Deal Associate

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 DA's, 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

Associates receive a competitive base salary in the range of $55,000 to $70,000 and will be determined based on the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and overall fit for the role. This position also offers commissions directly tied to closed-deal revenue. In addition, high-performing team members are eligible for an annual bonus based on overall success. With consistent strong performance, total annual compensation could reach a range up to $100,000. 

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.