Associate Director - Financial Due Diligence - Private Equity Advisory

Job description

By joining our rapidly growing Financial Due Diligence practice, you will serve as a trusted partner to our clients. You will bring your first-hand experience, unique perspectives, and functional knowledge to deliver tailored, integrated solutions that solve today's challenges and set the foundation for future success. As an Associate Director at CrossCountry Consulting, you will be responsible for a mix of client delivery, leading teams and developing junior team members, and participating in business development activities. This role offers the opportunity to work on complex M&A transactions, providing clients with critical insights into financial performance and risks. Projects involve large, complex transactions, high- volume roll-ups, carve-outs, divestitures, and sell-side transactions. You will work with private equity firms, corporate acquirers, and lenders, delivering high-quality analyses that drive informed decision-making. ### What You'll Do: - Provide strategic oversight of financial due diligence engagements, challenging assumptions, identifying risks early, and ensuring analyses are tightly aligned with valuation drivers and transaction objectives - Own the overall narrative, positioning, and messaging of diligence reports; ensure conclusions are commercially sharp, negotiation‑ready, and tailored to the buyer or seller context - Serve as the primary senior point of contact for clients and deal teams, leading high‑visibility meetings, negotiation discussions, and executive‑level readouts with CFOs, Controllers, Partners, and Private Equity sponsors - Take full accountability for final deliverable quality, ensuring reports are concise, commercially focused, and aligned with client objectives; shape executive summaries and key messages for Investment Committee and Board‑level audiences - Lead financial due diligence for buy‑side and sell‑side transactions, including Quality of Earnings, Net Working Capital, Net Debt, cash flow analysis, and key financial metrics - Oversee and manage multiple engagement teams simultaneously, setting priorities, driving efficient execution, ensuring quality control, and developing junior team members - Lead engagement scoping discussions, defining strategy, risk areas, staffing models, timelines, and scope alignment with transaction complexity and fee structure - Manage day‑to‑day client relationships and proactively advise on deal strategy, risk mitigation, and transaction mechanics - Review SPA / APA documentation and advise clients on financial mechanics related to Net Working Capital, Net Debt, earnouts, and related deal terms - Operate with a high degree of independence across engagements with limited Partner oversight, making informed technical and accounting judgment calls and escalating complex or high‑risk issues as appropriate - Enhance Manager‑level drafts by sharpening messaging, strengthening linkage to deal drivers, and synthesizing key themes into clear, actionable insights for decision‑making - Maintain accountability for engagement economics, including profitability, leverage, realization, and effective resource deployment across a portfolio of projects - Support business development efforts, including proposal development, pitch participation, and expanding existing client relationships - Train and mentor junior staff and lead internal initiatives related to recruiting, training, and methodology development - Leverage data, analytics, and technology effectively; guide teams in the use of Excel, Power BI, Alteryx, and visualization tools to improve quality and turnaround time - Support the implementation of firm‑approved, technology‑enabled and AI‑supported approaches within engagements and contribute to continuous improvement efforts in alignment with firm policies ### What You'll Bring: - 7+ years of professional experience in audit and/or financial due diligence, preferably within a Big 4 or comparable professional services firm - Minimum of 5+ years of current Financial Due Diligence (FDD) experience, with direct ownership of buy‑side and sell‑side engagements - Proven experience issuing Quality of Earnings reports, with a strong understanding of Adjusted EBITDA, Net Working Capital, and Net Debt - Demonstrated ability to lead engagements and work directly with senior stakeholders, including CFOs, Controllers, and Private Equity deal teams - Strong technical accounting background with deep knowledge of GAAP and financial statement analysis - Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, including building and reviewing complex financial models and client‑ready presentations - Experience leveraging data and analytics tools (e.g., Power BI, Alteryx) to analyze large data sets and support diligence insights - Track record of managing multiple concurrent engagements in a fast‑paced, transaction‑driven environment - Experience mentoring and developing junior team members and contributing to team performance and engagement quality - Demonstrated comfort responsibly adopting firm‑approved AI and technology‑enabled tools to enhance productivity, quality, and efficiency - Ability to operate with a high degree of independence and sound professional judgment, escalating complex or high‑risk issues appropriately - Ability to work effectively in a hybrid work environment, with flexibility for in‑person collaboration as business needs dictate **Qualifications:** - Degree in Accounting, Finance, or Economics - CPA, CFA or advanced degree preferred