2027 M&A Associate
About The Position
Harris Williams seeks to hire a first-year associate to join our San Francisco office. 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. With an industry leading pitch win rate, you will see the full lifecycle of multiple client engagements in this role, enabling you to develop into a well-rounded, trusted advisor. This role is in M&A and private capital advisory services, which are among the most intellectually rigorous and strategically important segments within banking. Your work will directly shape the trajectory of the clients we serve. Associates who thrive at Harris Williams lead multiple workstreams while maintaining focus on quality. Our Associate profile is built around seven core competencies: Ownership, Collaboration and Relationships, Communication, Execution Excellence, Growth Mindset, Planning and Organization, and Strategy.
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
- 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
- Masters degree
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, and are willing to work long hours.
Benefits
- 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.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
