Head of Strategic Transactions

This is a Head of Strategic Transactions role with TAL Australia based in Sydney, NSW, AU == TAL Australia == Role Seniority - senior More about the Head of Strategic Transactions role at TAL Australia Company Description Shape the future of insurance with innovative ideas and technologies that improve the lives of millions of Australians Take advantage of well-being initiatives designed to support your mental and physical health, ensuring a balanced lifestyle Take your career further than you ever imagined with diverse roles and opportunities for personal and professional development Welcome to TAL. As a leading life insurer, we’ve been protecting Australians for over 150 years. Backed by Daiichi Life, we're driven by big ambitions and empower to create better products and services. Together with our Partners, we’re helping millions of Australians live a life filled with choices, options, and freedoms. See the direct impact you make delivering support and financial security with care and expertise. Grow beyond expectations with diverse roles, global connections, and exclusive learning opportunities. Work with passionate, bright and capable colleagues. Feel inspired by supportive leaders. Collaborate with heart, where flexibility, wellbeing and inclusivity is valued. Together, we're reimagining insurance. So, bring a curious mind and an ambition to help us become the progressive, digitally enabled leading insurer. Job Description Reporting to the Chief Actuary, you will lead the team across all stages of a transaction’s lifecycle, working closely with internal functional partners, business group leaders, counterparties and external advisers. You will oversee the end‑to‑end financial due diligence process, including directing modelling, valuation and analysis completed by junior team members, and ensuring robust, high‑quality outputs that support sound decision‑making. Partnering with operational teams, you will lead transaction execution and due diligence activities to validate the business case, identify key risks and issues, and clearly articulate areas of uncertainty, potential outcomes and risk exposure. You will work collaboratively with the business and deal team to develop and implement appropriate mitigation strategies, ensuring transaction structuring and documentation remain aligned to the commercial rationale. You will also prepare clear, succinct materials for senior management, the Board and shareholders, including presentation packs and bid documentation, translating complex analysis into practical insights and implications. In this role you will: Build, mentor and develop a small team of high-performing professionals Originate value enhancing strategies, and ideas, document, syndicate, gain approval and execute. Develop financial metrics and risks for inorganic acquisition opportunities, divestiture opportunities or general commercial initiatives Lead the end-to-end M&A process, including target identification, strategic rationale development, financial modelling, due diligence, deal structuring, negotiation, and post-merger integration oversight Prepare Board papers, investment committee submissions, and executive briefings to support transaction decision-making. Manage relationships with external advisers, including investment banks, legal counsel, accountants, and actuarial consultants. Qualifications Strong Knowledge of Life Insurance financial metrics and Capital requirements and a knowledge of the Australian regulatory environment, including APRA, ASIC, ACCC, and FIRB. A proven track record of leading of junior professionals throughout the end-to-end execution of a transaction Deep understanding of valuation methodologies, financial modelling, deal structuring, and negotiation. Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage credibly with C-suite executives, regulators, and external advisers and a strong ability to communicate and to articulate complex concepts Strong commercial judgement and the ability to balance strategic ambition with disciplined risk management Additional Information TAL is one of Australia’s leading life insurers, committed to inclusion, and supporting the career growth of our diverse workforce. We’re proud to be: An Inclusive Employer – Recognised as Employer of Choice for Gender Equality by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency and Bronze Tier Status within the Australian Workplace Equality Index Diversity Champions – Member of Diversity Council Australia, Australian Disability Networ