M&A Research Assistant - 12mth FTC - Manchester

Ideas | People | Trust

We’re BDO. An accountancy and business advisory firm, providing the advice and solutions entrepreneurial organisations need to navigate today’s changing world.

We work with the companies that are Britain’s economic engine – ambitious, entrepreneurially-spirited and high‑growth businesses that fuel the economy - and directly advise the owners and management teams that lead them.

We’ll broaden your horizons

Our Advisory team provide a wide variety of services that deliver value-led advice and outcomes. They have an in-depth knowledge of business, industry sectors and markets and understand the constantly changing risks and opportunities at the heart of our clients’ affairs. The team work across strategy, operations and improvement as well as at a transactional and defined project level. From technology to risk advisory, they’re experts in following through on top-level instructions and resolving the finer details – all in one straight-forward package. When you join them, you’ll work on some of the world's most exciting financial operations and business deals, building your experience and expertise alongside the brightest minds in the industry.

We’ll help you succeed

Leading organisations trust us because of the quality of our advice. That quality grows from a thorough understanding of their business, and that understanding comes from working closely with them and building long-lasting relationships.

You’ll be someone who is both comfortable working proactively and managing your own tasks, as well as confident collaborating with others and communicating regularly with senior managers, directors, and BDO’s partners to help businesses effectively. You’ll be encouraged to identify and draw attention to opportunities for enhancing our delivery and providing additional services to organisations we work with.

You will be a M&A Research Assistant assisting in the delivery of business development campaigns and provide focussed desktop research of public record information as asked for by senior members of the national corporate finance team. As a Research Assistant, you’ll be expected to gain experience and understanding of the field of corporate finance and delivering business development campaigns. You’ll work alongside the BDO Mergers and Acquisitions team in order to understand the aims of the team in order to better identify suitable businesses to contact.

You’ll be someone with:

• Currently enrolled in a university degree program, ideally with coursework in finance, business, or a related field.
• Experience of MS Office applications including Word, Excel and PowerPoint

Desirable

• Experience of research tools e.g. Onesource, Corpfin, BvD databases and a range of Thomson Financial Products.

You’ll be able to be yourself; we’ll recognise and value you for who you are and celebrate and reward your contributions to the business. We’re committed to agile working, and we offer every colleague the opportunity to work in ways that suit you, your teams, and the task at hand.

At BDO, we’ll help you achieve your personal goals and career ambitions, and we have programmes, resources, and frameworks that provide clarity and structure around career development.

We’re in it together

Mutual support and respect is one of BDO’s core values and we’re proud of our distinctive, people-centred culture. From informal success conversations to formal mentoring and coaching, we’ll support you at every stage in your career, whatever your personal and professional needs.

Our agile working framework helps us stay connected, bringing teams together where and when it counts so they can share ideas and help one another. At BDO, you’ll always have access to the people and resources you need to do your best work.

We know that collaboration is the key to creating value for the companies we work with and satisfying experiences for our colleagues, so we’ve invested in state-of-the-art collaboration spaces in our offices. BDO’s people represent a wealth of knowledge and expertise, and we’ll encourage you to build your network, work alongside others, and share your skills and experiences. With a range of multidisciplinary events and dedicated resources, you’ll never stop learning at BDO.

We’re looking forward to the future

At BDO, we help entrepreneurial businesses to succeed, fuelling the UK economy.

Our success is powered by our people, which is why we’re always finding new ways to invest in you. Across the UK thousands of unique minds continue to come together to help companies we work with to achieve their ambitions

We’ve got a clear purpose, and we’re confident in our future, because we’re adapting and evolving to build on our strengths, ensuring we continue to find the right combination of global reach, integrity and expertise. We shape the future together with openness and clarity, because we believe in empowering people to think creatively about how we can do things better.

Start date: June 2025 / July 2025