Manager: Mergers & Amp; Acquisitions (Sandton) at Sun International

Description

• The Manager: Mergers & Acquisitions is a strategically influential role responsible for driving the Group’s inorganic growth agenda. The role partners directly with executive leadership to shape long-term strategy through disciplined evaluation, execution and integration of strategic transactions.
• This position spans finance, strategy, commercial assessment, operational integration, governance and stakeholder leadership, ensuring end-to-end ownership of the M&A lifecycle. 

Job Responsibilities:

• Proactively identify, assess and prioritise acquisition, partnership and disposal opportunities aligned with Group strategy
• Lead strategic market, sector and competitor analyses to inform the Group’s long-term growth agenda
• Maintain a dynamic, well-governed pipeline of strategic opportunities for executive consideration
• Lead valuation, modelling, scenario testing and return assessments for potential transactions
• Integrate cross-functional insights; financial, commercial, operational, legal and risk into compelling investment cases
• Deliver clear, insight-rich recommendations to the Executive Committee and Board
• Lead multi-disciplinary due diligence across financial, tax, legal, operational, regulatory and technical areas
• Identify risks, exposures and value levers, advising on mitigation and optimisation strategies
• Oversee communication and documentation across the due-diligence lifecycle
• Support deal structuring, negotiation strategy and engagement with counterparties and advisors
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to progress transactions through internal governance and approval processes
• Ensure all transactions comply with Group governance, legal, financial and regulatory standards
• Develop integration strategies for newly acquired businesses, ensuring alignment with Group reporting, operations and control frameworks
• Monitor post-deal performance, escalating risk areas and identifying optimisation opportunities
• Build mechanisms to track value realisation and operational outcomes
• Ensure regulatory, legal, tax and BBBEE requirements are met across all M&A activities
• Maintain audit-ready documentation and strong governance throughout all stages of the transaction lifecycle
• Conduct stress testing and risk assessments for major investment decisions
• Build strong internal partnerships with executives and business leaders to ensure strategic alignment
• Foster relationships with investment banks, advisors, consultants, regulators and strategic partners
• Prepare high-quality reports and presentations for Executive and Board committees
• Enhance and maintain M&A methodologies, tools, templates and modelling standards to improve decision-making and consistency

Technical Skills & Behavioural Competencies:

• Advanced financial modelling & valuation
• Business, Financial & Commercial Acumen
• Corporate finance & transaction structuring
• M&A Due Diligence expertise
• Commercial Analysis
• Post-merger integration planning
• Governance, compliance & regulatory knowledge
• Risk assessment & mitigation
• Financial reporting insights
• Capital allocation & funding analysis 
• Strategic Thinking  
• Commercial Judgement
• Executive communication & influence
• Stakeholder management & relationship building
• Problem-solving & critical thinking skills
• Resilience & Agility
• Ethical Judgement & Confidentiality 

Requirements

• CA (SA)
• 10-12 years’ experience in Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Finance, Investment Banking, Private Equity or Transaction Advisory
• Demonstrated experience leading end-to-end transaction processes, including sourcing, financial modelling, due diligence coordination, deal structuring and integration oversight
• Strong experience in valuation, financial modelling, scenario analysis and commercial assessments
• Exposure to integration planning, synergy tracking and post-deal performance evaluation
• Experience operating in regulated industries (gaming, hospitality, financial services, or similar) is advantageous