Corporate Development, Integration and Transformation Lead

Axlerator is seeking a Corporate Development, Integration & Transformation Lead to drive and execute corporate development initiatives to support our long-term growth strategy. We are open to a range of titles and years of experience for this position as it is a small, yet growing team. Title and compensation will be commensurate with the knowledge and capabilities of the candidate. 

Reporting directly to the VP and Head of Corporate Development, this person:

• Will work closely with leaders across the organization to support M&A integration programs, optimization, and corporate structure efforts. 
• Has a desire to work in a cross-functional organization and has the ability to manage and lead through influence. 
• Has strong analytical and project management skills and will have a significant impact on understanding and growing our business.  
• Is passionate about continuous improvement in a fast-paced environment, constantly assessing the status quo, seeing opportunities for improvement, optimizing, and providing constructive solutions to simplify and accelerate current initiatives and processes.
• Has the talent to engage a wide range of senior stakeholders successfully and build credible relationships with the senior leadership team. You should have a bias for action and are very comfortable in ambiguity. 
• Has an inherent ability to synthesize disparate inputs into actionable frameworks, solutions and ultimate drive to results. 

Responsibilities:

• Establish effective working relationships and gain the trust of business and functional leaders
• Collaborate with senior leadership to shape cross-functional priorities focused on operational efficiencies, growth acceleration, and sustainability.
• Support corporate strategic growth planning efforts to assess capability gaps, strategic growth, document detailed outputs, and develop necessary presentations and/or report-outs to senior leadership
• Conduct market research to identify benchmarks and leading practices and utilize these practices to improve business operations 
• Lead the execution of Corporate Development processes as it relates to internal strategy, planning, operational efficiencies, and internal infrastructure, including M&A integration efforts, such as the development of integration vision and goals, identification of synergies, and designing future target operating models
• Pre-close, define integration strategy and mobilize integration program immediately post-close across business and relevant functions
• Manage the Integration Management Office, leading the communication, planning, and execution of an integration, driving overall accountability 
• Work closely with business/ functional leaders to define and execute their integration plans of people, process, technology, and culture, and ensure dependency alignment and address any gaps among teams 
• Run cadence of weekly meetings and executive briefings, preparing PowerPoint decks for executive reporting, including integrating analysis, performance against integration objectives, actions to address current risks and issues, and telling the story in a clear and effective manner
• Support development of IMO playbook and work with individual functions to develop and upgrade their playbooks
• Support the development and documentation of the formal playbook for future incubation and investment opportunities
• Lead, manage and coach junior members of the team; groom them for more responsibility

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business-related field, MBA or Masters preferred
• 5+ years of professional experience, with experience in Management Consulting or internal consulting / project management; M&A integration roles a plus 
• Demonstrated record of leadership and effective management in matrixed organizations
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot problems, resolve conflicts, and set direction
• Ability to make effective decisions by analyzing information and considering priorities
• Foster a collaborative and innovative culture, encouraging cross-functional collaboration to deliver on strategic initiatives
• Set performance goals and track team and individual progress toward achieving development and M&A milestones
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including finance, legal, and operations, to ensure seamless integration of acquired entities
• Compelling written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to construct and convey an executive level narrative describing M&A integration status and impact in realizing investment thesis Intuitive project management skills
• Persuasive interpersonal skills, as the role requires coordination of activities across the firm, and leadership through influence 
• Strong organization, program management, and analytical skills
• Strong ability to compile, analyze and present data, findings and progress in a concise manner
• Ability to think and pivot between strategic and tactical actions; persistent attention to detail, and ability to lead and flourish through ambiguity
• Confident leading meetings with executive stakeholders, making and influencing decisions, documenting progress, and resolving issues quickly and collaboratively
• Self-starter with an ownership mentality and a strong sense of drive and ability to work effectively and meet goals in a fast-paced dynamic environment
• Collaborative, team player with positive attitude and creative problem solving
• Must be a well-balanced leader who can roll up their sleeves and focus on the detail while also grasping and supporting the big picture
• Have the ability for occasional travel to events/conferences a few times per year
• PMP or similar certification not necessary, but the ability to view the program comprehensively, understand critical path and highest value activities is paramount 
• Preferred sector experience within the following preferred: Technology, Research, Healthcare, and Government Contracting