SUMMARY
Title: M&A Associate
Group: Specialty Finance
Location: London
WHY STEPHENS
Founded in 1933, Stephens is a privately held family-owned business whose mission is to become a trusted advisor to our clients. We have a long history of identifying and seizing opportunities through economic cycles. Whether executing single transactions or developing holistic solutions, we help to create lasting value for our clients. We don’t just focus on transactions, we seek to develop durable relationships. We work with our clients as they interact with the financial markets, analyze strategic alternatives and raise capital.
The men and women of Stephens have the opportunity to cultivate and advance their careers in a collegial and supportive environment. With offices in strategic locations across the U.S. and in Europe, we provide unvarnished advice and skilled assistance with executing mergers and acquisitions, private placements of debt and equity, as well as recapitalisations.
We prioritize earning our clients’ trust, and we reward the individuals who make that happen. The exceptional candidates who join our transatlantic team of more than 250 investment banking professionals will participate in our collaborative approach to adding value for middle-market companies, as well as global organizations. Discover why our vibrant and stable atmosphere inspires our bankers to constantly strive for growth, while building their futures here over the long-term.
SPECIALTY FINANCE
Our transatlantic Specialty Finance team represents one of the longest-standing franchises dedicated to the Specialty Finance sector, leveraging expertise built from executing M&A and capital raising advisory transactions for commercial and consumer finance clients across North America and Europe. Our senior bankers work as a team to provide expert market intelligence, advisory and execution services while aligning with our specialty finance clients as teammates and not competitors. We have deep relationships with public and private financing sources. This enables us to develop innovative debt and equity capital raising solutions as well as buy side and sell side strategies.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Associates leverage their knowledge and experience to work with and mentor analysts, continually develop their expertise, and deliver top quality work products to the team and clients. As an Associate you have a broad array of responsibilities including executing transactions and working with your team to build the business. These tasks include:
- Playing a key role in the transaction execution process in collaboration with other deal team members
- Developing and overseeing the development of detailed financial analyses, and the preparation of models for various types of transactions
- Performing extensive valuation and pricing analyses
- Creating Confidential Information Memorandums, management presentations, marketing pitches and other presentations
- Helping plan and execute live engagements
- Coordinating and performing business due diligence
- Performing industry research and comparable company analysis
- Training and developing analysts
- Building relationships and maintaining direct contact with current and prospective clients
QUALIFICATIONS
- 3+ years of M&A advisory experience
- Experience advising clients in the Specialty Finance industry is helpful
- Excellent analytical and modeling skills
- High energy with strong interpersonal, accounting and finance skills
- Ability to perform under pressure and tight deadlines
- Strong commitment to respecting and safeguarding confidential information
- High level of personal integrity and work ethic
- Extraordinary focus on work quality and attention to detail
- Adherence to regulatory requirements
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to learn quickly, with a particular focus on accounting rules and financial valuation methodologies
- Strong client management skills
- Demonstrated ability to work well in a team environment
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
Skills Required
- 3+ years of M&A advisory experience
- Experience advising clients in the Specialty Finance industry
- Excellent analytical and financial modeling skills
- Strong interpersonal, accounting, and finance skills
- Ability to perform under pressure and meet tight deadlines
- Commitment to safeguarding confidential information
- High personal integrity and work ethic
- Strong focus on work quality and attention to detail
- Adherence to regulatory requirements
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to learn quickly, particularly accounting rules and financial valuation methodologies
- Strong client management skills
- Ability to work effectively in a team environment
Stephens Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Stephens and has not been reviewed or approved by Stephens.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage includes medical, dental, vision, and prescription benefits plus telemedicine, with employer‑paid life, AD&D, and long‑term disability and optional short‑term disability. Wellness incentives and an Employee Assistance Program extend support beyond core medical coverage.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) profit‑sharing plan provides employer‑supported retirement savings. The benefit is positioned as a core component of the total package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays are provided alongside paid parental leave. Paid maternity leave for disability related to pregnancy and childbirth further expands time‑off coverage.
Stephens Insights
What We Do
Founded in 1933, Stephens is a family of privately-held, independent financial services firms focused on building value for companies, state and local governments, institutions and high-net-worth investors. We are headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, with offices in leading cities across the country and overseas. Since our founding, Stephens has pursued an independent course. We’ve built our firm on long-term relationships and enduring values, establishing an international reputation for vision, integrity and innovation. Free from herd mentality, short-term thinking and quarter-to-quarter imperatives, we’ve always stayed focused on the people who matter most: our clients. As investors and business owners ourselves, we have a unique perspective on the world. We understand the needs and concerns of individual investors, industry leaders and public interest stewards. Because we sit on the same side of the table as our clients, we are able to understand their goals and help build their future in partnership.
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