Freelance M&A Associate – Healthcare Sector (UK)

We are seeking an experienced Freelance M&A Associate to support acquisition and platform-build activity in the UK healthcare sector. The role is hands-on and execution-focused, involving close collaboration with senior management, operators, and external advisors across live transactions in a regulated environment.

Key Responsibilities:

– Supporting end-to-end M&A processes, from initial opportunity assessment through to completion

– Leading and coordinating multi-disciplinary due diligence teams (financial, legal, commercial, operational, and regulatory)

– Acting as a central point of contact between internal stakeholders, sellers, and external advisors

– Reviewing, synthesising, and clearly presenting due diligence findings to support investment decisions

– Supporting banks transaction structuring and execution, where required

– Managing data rooms, deal trackers, and transaction documentation

Financial & Analytical Skills:

– Strong understanding of transaction financials, including EBITDA normalisation, quality of earnings, and cash flow analysis

– Ability to review, challenge, and interpret financial models and assumptions

– Experience working with debt structures and lender requirements, including LTV, DSCR, and covenant logic

– Understanding of working capital dynamics within healthcare businesses, including payroll, agency costs, and payment cycles

– Comfortable analysing management accounts, budgets, and forecasts and identifying key risks or discrepancies

– Ability to translate financial outputs into clear, commercially relevant insights for decision-makers

Regulatory Awareness:

– Good understanding of regulated healthcare environments, ideally within the UK

– Familiarity with bodies such as the CQC, NHS, and local authorities, and their impact on valuation, risk, and deal structuring

– Awareness of how regulatory ratings, compliance history, and improvement plans affect financing and investment decisions

Required Experience & Skills:

– Proven experience in M&A, corporate finance, or transaction-led roles, ideally within healthcare

– Demonstrated experience leading and coordinating professional advisors during due diligence

– Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills

– Flexible, pragmatic, and solution-oriented mindset

– Strong written and verbal communication skills

– Ability to work independently in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment

Personal Attributes:

– High level of professionalism, discretion, and integrity

– Calm under pressure, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously

– Commercially minded and execution-focused

– Strong sense of ownership and accountability

Engagement Structure:

– Freelance / contract-based engagement/ success bonus

– Flexible working arrangement

– Scope and duration defined per transaction, with potential for repeat mandates or longer-term involvement

• potential full-time position