Mergers and Acquisitions Director

The Industrial Mergers and Acquisitions Director for the confidential job search in Kansas City, MO, is responsible for originating, evaluating, and executing inorganic growth opportunities, from early-stage outreach and analysis through diligence, negotiation support, and close. This role partners closely with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to develop investment theses, lead workstreams, and translate findings into clear recommendations and decision-ready materials.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end evaluation of potential acquisitions and strategic partnerships, including business quality assessment, risk identification, and value drivers.
• Build investment theses and decision materials (models, scenarios, operating plans, synergy estimates, and funding options) for executive and board-level review.
• Own quantitative and qualitative diligence across financial, commercial, operational, and technical workstreams; synthesize findings into clear recommendations.
• Coordinate cross-functional diligence and integration planning with internal stakeholders (e.g., finance, people, technology, sales) and external advisors (e.g., legal, tax, accounting, insurance).
• Manage the transaction lifecycle from initial outreach through close, including outreach strategy, diligence management, negotiation support, deal structuring, and integration handoff.
• Conduct market and competitive research to identify attractive segments, targets, and partnership opportunities aligned to the company’s growth strategy.
• Create project plans, timelines, and governance routines; track deliverables and remove blockers to keep workstreams on schedule.
• Maintain a steady cadence of outreach and follow-up to build and sustain a robust pipeline of potential opportunities.
• Establish and manage a disciplined pipeline process (prioritization, stage gates, documentation, and weekly status reporting) to ensure consistent progress across opportunities.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for target stakeholders and intermediaries, ensuring timely communication and clear expectations throughout the process.
• Represent the organization in external forums and networking settings to develop relationships and source potential transactions.
• Build long-term rapport with prospective partners and leadership teams to position the organization as a trusted, value-added buyer/partner.
• Prepare concise memos and presentations summarizing opportunity rationale, diligence findings, economics, and proposed terms for internal and external stakeholders.
• Support periodic reporting and updates to senior leadership and governance bodies regarding pipeline activity, transaction status, and key risks/decisions.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience executing mergers and acquisitions or strategic investments, with exposure to multiple stages of a transaction.
• Advanced financial analysis and modeling skills gained in corporate development, investment banking, private capital, or transaction advisory roles.
• Experience in sourcing opportunities, relationship development, or business development is beneficial.
• Prior work in a multi-site, multi-product, or services environment is helpful, but not required.
• Familiarity with buy-and-build or platform expansion strategies is a plus.
• Proven ability to partner with senior leaders and collaborate effectively across functions and geographies.
• Strong prioritization skills with a record of moving complex initiatives forward amid competing deadlines.

Required Skills

• Executive-level communication skills with the ability to influence, build credibility, and navigate diverse stakeholder groups.
• Highly organized, structured thinker who communicates clearly and closes loops with consistent follow-through.
• Dependable project owner who sets milestones, meets deadlines, and maintains quality under pressure.
• Strong analytical toolkit and comfort working in spreadsheets and presentation software to communicate complex ideas simply.
• Collaborative, low-ego teammate who is proactive, resourceful, and oriented toward solutions.
• Strong ownership mindset with a bias for action and continuous improvement; consistently drives work from concept to completion.
• Strategic problem-solver who can define objectives, align stakeholders, and translate strategy into executable plans.
• Skilled at building trust with internal partners, advisors, intermediaries, and prospective counterparties.
• High integrity and sound judgment; handles sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity with limited oversight; adapts quickly and independently structures work.
• Self-directed, able to manage multiple concurrent initiatives, balance priorities, and keep stakeholders aligned.

Preferred Skills

• Experience in sourcing opportunities, relationship development, or business development is beneficial.
• Prior work in a multi-site, multi-product, or services environment is helpful, but not required.
• Familiarity with buy-and-build or platform expansion strategies is a plus.