Senior Associate/Director, Disputes & Economics (Valuation and Transaction Disputes)

Ankura is a team of excellence founded on innovation and growth.

Role and Responsibilities

Ankura’s VTA practice is a diverse, tight-knit team of finance and accounting professionals. We currently have an opening for a qualified finance/accounting professional to join our VTA community as a senior associate or director based out of our Chicago office. We look for candidates with strong valuation experience, financial statement analysis, detailed fact finding and research, and technical GAAP accounting skills. The individual will have the opportunity to work collaboratively with our senior consulting professionals (and directly with our testifying experts on a regular basis) on engagements across a broad range of industries and subject matters.

Responsibilities include:

• Analyze historical financial information and cash flow projections

• Perform detailed GL and trial balance analyses and reconstruct books and records

• Research and analyze accounting and auditing standards, such as under GAAP, GAAS, and IFRS regarding technical accounting issues, including revenue recognition, fair value accounting, business combinations, and deferred tax assets and liabilities, among other issues

• Contribute to the development of comprehensive, detailed valuation and other financial models

• Provide detailed review and analysis of large volumes of document production

• Prepare clear, concise, and compelling written reports, memos, and presentations

Senior Associate or Director level will be determined through the interview process and the ideal candidate will be able to work a hybrid schedule in our Chicago Office.

We seek smart, driven people to join our team who have

• Strong intellectual curiosity and problem-solving skills

• Ability to synthesize complex unstructured information rapidly and develop compelling insights and analysis for expert reports prepared for litigation, arbitrations, restructurings, fraudulent transfer matters, tax controversies, transaction disputes, and other high stakes matters

• 3-7 years of experience at a:

  • Big-4 or other national public accounting firm or equivalent experience in audit, tax, or consulting, or

  • Leading expert services, global valuation, or economics consulting firm

• Strong aptitude for report writing, valuation assignments, and performing complex financial and accounting analyses

• Dedication to taking personal ownership of work product and consistently meeting internal and external client deadlines and high-performance expectations

• Excellent collaboration and proactive communication skills: ability to work with client, colleagues, and other stakeholders to define, influence, and drive complex analytical work

• Proficiency in Microsoft product suite (particularly Microsoft Word and Excel)

• Willingness to travel pending health and safety concerns

• Demonstrate the highest degree of professionalism, ethics, quality, and integrity

• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future

What you can expect from Ankura

• Competitive salary and benefits package

• Ankura offers on-the-job training and internal and external training opportunities to further develop your technical capabilities

• Dynamic career path

• Resources and empowerment to proactively shape your career

• Opportunities for high-achievers to participate in firm-sponsored career and practice development initiatives to advance their capabilities and careers

• Be prepared to expand your network of clients and contribute to business development efforts

Qualification Requirements

• Expert witness testimony exposure for complex valuation and solvency, forensic accounting, financial advisory, and tax controversy matters  

• Exposure to financial evaluation of various types of transactions and business arrangements, including mergers and acquisitions, contracts, financing arrangements, and joint ventures.

• Post-transaction disputes experience including determination of damages, analysis and calculation of pre- and post-transaction financial measures, application of U.S. GAAP including fair value and business combination accounting, and assessment of solvency and reasonably equivalent value

• Bachelor’s degree from a 4-year accredited public or private college or university

• MS or other advanced degree in accounting, finance, economics, or a related field is a plus

• Preferred Certified Public Accountant (CPA) (or progress towards a CPA with at least 1 exam passed and meeting the 150-credit hour requirement) and/or progress made towards obtaining the Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA), Accredited Business Valuation (ABV), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), or Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) professional certifications

Ankura is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against based on disability. Equal Employment Opportunity Posters, if you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening, submit an online application, or participate in an interview/assessment, please email [email protected] or call toll-free +1.312-583-2122. This email and phone number are created exclusively to assist disabled job seekers whose disability prevents them from being able to apply online. Only messages left for this purpose will be returned. Messages left for other purposes, such as following up on an application or technical issues unrelated to a disability, will not receive a response.