Principal, Mergers & Acquisitions - Remote

Overview

This fixed-term (18 months) Principal, Mergers & Acquisitions role is a senior, hands-on transaction leadership position responsible for managing and executing near-term acquisition activity. Reporting to the Chief Strategy, Planning and Learning Officer, you will partner with executive leadership and cross-functional teams to lead financial evaluation, modeling, transaction planning, due diligence, structuring, negotiation, and closing of potential acquisitions, and, as needed, divestitures.

Responsibilities

• Partner with executive leadership to develop and execute the organization’s M&A and portfolio strategy.
• Identify, evaluate, and prioritize potential acquisitions, mergers, divestitures, strategic investments, and other corporate development opportunities.
• Assess strategic rationale, market attractiveness, competitive positioning, operational fit, and value-creation potential.
• Develop investment theses and recommendations for presentation to executive leadership and relevant Board committees.
• Maintain and prioritize a pipeline of potential transaction opportunities.
• As needed, evaluate potential divestitures, carve-outs, and other portfolio optimization opportunities.

Financial Analysis & Valuation

• Lead financial modeling and valuation for potential transactions, including DCF, comparable company, precedent transaction, accretion/dilution, and return analyses.
• Evaluate financial projections, business plans, capital requirements, synergies, and transaction economics.
• Build scenario and sensitivity analyses to identify key value drivers and risks.
• Assess financial, accounting, tax, and capital structure implications of proposed transactions.
• Establish valuation ranges, transaction thresholds, and financial return criteria.

Due Diligence

• Lead and coordinate comprehensive due diligence across financial, operational, commercial, legal, technology, HR, tax, and other areas.
• Establish diligence scope, workstreams, timelines, responsibilities, and decision criteria.
• Identify and quantify material transaction risks, liabilities, opportunities, and potential synergies.
• Coordinate internal functional leaders and external advisors throughout the diligence process.
• Synthesize findings and communicate implications and recommendations to executive leadership.

Deal Structuring & Negotiations

• Develop transaction structures and negotiation strategies to maximize value and mitigate risk.
• Lead or play a central role in negotiations with sellers, buyers, investors, management teams, advisors, and other stakeholders.
• Partner with Legal, Finance, Tax, and external advisors in negotiations of letters of intent, purchase agreements, transition agreements, and other transaction documents.
• Evaluate trade-offs across valuation, structure, representations and warranties, indemnification, earn-outs, working capital, and other transaction terms.
• Maintain deal momentum while protecting strategic and financial interests.
• Explore and propose optimal financing structures at the individual deal and portfolio level.

Transaction Closing & Execution

• Manage the end-to-end transaction process from initial evaluation and indication of interest through signing and closing.
• Develop and manage transaction workplans, timelines, decision points, and executive approvals.
• Coordinate internal stakeholders and external advisors, including investment bankers, attorneys, accountants, consultants, and financing partners.
• Prepare materials and recommendations for executive leadership, the Board of Directors, and other governance bodies as appropriate.
• Ensure transaction requirements, approvals, documentation, and closing conditions are completed accurately and on schedule.
• Translate transaction assumptions and identified synergies into actionable post-close plans.
• Monitor revenue, cost, operational, and strategic synergies against the approved investment case.
• Conduct post-transaction reviews to evaluate performance against the original deal thesis and capture lessons for future transactions.

Executive & Stakeholder Leadership

• Serve as a trusted M&A advisor to executive leadership.
• Present transaction opportunities, analyses, risks, and recommendations in a concise, decision-oriented manner.
• Build effective relationships across Finance, Operations, Legal, Tax, HR, IT, Sales, and other functional areas.
• Effectively challenge assumptions while building alignment among stakeholders with differing priorities.
• Represent the organization professionally and credibly with acquisition targets, investors, advisors, and other external parties.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, or a related discipline, or an equivalent level of work experience.
• Significant experience in progressively senior roles focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate development, investment banking, private equity, transaction advisory, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience executing transactions across multiple stages of the M&A lifecycle.
• Experience leading financial analysis, valuation, due diligence, deal structuring, and negotiations.
• Advanced financial modeling, valuation, and analytical capabilities.
• Strong understanding of financial statements, corporate finance, transaction structures, and deal economics.
• Strong commercial and strategic judgment with the ability to connect financial analysis to business strategy.
• Demonstrated negotiation and influencing skills.
• Experience managing complex cross-functional projects involving senior executives and external advisors.
• Strong project and transaction management capabilities.
• Executive-level written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to synthesize large amounts of complex information into clear recommendations.
• Exceptional strategic thinking, judgment, and problem-solving skills, with maturity and flexibility working with internal and external stakeholders across disciplines.
• Ability to thrive in an environment valuing transparency, accountability, collaboration, and results.
• Intellectual curiosity and ongoing interest in learning and professional growth.
• Strong alignment with the organization’s mission and values.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or equivalent level of experience.
• Senior leadership experience across private, nonprofit, or social enterprise sectors.
• Experience with post-merger integration strongly preferred.
• Experience in education or workforce development.

Compensation & Benefits

• US compensation: $150K USD - $185K USD
• Work-life balance support including remote work flexibility, time-off, and wellness programs.
• Comprehensive benefits and rewards/recognition for contributions.
• Professional growth and development opportunities.

Location

Remote - US

Travel and in-person collaboration may be required based on business and transaction needs.