M&A Transformation Lead

We are supporting a mid-market Private Equity backed organisation with the appointment of an experienced M&A Transformation Lead.

The organisation has completed an extensive diagnostic review and the next phase requires a highly experienced individual who can translate those findings into a detailed transformation plan and lead the transition into execution.

Finance activities are currently dispersed across multiple countries, functions and teams. This creates complexity across decision making, accountability, processes, controls and ownership. The successful consultant will help redesign the global finance operating model, clarify roles and responsibilities, standardise critical processes and establish a practical implementation roadmap.

This is not a role focused on conducting a further diagnostic. The successful candidate must be able to quickly understand the existing findings, challenge where appropriate and convert them into an actionable plan that the organisation can implement.

The Assignment

You will work closely with senior finance, transformation and M&A stakeholders to define how global finance activities should operate through the next phase of organisational change. The assignment will include:

• Reviewing and validating the findings from the completed diagnostic.

• Identifying the most important finance process, operating model and organisational priorities.

• Designing practical future-state processes, structures and governance.

• Clarifying global, regional and local roles and responsibilities.

• Developing a detailed execution plan with clear milestones, dependencies and ownership.

• Supporting the organisation in moving from planning into implementation.

• Providing subject-matter expertise across finance transformation and M&A-related change.

Key Responsibilities

Finance Operating Model

• Assess the current distribution of finance activities across global, regional and local teams.

• Define the future-state finance operating model and the appropriate allocation of responsibilities.

• Identify opportunities to simplify, standardise or centralise activities.

• Clarify decision rights, accountability and escalation routes.

• Ensure the proposed model is practical, scalable and aligned to the wider business strategy.

Process Redesign

• Redesign priority end-to-end finance processes based on the diagnostic findings.

• Identify duplication, gaps, inefficiencies and unclear ownership.

• Establish consistent global process principles while recognising legitimate regional or local requirements.

• Define the interfaces between finance, business functions, shared services and specialist teams.

• Recommend appropriate controls, governance and performance measures.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Develop clear definitions of responsibilities across the future operating model.

• Produce detailed responsibility and accountability matrices.

• Clarify ownership across global, regional, business unit and local teams.

• Identify capability or capacity gaps that could affect implementation.

• Support leadership in resolving areas of overlapping or unclear accountability.

Transformation Planning

• Convert the diagnostic findings and design recommendations into a detailed execution roadmap.

• Define workstreams, deliverables, milestones, dependencies and critical decisions.

• Establish clear ownership for each element of the plan.

• Identify resource and capability requirements.

• Develop realistic sequencing that protects business continuity while enabling transformation.

M&A and Organisational Change

• Assess how acquisition-related change has affected finance processes, structures and responsibilities.

• Support the alignment of legacy organisations, teams and ways of working.

• Identify opportunities to harmonise finance activities across the combined organisation.

• Help establish a repeatable approach for future integration or separation activity.

• Ensure that proposed changes support value creation and the wider transaction rationale.

Governance and Delivery

• Establish a clear governance structure for the implementation phase.

• Define reporting, decision-making and escalation processes.

• Maintain visibility of risks, issues, dependencies and delivery readiness.

• Produce concise materials for senior finance and transformation stakeholders.

• Provide constructive challenge where recommendations are not sufficiently actionable or evidence-based.