Lead Financial Analyst

About the Role

Saudi Aramco is seeking a Lead Financial Analyst specializing in Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) to join its M&A Advisory Department, part of the Finance organization. This full-time role involves providing finance input throughout the transaction process, including structuring, valuation, due diligence, and support for negotiations and documentation. The position also entails offering objective and independent advice to executive management regarding transactions.

Role Context and Responsibilities

The primary responsibility of this role is to support the development and execution of large and complex international transactions. The Lead Financial Analyst will act as a single point of contact for all finance-related inputs throughout the transaction lifecycle, often under challenging deadlines. This includes screening opportunities, developing optimal deal structuring and framing options, and formulating valuation and bid price recommendations. The role also involves conducting financial due diligence, advising on accounting aspects of transactions, and reviewing definitive agreements.

Key Duties

• Represent Finance as a core member of multi-functional transaction execution teams, providing end-to-end finance support.
• Present objective assessments of transactions to Executive Management to support decision-making across all aspects, including strategic assessment, partner selection, economic viability, and deal structuring.
• Assess deal structuring and commercial options, and screen transaction counterparties and joint venture partners.
• Manage the valuation and economic assessment of opportunities, ensuring financial models adhere to Aramco standards and risks are considered.
• Oversee external Financial and Accounting Advisors on transactions.
• Prepare bid price recommendation proposals for senior management, considering competitive, economic, and industry factors.
• Manage the financial due diligence process, ensuring findings are communicated to executive management and factored into valuation or definitive agreements.
• Interface with internal finance functions (Treasury, Controllers, Embedded Finance) and other corporate organizations to seek expert advice.
• Coordinate solutions with external advisors and internal stakeholders on the accounting aspects of transactions.
• Contribute to definitive agreements, manage purchase price adjustments, and post-transaction purchase price allocation.
• Advise on finance aspects of integration as a member of the integration planning team.
• Develop, coach, and mentor team members on transactions.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of M&A processes and methodologies.
• Provide ad hoc financial analysis, including on transfer pricing, impairment reviews, government incentives, and group policy reviews.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• A minimum of 15 years of experience, with significant experience in large and complex cross-border transactions, preferably within the energy or natural resources sectors.
• Prior experience in LNG transactions and deep knowledge of the segment is highly preferred.
• Expert-level knowledge and application of financial analysis tools and methodologies.
• Strong understanding of financial statements.
• Familiarity with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and international taxation.

Team and Leadership

The M&A Finance Lead will interface with various transaction team members and specialists within Finance, including Treasury, Controller’s, and Embedded Finance, as well as other corporate organizations. A core part of this role involves developing, coaching, and mentoring staff.