Associate Director - Debt Advisory

A market leading corporate finance advisor which distinguishes itself with a specialist dedicated leveraged and corporate debt advisory team is looking to increase their headcount at the mid-senior level in their London office.

Their track record includes more than 30 successful transactions each year and with deal size ranging from small (£20mil) to mid-cap (£200mil) across multiple sectors and cross-border deals. They advise a large proportion of the leading European financial sponsors focusing on both sponsored and non-sponsored deals. They are recognised across the advisory community for our hands-on and highly technical approach.

Role & responsibilities

This team are having a very strong financial year and due to the exceptional high deal flow, are seeking to increase team size up to 15 people to support the further growth of the business. Your role will comprise of advising sponsors and leveraged corporates across Europe on primary debt financings, refinancings and strategic financial reviews.

You will get exposure to a wide range of debt products including bank loans, unitranche, bonds, subordinated instruments, acquisition financings, asset financings and venture debt.

Deals are executed in small teams and the role provides the opportunity to be involved in every stage of the mandate from origination to execution as well as portfolio management. You will benefit from one of the strongest deal flows of any debt advisory team in the UK, high client exposure from day-1, and close support and continued development from an experienced team.

As an AD, you will:

• Build a network across the various parties that are involved in transactions (e.g. PE houses, banks, private credit funds, lawyers, advisors and other service lines)
• Originate and execute debt advisory transactions through own Industry/Company/Transaction research as well as leveraging existing (client) relationships.
• Lead and assist with day-to-day management of transaction processes, including the preparation of information packs, management presentations, financial analysis and client communications.
• Build financial models, including analysing business forecasts, evaluate scenario analysis and covenant calculations to see the viability of transaction structures and determine appropriate debt levels.
• Prepare transaction related documents, including teasers, management presentations and overviews of financing options.
• Conduct credit analysis including review of due diligence.
• Have the responsibility for junior team members whom you will steer and coach during transactions.
• Negotiate commercial terms related to debt structuring within a term sheet
• Undertake market and comparable transactions research.
• Contribute to marketing and business development activities.

Prior to joining, you must have:

• 6-9 years predominately in Leveraged Finance, Structured Finance or Debt Advisory at a UK IB, lending business, advisory or corporate finance firm OR minimum 2 years post-ACA qualification currently in a Debt Advisory accounting team - relatable mid-cap UK&I debt experience is essential
• British citizen or have pre-settlement status is highly advantageous
• The ability to build complex financial models with focus on LBOs/DCF/Covenant
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Strong business acumen with a practical understanding of commercial terms and credit risk
• Organisational and project management skills
• Self-starting, intellectually curious and able to succeed in a fast paced and entrepreneurial environment
• Participation in the Chartered Financial Analysts® (CFA) program is a plus