2026 M&A Associate - Consumer

Associate Position at Harris Williams

Harris Williams seeks to hire an associate to join the consumer team in the Minneapolis, MN office.

Why Harris Williams

We are ambitious in our goals and steadfast in the belief that clients deserve our very best. We invest in world-class, team-oriented individuals who are smart, driven, and principled those who are eager to be part of something bigger than themselves. When you join Harris Williams, you are welcomed into a collegial environment where every individual has the opportunity to make an impact.

• Meaningful impact from the start: As an associate, you will have a high level of exposure to clients and senior bankers, who will place value in your ideas and unique perspective. Associates are responsible for driving work forward, in partnership with analysts.
• Diverse projects: Associates lead key workstreams throughout client engagements. Beyond client work, this role will expand your professional experience through recruiting initiatives, mentorship programming, efforts to generate new client engagements, and more.
• Collaborative work environment: Our goal is to unlock value in great businesses, and it starts by unlocking greatness in each other. We value a range of backgrounds and expertise, and we know our work is better when our teams inspire every individual to confidently contribute.
• Professional development: Your professional development is our top priority. New analysts and associates convene in our Richmond headquarters for a robust training program designed to build relationships, provide baseline knowledge of M&A, and prepare you for your first client engagement. This initial program is just the beginning of an extensive learning experience.
• Comprehensive compensation and benefits program: Highly competitive compensation, pension, 401(k) matching, and eligibility for performance bonus amongst many other robust benefits.

What We Look For

Harris Williams hires individuals who are motivated by challenge, demonstrated through academic performance and prior work experience. While no specific academic concentration is required, the following skillsets are desired:

• Excel Understanding of formulas, data validation, macros, tables, conditional formatting
• Accounting Working understanding of how the income statement, cash flow statement and balance sheet connect and willingness to deepen accounting and valuation subject matter expertise over time
• Problem solving and data analysis Able to identify trends in complex data sets and articulate the impact of those patterns

What Makes a Harris Williams Associate

Associates who thrive at Harris Williams lead multiple activities and workstreams while maintaining focus on quality. Our most successful associates...

• Approach all tasks with humility and inspire collegiality and enthusiasm
  • View challenging tasks as opportunities for growth
  • Share ideas and credit among peers and teammates
  • Learn from mentors
• Are curious self-starters
  • Exhaust available resources before asking senior deal team members for guidance
  • Offer creative suggestions and thoughtful solutions
  • Ask "What's next?" and work ahead instead of waiting for direction
  • Seek feedback from your teammates/peers during and at the end of a project
• Are responsive
  • This is an "on-call", in-office role
  • Answer emails and calls quickly
  • Attend deal team meetings in-person
  • Find moments of levity even when working long hours
  • Clarify deadlines as needed
  • Stay aligned with your team on active workstreams and upcoming tasks
• Partner with the Analyst
  • Ensure effective use of the analyst's time, balancing delegation with a collaborative approach
  • Take pride in your work by delivering accurate, thoughtful work product
  • Deliver real-time performance feedback to analysts
• Articulate thoughts and ideas to your teammates on day 1, both verbally and in writing
  • Speak up during internal (Harris Williams deal team/colleagues) and external (client/C-suite facing) discussions, as directed by your deal team
  • Translate technical concepts, data, and analysis into a compelling story that resonates in the market

Other Requirements

• Ability to work in the U.S. without sponsorship
• Submit application through Harris Williams' website, Make sure to include your cover letter and resume (You must combine your resume and cover letter into one PDF and upload)
• You are required to complete a profile with Suited which will cover your academic background, prior work experience, employment preferences, and ask a series of suitability questions. Your Suited score will be considered as a data point in addition to your resume, interactions with the firm, etc. Please click the following link to proceed: Your HW application is not complete until you submit the Suited profile.

Process Details

• We will consider candidates on a rolling basis, so please submit your application as soon as possible for consideration.
• This job application will remain open until the position is filled.
• Please reach out to Sara Moir, (View email address on click.appcast.io) if you have any questions.

Disclaimer: Harris Williams will not accept unsolicited resumes from contingency recruiters. Any such resumes received will not be considered as legitimate submissions, and Harris Williams will not pay for the placement of a candidate resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume. Furthermore, Harris Williams strictly forbids any contingency recruiter from representing the firm in the market without prior consent.

Competencies

Analytical Thinking, Business Acumen, Effective Communications, Leadership, Marketing Strategy and Positioning, Market Research, Selling, Teamwork

Work Experience

Roles at this level typically require a university / college degree, with 5+ years of industry-relevant experience. Specific certifications are often required. In lieu of a degree, a comparable combination of education, job specific certification(s), and experience (including military service) may be considered.

Education

Masters

Certifications

No Required Certification(s)

Licenses

No Required License(s)

Pay Transparency

Base Salary: $175,000.00 $175,000.00Salaries may vary based on geographic location, market data and on individual skills, experience, and education. This role is incentive eligible with the payment based upon company, business and/or individual performance.

Application Window

Generally, this opening is expected to be posted for two business days from 08/01/2025, although it may be longer with business discretion.

Benefits

PNC offers a comprehensive range of benefits to help meet your needs now and in the future. Depending on your eligibility, options for full-time employees include: medical/prescription drug coverage (with a Health Savings Account feature), dental and vision options; employee and spouse/child life insurance; short and long-term disability protection; 401(k) with PNC match, pension and stock purchase plans; dependent care reimbursement account; back-up child/elder care; adoption, surrogacy, and doula reimbursement; educational assistance, including select programs fully paid; a robust wellness program with financial incentives. In addition, PNC generally provides the following paid time off, depending on your eligibility: maternity and/or parental leave; up to 11 paid holidays each year; 9 occasional absence days each year, unless otherwise required by law; between 15 to 25 vacation days each year, depending on career level; and years of service.

To learn more about these and other programs, including benefits for full time and part-time employees, visit pncthrive.com.

Disability Accommodations Statement

If an accommodation is required to participate in the application process, please contact us via email at View email address on click.appcast.io. Please include "ac