Portfolio M&A Associate

1w1 week ago

Octopus

London, GB · Full-time · £65,000 – £85,000

About this role

At Octopus, we’re entrepreneurs and investors backing people, ideas and industries to change the world. We’re building a team of talented generalists to grow our portfolio of financial and legal services businesses including Octopus Money, Octopus Legacy, Seccl and amicable. We seek an M&A associate to own and drive strategic acquisitions across these four entrepreneur-led businesses.

Manage the deal process for several transactions at any given time, including due diligence, preparation of transaction documents, and closing—faster than private equity or investment banking. Engage and negotiate with potential targets. Coordinate across stakeholders like the internal inorganic growth team, business leadership, external legal counsel, and counterparties.

You’ll work day-to-day in the Inorganic growth team within the Octopus Money Group, which covers Octopus Legacy, Seccl and amicable. This team supports ambitious expansion across the Octopus Group. Colleagues believe business done well drives powerful change as a B Corp still 80% founder-owned after 25 years.

This role shapes an ambitious growth plan over the next 5 years with high autonomy and ownership. Hone full transaction skills in a commercial context with bias to delivery on outcomes. Grow to lead negotiations, source deals, and learn from networks in M&A, commercial development, product development, people management, and leadership.

Requirements

Experience managing M&A deal processes including due diligence and closing
Ability to engage and negotiate with acquisition targets
Skill in coordinating stakeholders across internal teams, leadership, legal counsel, and counterparties
Commercial acumen for financial and legal services acquisitions
Passion and confidence to drive change through business
Understanding of fast-paced transaction execution beyond traditional private equity or investment banking

Responsibilities

Own and drive strategic acquisitions across four entrepreneur-led businesses
Manage deal processes for multiple transactions including due diligence, transaction documents, and closing
Engage and negotiate with potential targets
Coordinate with internal inorganic growth team on financial, commercial, and strategic inputs
Liaise with leadership at businesses like Octopus Legacy on their transactions
Work with external legal counsel to prepare and revise transaction documents
Interact with counterparties for each transaction
Develop deal pipeline by sourcing, evaluating, and prioritizing potential deals

Benefits

High degree of autonomy and ownership in shaping growth plans
Hone full range of transaction skills in highly commercial context
Opportunities to take ownership and deliver new commercial propositions
Scope to source and lead transactions
Learn from team, board, and network in M&A, commercial development, product development, people management, leadership
Bias to delivery focused on outcomes not inputs