1. JOB PURPOSE

The Corporate Finance team within DCFG, organized in geographic areas, is in charge of two main areas of activities:

• Coordinating and executing AXA Group's mergers and acquisitions (M&A) projects, also including review of disposals, greenfield projects, long-term distribution agreements, internal restructurings, etc. 
• Coordinating the capital management activities which contribute to the delivery of €14bn cumulated remittance over 2021-2023. Cash generation has been defined as one of the key strategic priorities of the new Driving Progress 2023 plan

The Associate Corporate Finance, attached to an Area Manager, actively contributes to, and gradually takes the responsibility over the execution of M&A transactions and the monitoring of capital management activities, in liaison with the Group legal, financial and operational teams, as well as at times external consultants

2. DIMENSIONS

• An M&A transaction contributes to accelerating the transformation strategy of the group (for example, the IPO and subsequent sell-downs of AXA Equitable Holdings that generated total net proceeds of $11bn)
• M&A transaction stakeholders are very broad, incl. AXA internal teams (financial planning, legal, tax, operations, IT, etc.), and external consultants (financial, actuarial, tax, legal advisors, etc.). Project teams often surpass 25 individuals across various functions and in different countries

• Capital management activities contribute to optimizing the level of capital and remittance of a number of operating entities of AXA Group, including through reinsurance and in-force transactions, organizing the capital allocation meetings and discuss the performance and strategy of the entities in terms of capital management throughout the year

• Each Corporate Finance project is specific to the scenario at hand (i.e., acquisition, disposal, reinsurance, etc.) and has its own cultural and people dimension  

• Communication of recommendations to DCFG and AXA’s top management, and day-to-day interactions with the entities, including their top management

3. CONTEXT & MAJOR CHALLENGES

This position, often exposed to complex situations and tight deadlines, has the following key challenges: 

• Ability to quickly identify issues as they arise and solve them in an optimized manner 
• Ability to demonstrate leadership skills and build trust with both internal & external teams with their own sometimes competing priorities, to achieve the common objective
• Ability to deliver complex tasks with tight deadlines and to take initiatives
• Ability to handle high exposure on sensitive topics
• Ability to grasp the technical and structuring requirements of a transaction, including financial, valuation, and operational aspects 
• Ability to step back on business plans in a critical manner  
• Ability to understand AXA’s markets and competitor dynamics
• Ability to communicate effectively and influence 

4. KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

1. Financial & Strategic Analysis

• Analyze AXA operating entities and potential targets and their economic and competitive environment
• Preparation and review of business plans, financial analysis and valuation
• Evaluation of tactical considerations on transaction structure, and impacts for AXA Group
• Feasibility studies, analyses and implementation of structures to improve use of capital and balance sheet optimization

2. Project Management

• Organize the capital allocation meetings on a biannual basis
• Co-ordinate efforts of various internal stakeholders and external consultants on a given M&A or inforce project
• Participate in the drafting / negotiation of contractual documents

3.    Communication

• Explain the conclusions of the analysis to facilitate the decision-making process
• Draft summary documents adapted to top management 
• Explain objectives and constraints in order to achieve the desired outcome

5. MAIN COMPETENCIES

• Good quantitative and analytical skills
• Knowledge of corporate finance
• Knowledge of insurance as well as major concepts within actuarial science
• Knowledge in accounting, taxation, law and regulation
• Project management skills including the capability to handle several projects at once
• Team spirit 
• Ability to interact optimally with stakeholders of different seniority levels 
• Synthetic spirit and good communication and presentation skills
• Minimum 5 years of experience