2027 M&A Associate, Richmond

Harris Williams • Richmond, VA

8d • Onsite

About The Position

Harris Williams seeks to hire first-year associates to join the Richmond office across various industry groups including Business Services, Consumer, Energy, Power & Infrastructure, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Industrials, and Transportation & Logistics / Aerospace, Defense & Govt. Services. This is an "on-call," in-office role where associates respond quickly to emails and calls, attend deal team meetings in person, and are willing to work long hours. Harris Williams will not provide sponsorship for employment visas or participate in STEM OPT for this position. Associates will have a high level of exposure to clients and senior bankers, driving work forward in partnership with analysts. The role offers the opportunity to see the full lifecycle of multiple client engagements, developing into a well-rounded, trusted advisor within the dynamic M&A and private capital advisory services segment of investment banking. The firm emphasizes a collaborative work environment, professional development through robust training programs, and a comprehensive compensation and benefits program.

Requirements

• Ability to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.
• Curious and proactive in learning, applying new information, and incorporating feedback to develop quickly.
• Able to articulate ideas clearly and tailor message, tone, and detail to the audience, both verbally and in writing.
• Able to identify trends in complex data sets, including through tools such as Capital IQ and FactSet, and articulate the impact of those patterns.
• Understanding of Excel formulas, data validation, tables, and conditional formatting, and the ability to build clear, client-ready materials in PowerPoint.
• Working understanding of how the income statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet connect, with a willingness to deepen accounting, valuation, and financial modeling expertise over time.
• Comfort using and directing AI tools to improve output while retaining full ownership of quality, accuracy, and judgment.
• Analytical Thinking
• Business Acumen
• Customer Experience Management.
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Effective Communications
• Leadership
• Marketing Strategy and Positioning
• Market Research
• Selling.
• Teamwork
• 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.

Nice To Haves

• Indicate industry group preference(s) clearly in your cover letter.

Responsibilities

• Drive work forward and own outcomes from start to finish, advancing tasks with accountability for the end result on tasks big and small.
• Build trusted relationships across deal teams and firm colleagues, and model our One Firm culture by prioritizing the firm’s collective success.
• Articulate ideas clearly and confidently to every audience including in internal discussions and client and C-suite settings.
• Deliver accurate, high-quality, client-ready work products that reflect sound deal judgment and a high level of attention to detail.
• Grow continuously by seeking feedback and mentorship and deepening industry, market, and technical knowledge.
• Manage workstreams and deadlines to deliver consistent, on-time execution without sacrificing quality.
• Translate data and analysis into actionable insight and a clear point of view that contributes to deal strategy and client recommendations.
• Respond quickly to emails and calls.
• Attend deal team meetings in person.
• Work long hours.

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
• 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