Senior Associate M&A
Job Location:
Cape Town - South Africa
Monthly Salary:
Not provided by the employer
Posted:
25 June 2026 (30+ days ago)
Application Deadline:
22 September 2026
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
Manager Financial Due Diligence / Transaction Advisory (M&A)
Quality of Earnings Focus
Position Overview
Our client is seeking an experienced Manager to lead and execute Financial Due Diligence / Transaction Advisory engagements with a strong emphasis on Quality of Earnings (QoE) and transaction execution.
This role is designed for a proven transaction professional who can own client relationships lead teams and drive deal outcomesnot someone looking for a narrow technical role or a bureaucratic management track.
As a Manager you will serve as a day-to-day engagement leader guiding associates and senior associates interacting directly with private equity firms founders CFOs attorneys and bankers and delivering clear decision-useful insights that influence transactions.
This is a hands-on leadership role within a fast-growing entrepreneurial firm where Managers are expected to think like advisors not reviewers.
Firm Overview
Their mission is simple: treat clients the way we want to be treated and deliver the highest-quality work product efficiently. We thrive under pressure and turn numbers into narrative.
Our client is one of the fastest-growing U.S. CPA firms specializing in Buy-side and sell-side M&A financial tax due diligence and Transaction accounting services
We serve as trusted advisors to private equity firms strategic buyers founders intermediaries lenders and attorneys. They are a family-owned dynamic firm where individual performance perspective and leadership materially influence the firms trajectory. We are intentionally building a platform for future partners not career middle management.
What Youll Actually Do
This is a true transaction advisory leadership role with responsibility for execution judgment and client trust.
You will:
We are highly selective at the Manager level.
You should have:
To be clear:
The successful candidate:
Strong Managers often leave large firms because:
Our client is intentionally different.
At this firm Managers:
Quality of Earnings Focus
Position Overview
Our client is seeking an experienced Manager to lead and execute Financial Due Diligence / Transaction Advisory engagements with a strong emphasis on Quality of Earnings (QoE) and transaction execution.
This role is designed for a proven transaction professional who can own client relationships lead teams and drive deal outcomesnot someone looking for a narrow technical role or a bureaucratic management track.
As a Manager you will serve as a day-to-day engagement leader guiding associates and senior associates interacting directly with private equity firms founders CFOs attorneys and bankers and delivering clear decision-useful insights that influence transactions.
This is a hands-on leadership role within a fast-growing entrepreneurial firm where Managers are expected to think like advisors not reviewers.
Firm Overview
Their mission is simple: treat clients the way we want to be treated and deliver the highest-quality work product efficiently. We thrive under pressure and turn numbers into narrative.
Our client is one of the fastest-growing U.S. CPA firms specializing in Buy-side and sell-side M&A financial tax due diligence and Transaction accounting services
We serve as trusted advisors to private equity firms strategic buyers founders intermediaries lenders and attorneys. They are a family-owned dynamic firm where individual performance perspective and leadership materially influence the firms trajectory. We are intentionally building a platform for future partners not career middle management.
What Youll Actually Do
This is a true transaction advisory leadership role with responsibility for execution judgment and client trust.
You will:
- Lead and manage due diligence engagements from planning through delivery
- Oversee and review buy-side and sell-side Quality of Earnings (QoE) analyses
- Evaluate and challenge:
- EBITDA normalization
- Revenue recognition and sustainability
- Cost structure and margin drivers
- Cash flow working capital and debt-like items
- Perform and review complex financial analyses including:
- Historical financial statements
- Forecasts and projections
- KPIs and operational metrics
- Industry and company-specific trends
- Identify financial operational and deal-related risks and help clients understand transaction implications
- Prepare and present clear investor-ready diligence reports
- Lead client meetings and presentations translating complex accounting into actionable insights
- Serve as a trusted advisor to clients throughout the transaction lifecycle
- Manage mentor and develop associates and senior associates
- Contribute to business development including proposals pitches and expanding client relationships
- Stay current on industry trends GAAP developments and best practices in transaction advisory
We are highly selective at the Manager level.
You should have:
- 5 years of experience in Transaction Advisory / Financial Due Diligence
- Experience in a top accounting or advisory firm strongly preferred
- Significant experience leading QoE engagements not just supporting them
- Deep understanding of:
- U.S. GAAP
- Transaction-driven financial analysis
- Working capital mechanics and cash flow
- CPA license (required)
- Advanced Excel skills and comfort reviewing complex models
- Strong client-facing communication skillswritten and verbal
- Demonstrated ability to lead teams manage deadlines and exercise judgment
- A mindset oriented toward problem-solving not checklist compliance
- Masters degree in Accounting or an MBA (with accounting background)
- Experience across multiple industries
- Prior exposure to private equity-backed transactions
- Sell-side diligence experience
- Comfort supporting deal negotiations and structuring discussions
- Business development experience or interest in building a practice
To be clear:
- Not an audit or accounting advisory role
- Not a Big 4style TAS position with excessive internal layers
- Not a purely technical or back-office role
- Not a place where Managers are shielded from clients
The successful candidate:
- Thinks like an advisor and deal professional not just an accountant
- Enjoys complexity and ambiguity
- Is comfortable making judgment calls under pressure
- Can balance technical excellence with practicality
- Leads by example and invests in team development
- Thrives in a fast-paced unconventional entrepreneurial environment
- Has the ambition to grow into senior leadership or partnership
Strong Managers often leave large firms because:
- Client relationships are controlled by partners
- Advancement is slow and political
- Their role becomes review-heavy instead of advisory-focused
- Innovation and flexibility are limited
Our client is intentionally different.
At this firm Managers:
- Own client relationships and engagement outcomes
- Play a visible role in live M&A transactions
- Influence firm strategy and growth
- Are evaluated on impact and leadership not tenure
- Operate in a culture that values quality efficiency and trust
- Have a real path to partnership not a theoretical one