is too small, no fee is too big.” In addition to analyzing the financial and operational data, we help quantify current and future value creation opportunities, enabling investors to easily understand the trapped value within the business.

This position can be based in any of our U.S. offices and is a hybrid role with the flexibility to work remotely 2 days per week, with preferred locations being NYC, Boston, Chicago, or Dallas.

This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship.

What You’ll Do:

As an Associate on a lean, cross-functional team, you will work collaboratively with a diverse set of colleagues to guide clients through a variety of transaction-related projects focused on preparing companies for sale and supporting them throughout the deal process. You will:

• Work with company management, private equity deal and operating teams, investment bankers, and other third parties to support the development of an equity story and other go-to-market materials
• Utilize both Excel and Business Intelligence tools (PowerBI, Power Query, and Power Pivot) to develop a variety of granular financial, operational, and business segment analyses
• Analyze, quantify, and validate deal-related assumptions including synergies, add-backs, and pro-forma financials
• Manage and / or support the development and population of an investor-ready data room
• Work with CFOs and their teams, respond to due diligence and other deal-related questions from either financial (private equity) or strategic (corporate) buyers
• Travel to client site as needed

The following representative engagement is emblematic of the type of work you’ll do as an Associate at Accordion: A PE-owned SaaS company requires sale preparation and related transaction support. Accordion has been engaged to take a leadership role alongside the CFO in the sell-side process. The deliverables include historical financial reporting, financial and operational KPIs, a 5-year financial projection model, and identification of value creation initiatives (realized and yet to be realized) to maximize the exit valuation. The Accordion team will serve as an extension of the CFO’s office to support a sale by responding to requests from investment banks, the executive team, and the sponsor during the preparation process, and to potential buyers during the sale process.

You Have:

• Required background of 3 to 5 years of experience in investment banking, private equity, or quality of earnings
• Proven ability to leverage Excel and other tools to manage, simplify, analyze, and present large and complex datasets
• Experience with Business Intelligence tools (PowerBI, Power Query, and Power Pivot) is highly desired
• High attention to detail and advanced quantitative skills, especially as it relates to financial modeling and corporate valuation
• Transactional finance experience, as well as an understanding of operational finance
• Prior experience preparing reports, presentations, and memos; ability to present data-driven insights in a clear, succinct, and comprehensive manner
• Strong drive and motivation, adhering to the highest professional standards in working with clients and colleagues
• An ability to work collaboratively and independently in a team-oriented environment, understanding how to take initiative and seek guidance when needed in order to advance your projects
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or Economics; MBA is a plus 

You Are:

• Excited to be part of a growing team, with a focus on driving future growth
• Passionate about delivering exceptional client service
• Knowledgeable about the relationship between private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, particularly within the office of the CFO
• Willing to get your hands dirty in the details of a project while simultaneously seeing the whole picture
• Comfortable managing projects with multiple complex workstreams while also focused on your single workstream (you are managing and doing)
• A self-starter with a strong work ethic
• Full of entrepreneurial spirit and comfortable in a fluid, flat organization
• Able to effectively communicate complex issues and solutions, and raise issues to senior team members when necessary
• A team player, able to work with team members across all levels
• Someone who enjoys mentoring others and doing meaningful work
• A leader of others; you lead by example

The annual salary for this role ranges from: $120,000 to $170,000 + benefits + bonus.

Actual compensation packages are determined by evaluating a wide array of factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to geographic location, skill set, years and depth of experience, education, certifications, cost of labor and internal equity.

Accordion is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills.  We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical​​​ condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or ​expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.

Please note that as per Accordion policy, we do not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters unless such recruiters are engaged to provide candidates for a specified opening and in alignment with our inclusive diversity values. Any employment agency, person or entity that submits an unsolicited resume does so with the understanding that Accordion will have the right to hire that applicant at its discretion without any fee owed to the submitting employment agency, person or entity.

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