Business Performance Improvement

About the role

The Associate Director in M&A Integration Services drives end-to-end delivery of complex integration and separation initiatives while partnering closely with clients to solve intricate business challenges spanning finance, operations, technology, and HR. This role involves leading specific workstreams by analyzing financial and operational data, constructing detailed models, and translating intricate findings into clear, actionable recommendations and polished client-ready deliverables. The successful hire will facilitate critical stakeholder discussions, align cross-functional teams, and provide decisive guidance within fast-paced and often ambiguous deal environments. They will proactively manage project timelines, budgets, and key risks to ensure execution remains of the highest quality while simultaneously mentoring junior team members and actively contributing to internal firm initiatives around training and knowledge development. The position demands a high degree of ownership over project outcomes, ensuring that solutions are not only theoretically sound but also practically implementable for the client. You will be expected to synthesize complex information from disparate sources into a cohesive narrative that drives decision-making and delivers measurable business value. This role is pivotal in translating strategic intent into tangible results throughout the entire project lifecycle.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Apply comprehensive business and financial acumen to advise clients and architect solutions addressing diverse challenges in people, process, and technology optimization, with projects potentially covering business process redesign, technology automation, finance transformation, supply chain enhancement, working capital optimization, revenue and profitability analysis, and more.
• Partner directly with clients to deeply understand and support their specific needs, delivering high-quality projects within an average duration of 3 to 5 months, ensuring alignment with client expectations and timelines.
• Conduct extensive research and analysis across a wide spectrum of financial, supply chain, operational, and accounting issues, distilling complex data into insights that inform strategic and operational recommendations.
• Oversee the development of sophisticated reports, presentations, and various other client-facing deliverables, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and a professional standard that reinforces Riveron's reputation for excellence.
• Exercise ownership over the meticulous planning of projects and the successful delivery against defined budgets and multiple concurrent workstreams, maintaining a sharp focus on value realization.
• Actively participate in developing junior team members both in client settings and internally by providing coaching, performance feedback, and fostering a collaborative, learning-oriented team culture.
• Leverage expertise in procurement-to-pay, order-to-cash, and/or record-to-report processes to identify inefficiencies and recommend improvements that enhance operational and financial performance.
• Utilize knowledge of change management principles and organizational communication strategies to guide stakeholders through transformation initiatives, ensuring adoption and minimizing resistance.
• Map and analyze end-to-end processes to identify bottlenecks, redundancies, and opportunities for optimization within integration, separation, and transformation programs.
• Collaborate seamlessly with cross-functional teams encompassing finance, HR, IT, operations, sales and marketing, product, and legal to align on integration and separation milestones, governing documentation, and all required deliverables.
• Develop and maintain detailed understanding of operations related to carve-outs, divestitures, and post-merger transformation programs, ensuring plans are robust and executable.
• Demonstrate strong project management capabilities by orchestrating resources, timelines, and dependencies while effectively managing executive stakeholders in complex and dynamic deal environments.
• Synthesize data from various domains to build financial models, scenario analyses, and dashboards that support decision-making and track performance against targets.
• Foster a team-oriented mindset by proactively sharing knowledge, supporting colleagues, and applying an analytical approach to solve multifaceted business problems.

Requirements

• Hold a Bachelor's degree in business (Finance, Accounting, Economics), Supply Chain, Engineering, or a related field of study.
• Possess a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience within a consulting or advisory role or in corporate FP&A, corporate development, M&A planning, management, and/or execution, sales and operations planning, distribution/logistics, or procurement/sourcing.
• Have direct experience supporting integration and separation initiatives, including pre-close planning, Day 1 readiness, operating model design and deployment, and synergy planning, validation, and tracking.
• Demonstrate a solid understanding of change management and organizational communication principles, process mapping, and communication planning specifically during integration and transformation efforts.
• Show a proven ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including but not limited to finance, HR, IT, operations, sales and marketing, product, and legal, to align on integration or separation milestones, governing documentation, and other essential deliverables.
• Possess a strong grasp of operations associated with carve-outs, divestitures, and post-merger transformation programs, including the nuances of value realization and stakeholder management.
• Exhibit strong project management capabilities, with a proven track record of managing multiple workstreams and executive stakeholders simultaneously in high-pressure, fast-paced deal environments.
• Maintain a team-oriented mindset characterized by proactivity, analytical rigor, and a collaborative approach to problem-solving.
• Bring experience with end-to-end procure-to-pay, order-to-cash, and/or record-to-report processes, including process mapping, controls, and optimization.

Nice to have

• Experience with procure-to-pay, order-to-cash, and/or record-to-report processes.

Practical notes

• This role is full_time.
• Candidates must be available for potential employment in Chicago, IL.