Transaction Advisory Associate

About Common Trust

Common Trust is on a mission to support the 3 in 5 small businesses that will seek a sale over the next decade to transition into the hands of employees through employee ownership buyouts.

We're committed to creating a more prosperous and competitive economy through shared ownership. By joining Common Trust, you won't just be taking on a job - you'll be part of the mission-driven, founding team working to make a tangible difference in the lives of business owners, employees, and communities.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of Client Services, the Transaction Advisory Associate will be a critical member of the small and growing Delivery team serving clients who are exploring an exit to employee ownership structures. The Transaction Advisory Associate will manage a small business’s end to end transaction from financial due diligence, preparing the business valuation, modeling potential deal structures that meet client goals and include seller financing, bank financing, and Common Trust’s affiliated mezzanine debt fund, and coordinating with technical partners including tax and legal partners to ensure an effective close. The Transaction Advisory Associate is a client-facing role and will participate in and present their analysis in regular client meetings and be responsible for building strong and sustained client relationships.

This role is remote. Team members are based in Eastern and Pacific time zones.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Manage sale processes from end to end, including valuation, financial due diligence, transaction structuring, and coordination with tax and legal technical experts on documentation and closing
• Drive financial model development and valuation, including sensitivity scenarios for small and mid-sized companies (typically $5M to $50M enterprise value)
• Prepare client presentations and/or deliverables that outline goals, assumptions, findings, and implications
• Lead client meetings on diligence, valuation, and recapitalization structure

• Collaborate with internal and external subject matter experts, consultants, and advisors to support transaction objectives, including but not limited to legal, structured finance, tax, and governance experts

• Support the development of long-term relationships with clients

• Support the Delivery team in integrating efficiencies and automation in the data collection, financial due diligence, valuation, and transaction structuring processes

Requirements

Desired Values

An ideal candidate will value:

• Our mission to build a more prosperous and competitive economy through shared ownership;
• Identifying creative and innovative transaction structures to address our clients’ goals;
• Building authentic relationships with small business owners, senior leaders, and workers of various backgrounds across the US;
• An opportunity to build new and automated systems and processes and take initiative on a small and growing team;
• Collaborating with a highly supportive and fun team that balances autonomy and interdependence;
• Adaptability and willingness to work on a small team and take on the range of tasks necessary to deliver a high-quality product to clients, solve hard problems, and take initiative in improving processes.

Experience and Qualifications

• Preference will be given to candidates with 3+ years of experience conducting financial due diligence for small and mid-sized businesses within the transaction team of an accounting firm;
• Common Trust values a broad range of experiences and candidates with 3+ years of experience underwriting and structuring deals for small and mid-sized companies in the lower middle market at a commercial bank, strategic buyer, investment bank, or private equity firm will also be considered;
• Strong financial modeling skills;
• Experience preparing company valuations;
• Experience normalizing financial statements to prepare small and mid-sized businesses for a sale;
• Knowledge of lending, financing, and transactions, with a preference for knowledge of employee ownership transactions;
• Some experience with building low code solutions, automations, and/or artificial intelligence solutions to improve efficiency desired;
• An attention to detail and excellent execution including project tracking and organizational abilities;
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including communicating with stakeholders of various financial acumen;
• Ability to work on a small, fast-paced, remote team;
• Strong ability to manage up and keep stakeholders up to date on progress, challenges, and proposed solutions;
• Comfort with Google Workspace and Slack;

Benefits

Compensation and Benefits

The role will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• $100,000 - $120,000 per year, commensurate with experience, and with additional compensation tied to portfolio performance, as well as company standard benefits:
• Unlimited time off
• Remote and flexible work schedule and environment
• 401k retirement plan
• Stipend for work-from-home expenses
• Access to health/dental/vision plan
• Participation in company equity incentive programs

Common Trust provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, familial status, military status, height and weight, genetic predisposition or carrier status, arrest record, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. We strongly encourage people of color, people with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ candidates to apply.