Senior Lead M&A Consultant

Job ID: R_363569Company: MercerLocation: New York, United States of America | Chicago, Illinois, United States of AmericaEmployment type: RegularCategory: ConsultingIndustry: Real EstateSalary: 270000Posted: 2026-09-25

We are seeking a talented individual to join our HR M&A Advisory Services team, part of our People and Investments business at Marsh. This role is based in New York City or Chicago. This is a hybrid role that has a requirement of working at least three days a week in the office or on site with clients. 

The Senior Principal is a leader in Marsh's HR M&A Advisory Services practice, accountable for the human capital agenda on the transactions that matter most to our corporate and private equity clients. This is a management consulting role in which you will frame the people questions that determine whether a deal delivers its thesis, advise senior business leaders including deal principals, C-Suite, CHROs, and business unit leaders at transaction pace, and lead teams across Marsh's business lines from diligence through Day 1 and post-close integration/separation. AI is central to how this role works, both in how the work gets done and in how the next generation of M&A consultants is developed. 

We will count on you to:  

• Orchestrate sales and delivery across Marsh People and Investments' Health and Benefits, Investments and Retirement, Workforce and Rewards, and Global Benefits Management businesses and the broader Marsh enterprise, so the client receives one integrated experience when engaging with Marsh.

• Originate and expand work through relationship development and growth with corporate development teams and private equity sponsors, holding accountability for revenue, margin and delivery quality. Lead the opportunity from identification through pursuit and close as a strategic advisor and relationship builder.

• Own the human capital agenda on complex transactions end to end, across acquisitions, divestitures, carve-outs, joint ventures, and private equity platform and add-on deals. 

• Frame the people questions that determine whether a deal delivers its thesis, and translate them into a defensible value case, synergy plan and integration roadmap that holds up to board and investment committee scrutiny. 

• Advise senior business leaders, CHROs, CFOs and private equity deal teams and operating partners on transaction pace, providing a clear point of view on the critical human capital value drivers to ensure data, risks, timeline, and interdependencies are effectively managed. 

• Use AI as a core tool of the craft, accelerating data room review and document synthesis, modeling workforce cost and synergy scenarios, and converting repeatable diligence work into practice accelerators. 

• Develop colleagues in new ways of working by coaching teams on AI-enabled delivery, setting the standard for review and source verification, and being explicit about where deal materiality and client confidentiality require human judgment. 

• Shape the practice point of view on how transactions are changing, including deal structures, workforce composition and the regulatory environment, and take that view to market. 

• Lead and develop consultants and engagement managers, building the bench strength that determines how much work the practice can take on. 

• Thrive and be motivated by an environment that embraces AI and technology-enabled tools.

What you need to have:  

• 12+ years of professional services experience with a track record of leading transactions rather than supporting them. 

• Demonstrated management consulting capability, including structuring ambiguous problems, working hypothesis-first, and reaching defensible recommendations under commercial and deal-timeline pressure. 

• Executive presence with business leadership including, CHRO, CFO and private equity audiences, with a record of being retained for the next transaction. 

• Working fluency with AI in delivery, meaning direct experience directing AI-enabled analysis and holding teams to a standard of accuracy, source verification and appropriate handling of client data. 

• Working knowledge of the M&A lifecycle and of core HR disciplines across total rewards, benefits, HR technology and workforce planning, sufficient to lead the work and challenge the specialists doing it. 

• Commercial ownership, including origination, proposal leadership and accountability for revenue, margin and delivery quality. 

• Proven ability to build, lead and develop teams in a matrixed environment; willingness to travel as deal activity requires. 

What makes you stand out?  

• Track record of building strong relationships with senior leaders to drive sales and expansion opportunities.

• Hands-on building with AI tools, including prompting, scripting or constructing agentic workflows, rather than only using AI-enabled products. 

• Depth in one or more transaction-critical HR disciplines, such as pension and post-retirement obligations, equity and change-in-control exposure, benefit plan design, or workforce cost modeling. 

• Experience across both corporate and private equity clients, including platform, add-on and sponsor-to-sponsor dynamics. 

• Cross-border transaction experience, including works councils, TUPE, collective bargaining agreements and multi-jurisdiction separation. 

• Carve-out and separation depth, including transition service agreements, standalone cost build-up and Day 1 readiness. 

• Fluency with HRIS and people data (Workday, SuccessFactors or equivalent), and with how workforce data is assembled into decision-ready analysis on a deal clock. 

• Relevant professional certifications such as CCP, GRP, CEBS, PROSCI or PMP. 

• MBA or other advanced degree. 

Why join our team:  

• We help you be your best through professional development opportunities, interesting work and supportive leaders.

• We foster a vibrant and inclusive culture where you can work with talented colleagues to create new solutions and have impact for colleagues, clients and communities. 

• Our scale enables us to provide a range of career opportunities, as well as benefits and rewards to enhance your well-being.

Marsh (NYSE: MRSH) is a global leader in risk, reinsurance and capital, people and investments, and management consulting, advising clients in 130 countries. With annual revenue of over $27 billion and more than 95,000 colleagues, Marsh helps build the confidence to thrive through the power of perspective. For more information, visit marsh.com, or follow us on LinkedIn and X.

Marsh is committed to embracing a diverse, inclusive and flexible work environment. We aim to attract and retain the best people and embrace diversity of age background, disability, ethnic origin, family duties, gender orientation or expression, marital status, nationality, parental status, personal or social status, political affiliation, race, religion and beliefs, sex/gender, sexual orientation or expression, skin color, veteran status (including protected veterans), or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. If you have a need that requires accommodation, please let us know by contacting View email address on click.appcast.io.

Marsh is committed to hybrid work, which includes the flexibility of working remotely and the collaboration, connections and professional development benefits of working together in the office. All Marsh colleagues are expected to be in their local office or working onsite with clients at least three days per week. Office-based teams will identify at least one “anchor day” per week on which their full team will be together in person.

The applicable base salary range for this role is $169,000 to $338,500.

The base pay offered will be determined on factors such as experience, skills, training, location, certifications, education, and any applicable minimum wage requirements. Decisions will be determined on a case-by-case basis. In addition to the base salary, this position may be eligible for performance-based incentives.

We are excited to offer a competitive total rewards package which includes health and welfare benefits, tuition assistance, 401K savings and other retirement programs as well as employee assistance programs.