On the Road to Acquistions

I'm planning on leaving my current position in a Big 4 firm after realizing that an internal switch to a more RE transaction focused advisory role would take almost the same amount of time as finding a new job altogether (if not longer). Like everyone, acquisitions positions are my goal, but I understand that with a not stellar background, some intermediate positions would be required before making the jump. I've seen on here that investment sales, debt/equity placement, and financial analyst roles at larger CRE brokerage firms would be a good setup down the road and are good learning experiences in and of themselves. What are some other positions that would have me perform RE financial analysis?

Some background: Big 4 audit/core assurance experience (would never wish this upon my worst enemy), non-target (fairly respected in my metro area), shadowed/worked on a few deals with some alums in small to mid-level regional REPE/REIT shops