Private Equity Mergers & Acquisitions Strategy & Diligence Manager (Chicago)

Position Summary






Private Equity M&A Strategy & Diligence Manager
Our Deloitte Strategy & Transactions team helps guide clients through their most critical moments and transformational initiatives. We offer comprehensive end-to-end support and advisory services, covering areas such as valuation modeling, cost optimization, restructuring, business design and transformation, infrastructure and real estate, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and sustainability. The team works closely with clients at every stage of their journey, helping them navigate challenges, avoid financial pitfalls, and implement practical solutions before, during, and after major transformational projects or transactions creating lasting impact.
As an M&A Manager in Deloitte’s Private Equity (PE) Strategy & Diligence (S&D) practice, you will lead teams through high-stakes diligences and coach talent while working shoulder-to-shoulder with PE deal teams. You’ll help clients win deals by leading fast diligences and building plans that actually get executed. Apply to the role below today!
Recruiting for this role ends on 8/31/2026
Work You’ll Do
As a Manager, you will manage and deliver small complex strategic engagements or parts of larger engagements that help our clients unlock value through inorganic growth and value creation. Managers are expected to contribute to the firm's growth and development in a variety of ways:
Partner with private equity clients as they evaluate their portfolio and engage in buy-side and sell-side inorganic opportunitiesEvaluate portfolio company operations to identify key business issues and deploy innovative value creation solutionsEvaluate and validate analysis and develop recommendations for the client in the context of the overall engagementManage development and quality review of client deliverablesIdentify opportunities to leverage analytical capabilities in client deliveryEffectively manage the day-to-day relationships with team and client to ensure exceptional performanceParticipate in business development activitiesMentor junior staff and perform role of counselor, actively participate in staff recruitment and retention activities, provide leadership and support for delivery teams and staff in local officesSupport development of eminence and point-of-view publications
The successful candidate would possess these skills
• Ability to work independently and collaborate as part of a team• Effective written and verbal communication skills• Meticulous attention to detail and quality of work product• Ability to build and sustain professional relationships • Ability to lead projects or workstreams• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks in a fast-paced and dynamic environment• Strong interpersonal skills and professional demeanor • Ability to meet deadlines• Ability to mentor and provide clear guidance to others
The Team
Our M&A team offers expert guidance to corporate and private equity clients in navigating complex growth and divestiture scenarios. Our services encompass M&A strategy and transaction diligence, integration and separation planning and execution, as well as transaction financing.
Deloitte’s M&A Strategy & Diligence practice supports corporate and private equity clients end-to-end across mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures—helping shape deal strategy, validate the investment thesis, and improve odds of value realization. The team combines strategic advisory (M&A strategy, deal thesis, growth pathways, buy/build/partner, portfolio rationalization, and buy-/sell-side readiness) with diligence capabilities across commercial and operational lenses to pressure-test forecasts, quantify synergies, and surface value drivers and deal risks that can affect price or structure. The team also provides transaction support through the deal lifecycle (e.g., pre-bid work, target identification support, structuring/financing considerations, vendor assistance/value qualification) and sell-side advisory (positioning and readiness to enhance credibility and reduce disruption).
As a global leader in providing consulting services to the asset management industry, Deloitte works with clients to address a range of critical issues brought on by regulatory changes, competition, globalization, advances in technology, and the changing demands of their customers. Our clients include asset, wealth, and investment advisers and administrators from every sector of the industry, including investment managers, broker-dealers, banks, insurance companies, mutual funds, hedge funds, private equity, alternative products, and other money managers. Our M&A solutions and services help PE firms and their portfolio companies uncover, create, and drive value. The PE M&A S&D Team serves as strategic advisors to PE firms as they find ways to enhance investor return through specific activities such as portfolio rationalization analysis, market scans, target identification and screening/scanning, diligence on the buy and sell side, and refining portfolio company operations.
Qualifications:
Required:
A candidate must have 6+ years of M&A or M&A Service Delivery experience in the following areas:Working on engagements for mid-market PE clients and portfolio companiesSetting engagement objectives and scopeFraming issues and breaking them down into hypotheses to be solvedDeveloping project work plans and coordinating activities between work streamsDesigning deliverable content that reflects a high standard of analysisManaging cross-functional teams to deliver engagements across all of phases of the M&A lifecycle including due-diligence, pre-close and post-merger integrationManaging service excellence by identifying key client business issuesDetermining client needs by supplementing the standard assessment techniques and tools with innovative approachesManaging day-to-day interactions with executive clients and sponsorsContributing to business development and the development of proposalsBachelor's degree and 6+ years in a strategy consulting practice and/or industry experience; alternatively, an MBA with 4+ years relevant work experience is acceptableLimited immigration sponsorship may be availableAbility to travel up to 50%, on average, based on the work you do and the clients and industries/sectors you serve
Preferred:
Advanced degree (MBA; PhD; JD; MD; Masters)Experience at a top strategy consulting firm or private equity / M&A Strategy boutique consulting firmIdeal candidates would have spent at least 50% of their time advising PE clientsExperience with staff development and eagerness to mentor junior practitionersStrong oral and written communication skills, including presentation skills (MS PowerPoint)
Information for applicants with a need for accommodation:
The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. At Deloitte, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $155600 to $306800.
You may also be eligible to participate in a discretionary annual incentive program, subject to the rules governing the program, whereby an award, if any, depends on various factors, including, without limitation, individual and organizational performance.






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