2026 M&A Associate - Consumer

Harris Williams • Minneapolis, MN

11d • Onsite

About The Position

Harris Williams seeks to hire an Associate to join the Consumer team in the Minneapolis, MN office. This is an "on-call", in-office role. Associates will have a high level of exposure to clients and senior bankers, driving work forward in partnership with analysts. Associates lead key workstreams throughout client engagements and expand professional experience through recruiting initiatives, mentorship programming, and efforts to generate new client engagements. The role is within a collaborative work environment that values a range of backgrounds and expertise. Professional development is a priority, starting with a robust training program in Richmond and continuing with an extensive learning experience. Harris Williams is a global investment bank specializing in M&A and private capital advisory services, helping clients worldwide unlock value and achieve ambitious goals through collaboration and strategic execution.

Requirements

• Ability to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.
• 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.
• University / college degree, with 5+ years of industry-relevant experience.
• In lieu of a degree, a comparable combination of education, job specific certification(s), and experience (including military service) may be considered.
• Analytical Thinking
• Business Acumen
• Effective Communications
• Leadership
• Marketing Strategy and Positioning
• Market Research
• Selling.
• Teamwork

Nice To Haves

• Willingness to deepen accounting and valuation subject matter expertise over time.

Responsibilities

• Drive work forward in partnership with analysts.
• Lead key workstreams throughout client engagements.
• Participate in recruiting initiatives, mentorship programming, and efforts to generate new client engagements.
• 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.
• Be a curious self-starter.
• 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 teammates/peers during and at the end of a project.
• Be responsive, answer emails and calls quickly, and 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.
• 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 teammates, both verbally and in writing.
• Speak up during internal and external discussions, as directed by your deal team.
• Translate technical concepts, data, and analysis into a compelling story that resonates in the market.

Benefits

• Highly competitive compensation
• Pension
• 401(k) matching
• Eligibility for performance bonus
• 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
• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level