Senior Manager/Associate Partner - M&A - Tax & Deal Advisory

Senior Manager or Associate Partner - M&A (Tax & Deal Advisory) The role demands a technically exceptional advisor who is equally adept at managing complex, multi-workstream deal mandates and at building trusted, long-term relationships with PE sponsors, strategic acquirers, founders, and investment banks. The successful candidate will lead tax due diligence, deal structuring, SPA advisory, and post-deal integration engagements while also playing a material role in business development, practice growth, and team leadership. ROLE DETAILS : Detailed Job Description : Project & Engagement Management : - Scope and structure engagements rigorously from the outset defining the mandate, work plan, team composition, deliverable schedule, and fee structure; ensure alignment with client expectations and firm economics before engagement commencement - Manage concurrent deal mandates often across multiple live transactions simultaneously with disciplined prioritisation, clear delegation, and proactive risk management to ensure no engagement is compromised - Drive deal timelines actively maintaining pressure on internal teams and external advisors to meet deal milestones, flagging delays early, and re-planning where required to protect deal outcomes - Enforce quality control and risk management protocols across all deliverables conducting technical reviews, stress-testing advice positions, and escalating novel or high-risk issues to firm leadership appropriately - Manage engagement economics proactively including fee discussions, scope creep management, WIP tracking, billing, and client-level profitability ensuring the practice remains commercially healthy - Maintain deal documentation discipline ensuring matter files, advice trails, conflict checks, and engagement letters are current and in line with firm risk management protocols - Coordinate cross-functional deal teams acting as the orchestrating senior advisor across internal practice groups (TP, Indirect Tax, Regulatory, Employment Tax) and external advisors on integrated deal mandates Technical Advisory & Transaction Execution : - Lead buy-side and sell-side tax due diligence across domestic and cross-border transactions identifying, quantifying, and clearly communicating tax exposures, contingent liabilities, and structural risks to deal teams and investment committees - Design and advise on optimal deal structures share vs. asset acquisitions, slump sales, itemised transfers, demergers, NCLT merger schemes, and business transfers with a sharp focus on tax efficiency, regulatory compliance, and commercial workability - Advise on purchase price mechanics and SPA provisions including tax representations and warranties, indemnities, tax covenants, earn-out tax treatment, warranty and indemnity (W&I) insurance, and locked-box vs. completion accounts mechanisms - Provide comprehensive cross-border M&A advisory structuring inbound acquisitions, outbound investments, offshore holding structures, repatriation strategies, and exit tax planning across relevant treaty and FEMA / FDI frameworks - Advise PE sponsors and portfolio companies on exit structuring IPO readiness from a tax perspective, secondary PE sales, drag-along and tag-along mechanics, management buyouts, and rollover structures - Advise on indirect tax (GST / Stamp Duty) implications of deal structures, in coordination with the Indirect Tax practice; flag deal-critical indirect tax exposures in due diligence - Support clients on NCLT-driven restructurings mergers, demergers, amalgamations, and capital reductions including scheme drafting support, tax opinions, and regulatory filings strategy - Advise on Section 79 (change in shareholding), GAAR, Sections 50C, 56(2)(x) and other anti-avoidance provisions relevant to M&A transactions; provide practical, risk-calibrated positions - Provide technical opinions and memos on novel or complex M&A tax issues; oversee quality control across all deal deliverables to ensure Tier 1 standards of accuracy, clarity, and commercial utility Client Management : - Serve as the lead relationship partner for a portfolio of PE sponsors, strategic acquirers, and founder-led businesses owning client satisfaction, retention, and relationship expansion - Maintain high-frequency, proactive client engagement providing regulatory updates, market intelligence, and advisory touchpoints beyond active deal mandates to cement the firm as a trusted advisor - Anticipate client needs through a deep understanding of their portfolio, deal pipeline, and strategic priorities positioning the firm's advisory capabilities ahead of deal events - Manage complex, multi-party client situations including situations with conflicting stakeholder interests, tight deal timelines, or significant tax exposure with composure, sound judgment, and a solutions orientation - Coordinate effectively across deal advisors working alongside M&A legal counsel, investment banks, auditors, and regulatory advisors to ensure the firm's tax advice is integrated, actionable, and deal-enabling - Handle senior escalations and sensitive advisory issues with maturity including managing tax risk communications to investment committees, boards, and LP advisory committees Business Development & Client Origination : - Proactively identify and pursue BD opportunities including converting referrals from PE deal teams, investment banks, legal counsel, and management consultants into active mandates; expanding scope with existing deal clients into retainer or post-deal advisory - Build and maintain a personal network of deal origination relationships with PE fund deal teams, corp dev teams at strategic acquirers, CFOs, founders, M&A legal counsel (domestic and international), investment bankers, and boutique advisors - Lead pitches and RFP responses for M&A tax mandates including preparing pitch books, capability statements, deal credentials, and fee proposals that are commercially compelling and technically differentiated - Establish and grow the firm's brand in the Bengaluru M&A ecosystem through presence at PE/VC forums, M&A roundtables, sector-specific events, and university/campus engagements - Track M&A market activity (announced deals, sector trends, regulatory changes) and proactively communicate relevant insights to existing and prospective clients using market intelligence as a lever for client conversations and mandate origination - Collaborate with Partners across corporate tax, funds, indirect tax, and regulatory practices to originate and deliver integrated, cross-practice mandates on complex transactions - Contribute to firm-wide thought leadership authoring client alerts, deal commentary, sector-specific M&A tax guides, and speaking at industry forums to enhance the firm's deal advisory brand Post-Deal & Restructuring Advisory : - Advise on post-acquisition tax integration harmonisation of group tax positions, entity rationalisation, simplification of holding structures, and integration of acquired tax functions - Counsel clients on employee incentive structuring in M&A contexts ESOPs, phantom stock, Management Incentive Plans (MIPs), and their treatment in the context of acquisitions, exits, and accelerated vesting provisions - Support on transfer pricing implications of post-deal restructuring, intercompany arrangements, and revised group structures, in coordination with the Transfer Pricing practice - Advise on carved-out entity structuring, transition services agreements (TSAs), and regulatory filings associated with post-deal separations and integrations Knowledge Management : - Act as an internal domain authority, providing technical leadership on complex tax and regulatory matters. - Lead the development of thought leadership, including articles, publications, and knowledge pieces that strengthen the firms market presence. - Mentor Senior Managers and Managers, guiding them to build deep specializati