Deal Associate

Overview

Deal Associate

Category:

Accounting/Finance

Full Time/Part Time:

Full Time

Location:

Austin, Texas, US

Hiring Manager:

Amy Alonso

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Job Description

Benchmark International is now looking for an experienced and driven Deal Associate. The DA will

support their manager, the Transaction Director (TD), in closing mergers and acquisitions transactions and

servicing the team's portfolio of businesses for sale. Over time, the successful DA should become the

relationship holder with a select group of clients and assume direct responsibility for those clients,

handling their sale process from the date of going on market through to the successful closing of their

transaction. As a result, this is a heavily sales-oriented position requiring tested negotiating skills,

empathy, client, portfolio, and personnel management expertise, and an understanding of mergers and

acquisitions.

A significant portion of the workday will be spent communicating directly with potential acquirers and

seller-clients. This is a frontline M&A role that requires speaking to multiple clients and potential buyers

every day.

In addition to the TD and DAs, the team consists of analysts who are supervised by the DAs, and a deal-

preparation team that will handle the pre-market phases of clients' engagements and be available to

provide technical support to the TD and DAs as required later in the sale process.

The transaction teams are also supported by the members of the office's Managing Partner and the

company's Central Support Team. The firm's Executive Chairman, CEO, Quality Control Director, IT

Director, and Marketing Director, among others, are on hand and regularly lend expertise to the teams.

Client origination, general firm marketing, and similar operational distractions are taken off the teams'

plates, keeping to Benchmark International's model. This allows for a more focused approach to

operations and portfolio management. The teams' obligations regarding each client commence with a

signed engagement letter and detailed file, prepared by the separate Deal Origination Department, and

continue through every aspect of the transaction (other than legal and accounting services) to the closing

and collection of the resulting success fee.

Job Responsibilities

Success in this role will include a well-balanced approach to contributions in four distinct areas.

Manage a portfolio of businesses for sale.

• Work directly with business owners looking to exit their business or take on a strategic partner, at

times serving as Benchmark International's primary relationship manager with these clients.

• Ensure your team remains responsive to all client requirements including adequately prompt call-

backs, perfectly-crafted correspondence, and compliance with our engagement letters.

• Maintain a detailed understanding of each assigned client.
• Take primary responsibility for the movement of assigned clients through the marketing phase up

to the receipt of letters of intent from potential acquirers.

• Handle all client matters delegated by the TD.

Close Transactions.

• After some time and demonstration of capabilities, directly handle the negotiations of assigned

clients through to closing.

• After some time and demonstration of capabilities, handle discussions with assigned client

concerning Benchmark International's success fee and ensure timely collection of the same.

Manage and develop the team.

• Supervise analysts in their acquirer outreach efforts, NDA negotiations, and follow up efforts.
• Work with Transaction Director to interview and hire replace analysts when necessary.
• Ensure your team operates in a respectful, professional, and nurturing environment.
• Distribute workload appropriately among your analysts.
• Allocate tasks to provide your analysts with new challenges, to maintain their engagement level,

and to achieve high retention rates.

Contribute to corporate growth.

• Provide frontline input to process improvement efforts.
• Remain available on a short-term basis for discipline-specific projects, occasional major transaction

engagements, and conference attendance.

• Participate in brand recognition events in the region and throughout the financial community.
• Contribute to office-wide and company-wide training efforts.

Job Requirements

As a leader in our organization, you must be an energetic and passionate individual with a positive and

highly motivated can-do attitude. You must have a strong desire and ambition to succeed in this

rewarding industry. It is also vital for your role as a DA that you possess excellent analytical,

mathematical, interpersonal, written and verbal communication, and negotiating skills, as well as

presentation abilities.

The DA is a client-facing role that must be able to convey bad news and deal with clients' unique

sensitivities, while keeping each client moving through the company sales process at a steady pace.

As each team member's compensation is tied to the closings your team will generate, the team will look

to you not only for leadership but also for their financial well-being.

Relevant experience will include two to five years working as an M&A professional (e.g., broker,

investment banker, accountant, attorney) or a similar period of experience in roles centered on sales

and/or direct client management.

The successful applicant must:

• Have a Bachelor's Degree.
• Understand the sequence of events in the company sale process.
• Have a firm understanding of financial statements, EBITDA calculations, and the process of

identifying and defending add backs.

• Have a passing knowledge of the legal parameters involved in M&A transactions.
• Possess the ability to learn the financial and market dynamics of new industries in relatively short

periods.

• Communicate well verbally and in writing.
• Handle setbacks, having difficult conversations with business owners, negotiating against veteran

professional acquirers, taking responsibility for process breakdowns even when not responsible,

and fostering cooperation with client's attorneys and accountants.

• Consistently present themselves in a professional manner in keeping with Benchmark

International's image (as shown, for example, on the company's web site).

• Work outside normal business hours at times, whether early or late, as required by client

schedules and expectations.

• Be available to travel for occasional overnight trips on short notice (rarely, if ever, longer than two

days).

• Be able to obtain a real estate sales associate license within a designated time frame.
• Have no unfavorable history with FINRA, the SEC, or any state regulatory agency.

Salary

The annual salary for this position will be determined based on the candidates experience, qualifications, and overall fit for the role.

Benefits

All Benchmark International positions offer paid time off, standard holidays, birthday holidays, and

community service days. Employees are eligible for highly competitive company-subsidized medical,

dental, vision, and AD&D insurance; 401k with company matching; flexible spending and health savings

accounts (FSA & HSA); and flexible dependent care assistance accounts.

Social Responsibility

Benchmark International is an active, contributing member of the communities in which we work. The

company participates in significant charitable giving opportunities throughout the year. Many of the

recipient charities have been identified by our individual employees because of their personal passion for

supporting particular needs. In addition, each employee is encouraged to use two paid workdays per year

to provide their labor and skills to the community.

About Benchmark International

Benchmark International is a global mergers and acquisitions firm dedicated to delivering creative, value-

maximizing solutions for business owners seeking to grow or exit their companies. Recognized as the #1

Sell-side Privately Owned M&A Advisor in the World by PitchBook and Refinitiv and named Investment

Banking Firm of the Year by both the M&A Advisor and the Global M&A Network, we are known for our

award-winning process and world-class service.

Specializing in the transaction of mid-market companies, our teams operate from offices across the globe,

representing clients in a wide variety of industries. Our unique, technology-driven approach connects

sellers with the right acquirers-whether local or international-through a combination of proprietary

databases, deep market insight, and strategic outreach.

We offer an exciting opportunity to be part of a high-performance team with global reach. Our culture is

rooted in collaboration, innovation, and continuous growth. We believe in promoting from within and are

actively looking for ambitious professionals ready to shape the next chapter of our success story.

Join us and be part of the next generation of leaders redefining M&A excellence.

Benchmark International provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals without

regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin,

physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected

classification. Equal employment opportunity includes, but is not limited to, hiring, training, promotion,

demotion, transfer, leaves of absence, and termination. The company takes allegations of discrimination,

harassment, and retaliation seriously, and will promptly investigate when such behavior is reported.

Benchmark International cannot sponsor work visas for candidates.

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