Mergers & Acquisitions Director

About the Business Quilter plc is a leading wealth management business, helping to enable brighter financial futures for every generation. Quilter oversees £141.9 billion in customer investments (as of March 2026). It has an adviser and customer offering spanning financial advice, investment platforms, multi-asset investment solutions, and discretionary fund management. The business is comprised of two segments: Affluent and High Net Worth. Affluent encompasses the financial planning business, Quilter Financial Planning, the Quilter Investment Platform and Quilter Investors, the multi-asset investment solutions business. High Net Worth includes the discretionary fund management business, Quilter Cheviot, together with Quilter Cheviot Financial Planning - offering a highly personalised service to private clients, charities, trustees, and professional partners. Quilter Cheviot has presence throughout the UK, Ireland and Channel Islands. At Quilter we never stand still. Our foundations are rooted in our extraordinary expertise, which is trusted by hundreds of thousands of customers, but we have great ambitions to stay one step ahead and make an even greater difference to the people and communities we serve, including our colleagues. Our business is transforming, continually modernising, and becoming even more customer centric. So, if you want to be bold in the pursuit of your ambitions, bring new ideas, and challenge and evolve what we do, it's the perfect time to join us!

About the Role This is a rare opportunity to shape and deliver Quilter's inorganic growth strategy at a pivotal point in our journey. As M&A Director, you will lead our acquisition and investment activity across the UK wealth management market, identifying opportunities that accelerate growth, strengthen our market position and create long-term value for Quilter, our shareholders and the businesses we partner with. You will build and maintain a high-quality pipeline of acquisition, investment and partnership opportunities, developing relationships with founders, principals, advisers and other key market participants. Working closely with senior stakeholders across the business, you will lead transactions from origination through to completion, including valuation, due diligence, structuring, negotiation and execution. You will be responsible for ensuring every investment is strategically aligned, commercially robust and appropriately governed, presenting recommendations to Executive Committee, Investment Committee and Board-level stakeholders. Beyond deal execution, you will oversee portfolio performance and post-acquisition integration, ensuring transactions deliver their intended value and support Quilter's long-term ambitions.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the delivery of Quilter's inorganic growth strategy across the UK wealth management market.
• Developing and maintaining a strong pipeline of acquisition, investment and partnership opportunities.
• Building senior relationships across the market, including business owners, founders, advisers and intermediaries.
• Leading valuation, financial analysis, due diligence and business case development.
• Structuring, negotiating and executing transactions from initial engagement through to completion.
• Managing external advisers and coordinating cross-functional teams throughout the deal lifecycle.
• Presenting investment recommendations and transaction updates to senior governance forums.
• Leading and developing a high-performing team while championing innovation and the use of AI to enhance effectiveness and productivity.
• Ensuring acquisitions and investments align with Quilter's strategy, governance standards and risk appetite.
• Providing oversight of post-acquisition integration and value creation activities.
• Acting as a trusted adviser to senior leadership on market opportunities, investment decisions and strategic growth.

About You You are a commercially minded M&A leader who combines strategic thinking with a strong track record of delivering complex transactions. You bring credibility, sound judgement and the ability to build trusted relationships at the most senior levels, whilst remaining hands-on in evaluating opportunities and driving deals to completion. You'll thrive in this role if you have:

You'll thrive in this role if you have:

• Significant experience in M&A, corporate development, private equity, investment banking or corporate finance, ideally within wealth management or regulated financial services.
• A proven track record of originating, structuring, negotiating and executing successful transactions.
• A strong understanding of the UK wealth management market, including adviser businesses, consolidators, recurring revenue models and AUM-driven economics.
• The ability to assess opportunities through both a strategic and commercial lens, supported by strong financial analysis and valuation expertise.
• Experience presenting recommendations and influencing decisions at Executive Committee, Investment Committee and Board level.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to navigate complex and high-profile situations.
• Strong commercial judgement, with the ability to assess opportunity, value creation potential and risk in complex investment scenarios.
• Experience of practice buy-outs, management buy-outs or minority investment structures would be advantageous.

Governance & Regulatory Responsibility As a senior leader within a regulated business, you will be expected to uphold the highest standards of governance, risk management and regulatory compliance. You will ensure all investment and acquisition activity is conducted within Quilter's governance framework and risk appetite, working closely with Risk, Compliance, Legal and Finance to support robust decision-making throughout the transaction lifecycle. The role may be subject to Senior Manager or Certification requirements and may involve representing Quilter on the boards of acquired or investee businesses. As such, you will bring a strong understanding of governance, fiduciary responsibilities and stakeholder accountability within a regulated environment.

Inclusion & Diversity We value diversity and strive to promote inclusivity in all aspects of our culture. We believe in equal opportunities for all, ensuring that no applicant encounters less favourable treatment based on anything but their skills, qualifications, experience, and potential. We celebrate the unique contributions of a diverse workforce and create a respectful, nurturing environment where every colleague can thrive.

Values Do the right thing: We act with integrity and are proudly committed to going above and beyond in service of our clients and the support we provide our communities.

Always curious: We continuously seek new ideas and knowledge so we're one step ahead of our clients' needs.

We look for inspiration everywhere and encourage experimentation, recognising that this is how we create brilliant solutions for brighter futures.

Embrace challenge: We aim high to transform our potential into meaningful outcomes. With ambition as our driving force and a steadfast commitment to growth, we succeed for the good of every generation.

Stronger together: Combining our diverse talents, we accomplish more collectively than we ever could do alone. We speak openly, actively listen, and support each other, and constructively challenge and embrace new ideas. We seek empowerment and demonstrate ownership and trust, with the confidence to make impactful decisions.

Core Benefits

• Holiday: 182 hours (26 days)
• Quilter Incentive Scheme: All employees are eligible to participate in incentive scheme, to incentivise business performance and their contribution.
• Pension Scheme: A non-contributory company pension scheme that can be boosted through personal contributions.
• Private Medical Insurance: Single cover as standard with options to increase cover to include your partner or children.
• Life Assurance: 4x your salary.
• Income Protection: 75% of salary, less state benefits, payable after 26 weeks of absence.
• Healthcare Cash Plan: Jersey employees only

In addition to our core benefits, we offer a range of flexible benefits to UK employees that you can choose from and pay for conveniently via a salary deduction. We create brighter financial futures for every generation. We do this by guiding our customers and their families through the complexity of planning for their financial future, responding to their rapidly evolving needs and giving them peace of mind. And, with all that's happening in the world today, our role in society has never been more meaningful. Our impressive talents and capabilities set us apart, but our unwavering commitment to our customers is what defines us. We truly believe that we have all the ingredients to be the very best in our industry, and we want great people with the care and creativity that we need, to help us get there. We are passionate about building an inclusive culture where everyone's contribution is valued, and our people can thrive. No matter what your role is or where you sit, your voice will matter.

We hope you like what you hear and are interested in learning more about joining us. We believe our workplace needs to work for you, so we offer an environment where you can balance a successful career with your commitments and interests outside of work. Some roles lend themselves to flexible options more than others, so our talent acquisition team are on hand to discuss your needs . click apply for full job details