Investment Banking Associate

About the Role

Hilliard Advisors is a boutique investment banking and advisory firm seeking an experienced Associate to join our investment banking team. As an Associate you’ll be central to client relationships and to the structuring and execution of a full range of financial transactions including mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, divestitures and strategic advisory. You will build and own financial models, lead the preparation of client materials, help drive deal processes from pitch through close, and serve as a key point of contact for clients and internal deal teams alike.

This is a high-ownership seat on a lean deal team. You will work directly with senior leadership and clients, be expected to go beyond the numbers to think commercially.  You’ll be working with exceptional Founders who have built great companies and who need your help to navigate the capital markets.  We are looking for someone with elite execution instincts, exceptional attention to detail, and the analytical and quantitative firepower to produce client-ready work with minimal rework.

What You'll Do

•      Develop forecasting, budgeting, and corporate financial planning analyses, including operating metrics and KPI frameworks that frame strategic and financing decisions.

•      Build and own complex financial models - three-statement models, DCF, LBO, M&A accretion/dilution, and comparable company and precedent transaction analyses - and perform customized company valuation work.

•      Gather and synthesize financial and operating information on companies, industries, and markets, applying sound analytical and statistical reasoning to financial data sets.

•      Prepare and own client presentations, pitch materials, and transaction memoranda, producing output that is client-ready and tells a clear, well-supported story.

•      Help manage transaction processes end to end: coordinate diligence, work alongside tax advisors, attorneys, and other bankers, and support the negotiation of legal documentation.

•      Interact directly with client senior executives, maintain client communication, and present sections of materials in client and team meetings.

Required Experience

•      Wall Street experience (hard requirement): a minimum of 12 months to 2 years at a leading Wall Street firm e.g. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan, BofA, Citi, Evercore, Lazard, Moelis, or a comparable institution.  Boutique firms are also acceptable.  Please reference the specific firm(s) and group(s) in your application.

•      Financial modeling (hands-on): demonstrated experience building top down and bottoms up models.

•      Forecasting & planning: experience with forecasting; budgeting, and corporate financial planning (a plus).

•      Operating metrics & KPIs: demonstrated experience determining financial operating metrics and KPIs.

•      Statistics (a plus): comfort with regression, correlation, and distributions, and the ability to apply statistical reasoning to financial data sets.

•      Education: Bachelor's degree required, ideally in Finance, Economics, Accounting, Mathematics, Statistics, Business, or a related field. An MBA, CFA, or relevant graduate degree is an asset. FINRA licensing (e.g., Series 79/63) a plus, or willingness to obtain.

Technical Skills

•      Excel — expert level (required): fluency with VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, array formulas, data imports, Power Query, pivot tables, macros and Claude plugin. If you are not expert in these, please do not apply — candidates should expect a modeling test.

•      AI (required): AI is now a critical tool to leverage, experience and a willingness to embrace the latest technology balanced against never outsourcing critical thinking.

•      GAAP knowledge (required): comfortable reading and building models from audited financial statements.

•      PowerPoint & Word (proficient): able to produce client-ready output without rework.

•      Data visualization (a plus): skilled not just at gathering data but at presenting it — charts and exhibits should tell a story, not just display numbers.

•      SEC reporting (a plus): familiarity with 10-K, 10-Q, S-1, 8-K, Form 4, Rule 144, and proxy filings.

What We're Looking For

•      Exceptional work ethic, motivation, and attention to detail, with the commercial instinct to perform under pressure and against tight deadlines.

•      Strong analytical and numerical skills that put you at ease with financial data, paired with the ability to articulate complex ideas simply.

•      Excellent written and verbal communication and strong interpersonal and client skills.

•      A team orientation, high professional and ethical standards, and a track record of outstanding academic and professional achievement.

How to Apply

Please submit your resume along with a brief note referencing the specific Wall Street firm(s) where you gained your experience to [email protected]   Qualified candidates should expect a modeling test as part of the process.