Manager, Deal Transformation - Operational Due Diligence & M&A Value Creation

Shape Strategic Value in M&A Transactions

Join a market-leading Deal Transformation and Post-Merger Integration team dedicated to advising Swiss corporate, private equity, and mid-market clients. The objective is to generate and create value across the entire M&A lifecycle by assessing operational performance before signing, identifying and quantifying value creation opportunities, and managing the complexities of acquisitions, divestitures, and carve-outs. This role involves working closely with colleagues from transaction services, valuations, and corporate finance to ensure a seamless and value-driven approach to transactions.

How You Will Make an Impact

Collaborate with corporate management teams, private equity investors, and M&A professionals to identify and realise value from transactions. The role focuses on shaping strategic thinking, addressing critical performance issues, and bringing together the full breadth of capabilities to maximise deal value. As part of a dedicated team of M&A specialists, you will provide operational due diligence advice by linking financial performance, operational capabilities, and strategic ambition. The work centres on revenue growth and cost reduction across COGS and SG&A, whether through standalone improvement opportunities or transaction synergies.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day delivery of M&A value creation and pre-deal due diligence engagements or workstreams, engaging with client counterparts on content, findings, and priorities.
• Lead and work as part of project teams to conduct due diligence, operational analyses, and financial baselining, while quality-assuring the resulting analyses and deliverables.
• Help corporate and private equity clients understand the operational capabilities of potential acquisition targets and existing portfolio companies.
• Support clients in assessing potential merger synergies, the impact and complexities of carve-outs on seller and target organisations, and the standalone performance improvement potential of buyouts and corporate divestments.
• Structure and lead client interviews to identify operational complexities and value creation opportunities, often involving senior stakeholders across the organisation.
• Rapidly synthesise qualitative and quantitative information from diverse sources into clear, evidence-based value creation hypotheses and a compelling narrative that clients can readily understand.
• Apply a pragmatic 80/20 mindset to focus deliverables on the issues most material to the transaction and investment thesis.
• Provide practical operational value creation advice supported by evidence from interviews, data analysis, financial baselines, and external benchmarks.
• Manage engagement scope, priorities, timelines, budgets, risks, and quality, working closely with Partners, Directors, and Senior Managers.
• Build trusted-adviser relationships with corporate executives, private equity investors, M&A professionals, and functional leaders.
• Support business development through the preparation of proposals, pitches, and client materials, and contribute to the development of client relationships.
• Identify, design, and lead practice development initiatives focusing on M&A value creation and pre-deal due diligence.

Qualifications and Experience

• A Bachelor's or Master's degree in business, economics, finance, engineering, or another relevant discipline.
• At least five years of relevant professional experience in M&A, with a particular focus on commercial or operational due diligence within a Big Four accounting firm, strategy consultancy, or specialised restructuring and turnaround adviser.
• Deep experience in operational due diligence, together with experience in synergy identification, tracking, and realisation; separation diagnostics and standalone costing; and standalone performance diagnostics.
• Ideally, demonstrated experience also in commercial due diligence, business planning, business-plan reviews, and revenue growth.
• Demonstrated knowledge of due diligence processes and documentation requirements within an advisory environment.
• Experience and knowledge in one or more of the following industries: Energy, Resources & Industrials; Consumer; Life Sciences & Healthcare; or Technology, Media & Telecommunications.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to disaggregate complex issues, identify root causes, and recommend actionable solutions.
• Full professional proficiency in English; fluency in German, ideally including Swiss German, is highly desirable.

Team and Culture

Join a friendly, diverse, and highly motivated team. Development is supported through on-the-job learning, mentoring, and high-quality training, as well as working with peers across diverse offering portfolios. The environment is committed to a strong feedback culture, ensuring exposure to a wide and global professional environment and continuous learning.

In Switzerland, services are provided in the areas of Audit & Assurance, Tax & Legal, Strategy, Risk & Transactions Advisory, and Technology & Transformation. With close to 3,000 employees at six locations, the organisation serves companies and organisations of all sizes in all industry sectors. The workplace offers meaningful and challenging work, an inclusive and supportive environment, flexible and hybrid working conditions, wellbeing and parental programmes, and many opportunities to connect, collaborate, and learn.