Strategy & Corporate Development Senior Associate

Job description

About Allica Bank Allica is the UK’s fastest growing company - and the fastest-growing financial technology (Fintech) firm ever. Our purpose is to help established SMEs, one of the last major underserved opportunities in Fintech. Established SMEs are the backbone of local communities - representing over a third of our economy - yet have been largely neglected both by traditional high street banks and modern fintech providers. Department Description The Strategy & Corporate Development team drives Allica's ambitious growth agenda. The team identifies, assesses and executes high-impact opportunities – including selective M&A, portfolio purchases and forward-flow lending partnerships – while supporting capital raising, investor activity and senior leadership decision making. The team is also responsible for helping convert executed opportunities into business-as-usual performance, partnering with teams across the bank to embed value after completion. Purpose of Role As Strategy & Corporate Development Senior Associate, you'll have a front-row seat in Allica's growth story, working in a small, high-performing team on the strategic questions and corporate development opportunities that shape the bank's next chapter. This is a high-exposure role for someone with a top-tier strategy consulting toolkit who wants to apply structured problem solving, commercial judgement and analytical rigour inside one of the UK's most exciting growth banks. The role will focus primarily on Allica's UK strategy and inorganic growth agenda, while supporting international expansion opportunities where needed. You'll help evaluate and execute opportunities across the transaction lifecycle – from initial market scans, strategic assessment and commercial due diligence through to implementation planning, integration and handover into BAU. Alongside this, you'll contribute to market and competitor analysis, financial modelling, investor materials and strategic recommendations for senior decision makers. You will work in a small, fast-moving team with significant exposure to the Head of Lending Strategy & Corporate Development, Executive leadership and Board-level discussions. You'll collaborate with colleagues across the various functions of Allica developing a practical end-to-end understanding of how a modern bank grows, makes decisions and delivers value for customers Principal Accountabilities - Own discrete workstreams within strategic and corporate development projects, producing clear, rigorous analysis to evaluate M&A, portfolio purchase, lending partnership and market expansion opportunities - Apply a consulting-style strategic toolkit – including hypothesis-led problem solving, market sizing, competitor benchmarking, customer and profit-pool analysis, financial modelling and business case development – to turn complex questions into actionable recommendations - Support the end-to-end execution and governance of transactions, including opportunity screening, commercial due diligence, valuation and financial analysis, adviser coordination, negotiation support, approval materials and implementation planning - Help drive post-completion integration and value creation, translating deal theses into practical workplans, KPIs, governance forums and handover plans that embed opportunities into BAU across the bank - Conduct research and analysis on UK banking, SME lending, fintech, macroeconomic trends and competitors, while supporting international expansion assessments where required - Support capital raising and investor-related activity, including preparing information memorandum materials, investor updates and responses to ad hoc investor requests - Produce concise, insightful reports and presentations that support Executive and Board decision making, and provide ad hoc strategic and commercial support to teams across the bank Personal Attributes & Experience - 3-5 years' professional experience, with a strong preference for candidates from a top-tier strategy consulting background (e.g. MBB or equivalent), ideally with exposure to financial services or banking projects - Excellent strategic toolkit: structured problem solving, hypothesis-driven analysis, strong commercial judgement, ability to simplify ambiguity, and confidence turning data and expert insight into clear recommendations - Demonstrable interest in banking, fintech or specialist lending, with direct experience in banking, fintech, commercial/SME lending, or financial services strategy considered a strong plus - Strong quantitative and financial analysis skills, including market sizing, unit economics, business case development, valuation concepts and Excel modelling - Exposure to M&A, commercial due diligence, partnerships, integration planning or post-Day 1 value creation; direct buy-side transaction experience is helpful but not essential - Excellent PowerPoint and written communication skills, with the ability to create concise, senior-ready materials for Executive and Board audiences - Highly collaborative with the confidence to build strong relationships across internal functions and with external advisers, and the maturity to operate in a regulated banking environment - Intellectually curious, highly driven and excited to take the next step in your career and the opportunity to help build a fast-growing fintech bank; comfortable working at pace, balancing detail with strategic perspective and taking ownership in a small team Working at Allica Bank At Allica Bank we want to ensure our employees have the right tools and environment in which to succeed in their role and in support of our customers. Our employees are at the heart of everything we do, so our benefits are designed with you in mind: - Full onboarding support and continued development opportunities - Options for flexible working - Regular social activities - Pension contributions - Discretionary bonus scheme - Private health cover - Life assurance - Family friendly policies including enhanced Maternity & Paternity leave Don’t tick every box? Don’t worry if you don’t have all the skills or requirements listed on the job description. If you think you’ll be a good fit, we’d still love to hear from you! Flexible working We know the ‘9-to-5’ isn’t right for everyone. That’s why Allica Bank is fully committed to flexible and hybrid working. Please let us know what is best for you and, if we can, we will do our best to accommodate. Diversity We’re a diverse bunch here at Allica, with all kinds of experiences, backgrounds and lifestyles. Our openness and differences make us stronger, and we want everybody to feel comfortable bringing as much of themselves to work with them as they like.