Commercial Due Diligence and Strategy Associate

Commercial Due Diligence & Corporate Strategy

Grade: Associate & Senior Associate

Location: London (UK)

About Alpha FMC

Alpha FMC is a leading global consulting firm focused exclusively on serving clients in the Financial Services sector. Our 1,500+ consultants work across 19 offices globally, combining deep FS sector expertise with high-quality consulting to support more than 970 clients across asset management, wealth management, insurance and broader financial services.

Our Strategy & Deals division advises senior executives, private equity investors and corporate deal teams on their most important strategic and investment decisions.

The opportunity

We are growing our Financial Services Strategy & Deals team and are seeking Associates and Senior Associates to work across two complementary areas:

• Commercial due diligence: supporting private equity investors and corporate acquirers in evaluating investment opportunities through rigorous analysis of markets, customers, competitors, business plans, and commercial risks
• Corporate strategy: advising CEOs, executive teams and business leaders on growth, market expansion, product strategy, operating model design and cost competitiveness

Alpha is a specialist consulting firm: consulting is our core business, and Strategy & Deals is a priority growth area. You will join a growing team with the opportunity to take meaningful responsibility early, work closely with senior colleagues and help shape the continued development of the practice.

Candidates with a strong preference for focusing on either commercial due diligence or corporate strategy should indicate their preference early in the process so we can shape our conversations accordingly.

Our work

We help the world's leading investors and financial institutions make some of their most important strategic and investment decisions. Our work spans the financial services sector, with a primary focus on asset management, wealth management, insurance, and fintech.

Our typical engagements include:

• Conducting buy-side commercial due diligence for private equity and corporate investors
• Supporting sell-side processes by developing an independent evidence base around market attractiveness, competitive positioning, and growth potential
• Assessing business plans, revenue forecasts, and the opportunities and risks underpinning an investment thesis
• Partnering with private equity investors and portfolio company management teams to accelerate growth and deliver value creation initiatives
• Developing corporate, business-unit, and growth strategies for established financial institutions and scaling businesses
• Assessing new markets, customer segments, products, and distribution opportunities
• Reviewing propositions, commercial models, and competitive positioning

Key responsibilities

The responsibilities below apply across both levels; Senior Associates are expected to take greater ownership of workstream and client delivery.

Engagements

• Lead individual workstreams within CDD and growth-strategy projects, including market sizing, competitor benchmarking, and customer/expert research.

• Manage and analyse qualitative and quantitative data sets (market data, financials, interviews, surveys) to develop actionable insights.

• Develop compelling, client-ready storylines and presentations.

• Structure complex and open-ended client questions into clear, hypothesis-led analyses

• Design and conduct primary and secondary research, including expert and customer interviews, surveys and analysis of market and company data.

• Integrate data-driven and AI-supported analytics to enhance speed and depth of insight.

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Engage directly with clients and external experts to gather market intelligence.
• Work directly with client teams, management teams and investment professionals, including presenting  findings and responding to challenges
• Structure and present conclusions clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Team & Practice

• Collaborate effectively with colleagues across teams, functions, and geographies to deliver exceptional outcomes for clients and contribute to the success of the broader division.
• Supervise and coach junior team members, ensuring high-quality outputs and knowledge sharing.
• Contribute to internal knowledge development and business development efforts, including proposals and thought leadership.

Level guidance

We are recruiting at both the Associate and Senior Associate levels, depending on experience:

• Associate: typically 1.5+ years of relevant experience; able to independently deliver defined analyses and project modules with appropriate guidance.
• Senior Associate: typically 3+ years of relevant experience; able to lead substantial workstreams, structure analysis, manage junior colleagues and contribute confidently to client discussions.

What we are looking for

Successful candidates will be intellectually curious, commercially minded and motivated by solving difficult problems. You will combine analytical rigour with the ability to form a view, communicate it clearly and work effectively with clients and colleagues.

You should have:

• Relevant experience in commercial due diligence, strategy consulting or in-house strategy with a strong analytical component
• Financial Services experience is preferred but not essential; greater emphasis will be placed on a strong commercial diligence or strategy skillset, together with an interest in developing broader expertise across the sector
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to structure ambiguous questions.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical capabilities
• Experience researching markets, companies, and competitors
• The ability to turn complex analysis into clear conclusions and persuasive presentations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• The ability to deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced, project-based environment
• A collaborative working style and willingness to support the development of others
• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

What Alpha offers

• Opportunity to work directly with senior leaders and blue-chip clients in the financial
• services and private equity sectors
• Significant responsibility and client exposure earlier in your career
• Ability to work on projects for clients across North America and Europe.
• The opportunity to help build a fast-growing Strategy & Deals practice
• The reach and client base of a global firm combined with the accessibility and entrepreneurialism of a specialist consultancy
• A clear path for career progression, supported by training, coaching and mentorship
• Competitive remuneration, benefits and annual profit-sharing