Corporate Finance Manager

The Corporate Finance Manager is the first rung where a transaction has a single accountable owner below the function head. You lead execution: the timetable, the advisors, the diligence scope, the valuation position taken to committee and the documentation that follows it.

The mandate usually extends beyond M&A. In most Singapore groups the same seat supports funding — refinancing, facility negotiation and covenant modelling — and contributes to investor reporting where the group is listed. That breadth is what distinguishes a corporate manager from a banking counterpart of the same age.

Success at this rung is measured in judgement calls that hold. Did the valuation survive diligence? Did the synergy case have named owners and did they deliver? Was the structure defensible to tax, legal and the auditors twelve months later?

Where this sits: the manager rung of the Corporate Finance pathway, above Senior Corporate Finance Analyst and alongside Corporate Development Manager. Adjacent manager seats are Finance Manager in the Accounting pathway and Treasury Manager in the Treasury pathway.

• Lead transaction execution end to end: timetable, workstreams, advisors and internal stakeholders.
• Own the valuation position and sign off the model taken to the investment committee or board.
• Set the due diligence scope, appoint and manage advisors, and translate findings into price or structure changes.
• Negotiate commercial terms alongside legal counsel — price mechanism, warranties, earn-outs and completion accounts.
• Model funding options and support refinancing, facility negotiation and covenant headroom analysis.
• Coordinate deal accounting, purchase price allocation and disclosure with reporting and tax colleagues.
• Lead integration planning handover and hold the synergy case to named owners after completion.
• Manage and develop analysts, and set the modelling and paper standards for the team.

• A degree in accountancy, finance or economics with CFA, CA (Singapore) or ACCA completed.
• Six to nine years of experience spanning transaction services, corporate development or in-house corporate finance.
• Multiple completed transactions with clear personal ownership of at least one execution.
• Working knowledge of deal accounting, purchase price allocation and disclosure requirements.
• Experience presenting to a CFO, investment committee or board, and defending a valuation under challenge.
• Exposure to regional structures — joint ventures, minority stakes and cross-border acquisitions.

• Own an execution, not a workstream. Describe the timetable, the advisors and the decisions you made under time pressure.
• Bring a valuation you defended. Explain the challenge you received and what you conceded or held.
• Show a deal you stopped. Discipline is a stronger manager signal than completion count.
• Be fluent on structure. Locked box versus completion accounts, earn-outs and warranty cover come up early.
• Ask about the mandate. Whether the team originates or executes what the business brings defines the seat.