Your key responsibilities You can expect to work with a range of financial services clients (e.g. banks, insurers, payments providers, wealth and asset managers, FinTechs), advising management teams on strategy development, and both corporate and private equity clients on the acquisition and divestment of businesses. A core area of the team’s expertise is commercial due diligence, where in “buy-side†scenarios we work with private equity or trade investors to assess the commercial and strategic merit of a potential investment: by assessing the businesses’ revenue forecasts, considering many different value drivers, such as market growth, competitive landscape, pricing, new products or entering new geographies. Similarly, in “sell-side†situations, we work directly with the business’ Management team to provide the underlying analysis to support the sale/investment of the business. These transaction-related activities are complemented by our work with financial services corporates, where we support senior leadership team to develop and deliver the strategies that position these organisations for long-term, sustainable growth. Skills and attributes for success You are likely to have more than 5 years of prior experience, either from strategy consulting or M&A or from an in-house strategy / corporate development / M&A function at a leading industry player Being a true business advisor to the client and establish yourself as a key client contact; Understanding key business drivers, co-developing our approach with the client, agreeing value measurements with the client, providing value to the client through insights, factual conclusions and advice; Have extensive experience in project and team management and work closely with all members as well as forming strong internal links within transaction support and other departments in EY both in the UK and internationally to form, co-manage and participate in multi-disciplinary teams; Ability to collect and utilise relevant business and industry information and to analyse this information effectively by applying strategic and commercial analysis techniques; Analytical work experience preferably gained in a strategy consulting firm or a strategy department of a leading corporate; Ability to plan, deliver, structure, write and present work against tight deadlines; Share your technical and other knowledge with your team and the department; Take responsibility for own learning and development, provide coaching to others, and participate in upward feedback To qualify for the role you must have Have a strong track record in executing and managing research and analysis of companies and markets, preferably with commercial due diligence experience; Have strong commercial experience and/or relevant industry or transaction experience; Be an excellent communicator, both oral and written; Have Business Development experience; Be an effective time manager, able to keep calm when under pressure to meet deadlines; Be a team player with the ability to build effective relationships at all levels in EY and with clients; Bachelors required; Ideally, you’ll also have MBA and/or other qualifications a plus Knowledge of European languages would be a plus What we look for Assistant Director level candidates who will be able to build on their current strategy development, transaction and commercial experience, working on a number of diverse and demanding projects for a broad range or clients. EY is committed to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements. We strive to achieve the right balance for our people, enabling us to deliver excellent client service whilst allowing you to build your career without sacrificing your personal priorities. While our client-facing professionals can be required to travel regularly, and at times be based at client sites, our flexible working arrangements can help you to achieve a lifestyle balance.