Principal, Mergers & Acquisitions

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Collaborate with executive leadership to create and implement WES's M&A and portfolio strategy.

• Identify, assess, and prioritize opportunities for acquisitions, mergers, divestitures, strategic investments, and other corporate development initiatives.

• Evaluate the strategic rationale, market appeal, competitive positioning, operational compatibility, and potential for value creation.

• Formulate investment theses and present recommendations to executive leadership and Board committees.

• Manage and prioritize a pipeline of transaction opportunities.

• Oversee financial modeling and valuation, employing DCF, comparable company, precedent transaction, accretion/dilution, and return analyses.

• Analyze projections, business plans, capital needs, synergies, and transaction economics.

• Create scenario and sensitivity analyses.

• Evaluate financial, accounting, tax, and capital structure implications.

• Lead and coordinate thorough financial, operational, commercial, legal, technology, HR, tax, and other due diligence activities.

• Define diligence scope, workstreams, timelines, responsibilities, and decision criteria.

• Identify and assess transaction risks, liabilities, opportunities, and synergies.

• Liaise with internal functional leaders and external advisors.

• Design transaction structures and strategies for negotiation.

• Play a pivotal role in negotiations with sellers, buyers, investors, management teams, advisors, and other stakeholders.

• Negotiate letters of intent, purchase agreements, transition agreements, and other transaction documentation.

• Oversee the complete transaction process from initial assessment to signing and closing.

• Develop and maintain transaction workplans, timelines, decision points, and executive approvals.

• Coordinate with investment bankers, attorneys, accountants, consultants, and financing partners.

• Prepare materials and recommendations for executive leadership, the Board of Directors, and governance committees.

• Ensure that transaction requirements, approvals, documentation, and closing conditions are fulfilled accurately and on time.

• Convert transaction assumptions and synergies into actionable plans post-close.

• Monitor revenue, cost, operational, and strategic synergies against the sanctioned investment case.

• Conduct reviews following transactions and gather insights for future endeavors.

• Act as a trusted M&A advisor to executive leadership.

• Present transaction opportunities, analyses, risks, and recommendations.

• Foster relationships across Finance, Operations, Legal, Tax, HR, IT, Sales, and other departments.

• Represent WES with acquisition targets, investors, advisors, and other external stakeholders.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, or a related field, or an equivalent level of work experience.

• Extensive experience in progressively senior roles focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate development, investment banking, private equity, transaction advisory, or a comparable domain.

• Proven experience executing transactions throughout various stages of the M&A lifecycle.

• Experience in leading financial analysis, valuation, due diligence, deal structuring, and negotiations.

• Advanced skills in financial modeling, valuation, and analytical assessment.

• Strong comprehension of financial statements, corporate finance, transaction frameworks, and deal economics.

• Excellent commercial and strategic judgement.

• Demonstrated negotiation and influence capabilities.

• Experience managing intricate cross-functional projects involving senior executives and external advisors.

• Strong project and transaction management skills.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication and presentation skills suitable for executive-level interactions.

• Ability to distill complex information into clear and actionable recommendations.

• Outstanding strategic thinking, judgement, and problem-solving abilities.

• Capacity to collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders across various disciplines.

• Ability to thrive in a transparent, accountable, collaborative, and results-driven environment.

• Intellectual curiosity and openness to diverse perspectives and ideas.

• Strong alignment with WES's mission and values.

• MBA or equivalent level of experience is preferred.

• Senior leadership experience in private, nonprofit, or social enterprise sectors is desired.

• Experience with post-merger integration is strongly preferred.

• Background in education or workforce development is desired.

🏝️ Benefits

• Flexibility for remote work.

• Comprehensive time-off programs.

• Wellness initiatives.

• Competitive salary and compensation packages.

• Extensive benefits offerings.

• Opportunities for learning and growth.

• Pathways for personal and professional development.

• Employee recognition programs.

• Inclusive and collaborative workplace culture.

• Support for reasonable accommodations.