Director of M&A, Integration & Strategy Finance

Overview

Waters is seeking a Director of M&A, Integration & Strategy Finance to join our global Strategic Planning and M&A Finance team. This is a highly strategic role spanning M&A, post-merger integration, value creation, and corporate strategy, with significant exposure to Executive Committee-level senior leadership.

 

The Director will partner with senior business and functional leaders to evaluate and execute acquisitions, identify and drive value creation opportunities, solve complex business problems, evaluate strategic and financial trade-offs, and translate priorities into measurable financial outcomes. The role will also design and establish the processes, governance, and analytical frameworks required to drive integration and value creation, creating structure and accountability in a complex and evolving environment.

 

The role combines M&A execution, strategic problem solving, financial analysis, governance design, and execution, and is particularly suited to candidates with backgrounds in investment banking or private equity, ideally complemented by management consulting experience.

Responsibilities

M&A Evaluation & Execution

• Support the end-to-end acquisition process, including target screening, valuation, due diligence, deal structuring, negotiation support, and closing, and prepare investment recommendations for senior management and the Board.

Integration & Value Capture Leadership

• Lead financial oversight of integration and value capture programmes, translating the deal thesis into integration plans and synergy targets, and partnering closely with business workstreams to ensure alignment on delivery priorities, governance, risks, and execution.

Governance & Performance Management

• Establish and maintain governance frameworks to monitor performance, manage risks, track delivery against targets, and ensure timely escalation of issues impacting value capture.

Business Planning & Value Creation

• Support the development and monitoring of integration and value capture business plans, including synergy initiatives, operational improvement actions, investment prioritisation, and financial delivery milestones across cost and revenue programmes.

Strategic Financial Modelling

• Lead the development of financial models related to M&A transactions, integration, synergy delivery, scenario analysis, and broader strategic initiatives.

Data-Driven Insights

• Provide analytical and financial insight to translate operational initiatives into measurable P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet impact, supporting strategic decision-making and execution.

Executive-Level Communication

• Develop and deliver high-quality updates, presentations, and recommendations for senior management and Board review, ensuring clear communication of deal rationale, progress, risks, and value delivery.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with teams across Finance, Operations, Commercial, HR, IT, Legal, and Tax, as well as external advisors, to support due diligence, integration execution, strategic initiatives, and organisational alignment.

Ad Hoc Strategic Projects

• Contribute to high-priority projects including strategic investments, transformation initiatives, long-term planning, and operational efficiency programmes.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in M&A execution, including valuation, deal modelling, and due diligence, gained at an investment bank, private equity firm, or corporate development team.
• Experience at a top-tier investment bank or private equity firm is strongly preferred, ideally complemented by experience at a top-tier strategy consulting firm.
• Experience in post-merger integration (PMI), strategic planning, or value creation is a plus.
• Expertise in financial modelling (including merger, LBO, and DCF models), scenario analysis, value capture tracking, and strategic evaluation of complex business situations.
• Strong business partnering and stakeholder management experience, with the ability to influence senior leaders and challenge constructively.
• Strong communication skills, including experience presenting to senior executives and translating complex analyses into clear recommendations.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; familiarity with financial systems and data visualisation tools is a plus.
• Proven ability to manage multiple high-priority initiatives and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience working across cross-functional and global teams.