Senior Specialist, Business Development (M&A)

About the Role

This position supports the origination Business Development, evaluation, and execution of M&A, joint venture, partnership, and investment opportunities across the Trading and Downstream ecosystem. The role provides the analytical and commercial foundation for the Trading Business Development (M&A) function—including market scanning, opportunity screening, financial modeling, valuation, due diligence coordination, and preparation of decision-ready materials—ensuring opportunities are rigorously assessed against investment criteria, risk appetite, and portfolio strategy. Working within deal teams under the direction of senior team members, this role also contributes to the assessment of new organic and inorganic downstream growth opportunities across gas, refining, chemicals, fuels distribution, marketing, trading, and shipping.

Key Accountabilities

• Market Intelligence: Conduct market scanning and research to identify target companies, competitor movements, emerging business models, and shifts in global trading and downstream markets, and produce concise market intelligence reports.
• Opportunity Screening: Screen and assess opportunities against strategic fit, commercial merit, and investment thresholds, while maintaining opportunity data in the deal pipeline tracker.
• Market Economics: Analyze supply and demand dynamics, market economics, and margin drivers across gas, refining, chemicals, fuels, and trading to underpin commercial assumptions.
• Financial Modelling & Valuation: Build and maintain financial models and valuations (DCF, comparables, scenario and sensitivity analysis) and calculate return metrics (IRR, NPV, payback) for opportunities under evaluation.
• Business Case Development: Prepare business case components, including market analysis, value proposition, economics, risk assessment, and implementation considerations.
• Due Diligence Support: Coordinate data requests, data room and Q&A processes, track advisor deliverables, and summarize key due diligence findings, risks, and value drivers.
• Deal Execution Support: Support deal teams in commercial negotiations and M&A execution, including negotiation briefs, term sheet comparisons, and inputs to transaction documentation.
• Governance Materials: Prepare investment committee, executive and Board submission materials, briefing notes, and presentations, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and governance readiness.
• Stakeholder Coordination: Liaise with AGT, AT, DM&T Strategy, Finance & Investment, Legal, and Downstream Business Lines to gather inputs and align assumptions on assigned opportunities.
• Post-Deal Support: Support integration planning and track realized value against expected synergies for completed transactions.
• Business Plans & Budgets: Contribute inputs to the Division's business plan, annual budget, and deal pipeline objectives.
• Performance Management: Achieve agreed individual performance objectives in line with the Company Performance Management System.
• Reporting: Produce accurate and timely pipeline updates, deal status reports, and management reports.
• Policies, Processes & Standards: Apply and recommend improvements to M&A tools, templates, models, processes, and standards.
• HSE: Comply with HSE policies, applicable legislation, and the Company Code of Practice.
• Risk Management: Identify and report transaction risks in line with the Corporate Integrated Risk Management System, maintaining strict confidentiality and adherence to the Company Code of Conduct.
• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Support continuous improvement, including the use of data analytics and AI-enabled tools in screening and analysis.
• Knowledge Sharing: Share knowledge with and support the development of analysts and UAE National graduates.

Communication & Working Relationship

Internal: Work closely with the VP and Managers in Trading Business Development (M&A); coordinate with AGT, AT and other Trading entities, DM&T Strategy, Downstream Business Lines, Finance & Investment, Legal, Commercial, and Tax teams to gather inputs, align assumptions, and prepare materials for senior management and governance committees.

External: Interact with external advisors (legal, financial, technical, tax), consultants, and data providers as required, along with counterparties and potential partners in support of deal origination and execution.

Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge & Skills

Minimum Qualification:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field; a Master's degree is preferred.

Minimum Experience & Knowledge & Skills:

• 7–9 years' experience in M&A, corporate finance, investment banking, transaction advisory, strategy consulting, or business development, with direct involvement in transactions or investment evaluations.
• Experience in energy, Oil & Gas, downstream, or commodity trading is preferred.
• Exposure to structured finance, principal investing, and/or business development within a commodity trading house is highly relevant, including supporting the analysis of transaction and financing structures.
• Strong financial modeling (Excel) and valuation skills, with a working knowledge of due diligence and transaction processes.
• Excellent analytical, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to produce executive-ready materials.

Professional Certifications:

• CFA (or progress towards), ACA/ACCA, CPA, or a recognized financial modeling / M&A certification is preferred.

Core / Technical Skills:

• Market Economics, Supply and Demand (L3)
• Market Intelligence (L5)
• Opportunity Identification (L5)
• Deal Origination (L5)
• Deal Maturation (L5)
• Commercial Negotiations (Future Skill) (L5)
• Mergers and Acquisitions Execution (L5)
• Strategic Relations (L5)
• Stakeholder Management (L5)
• Sustainability Management (L3)
• Carbon Management (L3)
• Life Cycle Analysis (L3)
• Net Zero Strategy (L3)
• Climate Change Strategy Development and Updates (L3)