Head of M&A Technology Integration

Over the last 20 years, Ares' success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values - Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy - and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

Job Description

SUMMARY:

The Head of M&A Technology Integration is a senior leadership role within the Technology organization, responsible for owning and executing all technology integration activities related to mergers and acquisitions, as well as leading the firm's enterprise application rationalization and consolidation program.


This individual will serve as the accountable owner for Day 0 / Day 1 / Day 100 technology integration delivery, ensuring acquisitions are integrated rapidly, securely, and with minimal business disruption, while deliberately driving longer-term application consolidation, cost reduction, and architectural simplification.


The ideal candidate will bring experience in financial services technology, strong fluency across enterprise architecture and the applications landscape, and the ability to operate credibly with senior business leaders, functional technology heads, and external partners. This role also carries accountability for building and leading a high-performing global M&A Technology Integration team.

PRIMARY FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Vision & Enterprise Integration Leadership

• Own and articulate the enterprise M&A Technology Integration strategy, aligned with the firm's broader technology, application, and data strategy.

• Establish and enforce a clear set of guiding principles for acquisition integration, application rationalization, and future-state architecture to support scalable, cost-effective growth.

• Serve as the accountable executive for all technology aspects of M&A transactions, from diligence through post-close integration and stabilization.

• Define and lead a multi-year enterprise application rationalization roadmap, balancing speed of integration with deliberate consolidation and risk management.

M&A Integration Execution & Delivery

• Lead Day 0 / Day 1 / Day 100 technology due-diligence, integration planning, and execution for all acquisitions, including application and infrastructure integration, security alignment, and operating model transition.

• Orchestrate cross-functional execution across application teams, infrastructure, information security, data, and business stakeholders, ensuring clear ownership, sequencing, and risk management.

• Establish standardized integration playbooks, timelines, decision frameworks, and success metrics to improve speed, consistency, and outcomes across transactions.

• Provide clear executive-level visibility into integration progress, risks, trade-offs, and dependencies, escalating issues as needed to ensure timely resolution.

Enterprise Application Rationalization & Value Realization

• Own the enterprise application rationalization program, including application inventory, duplication analysis, target-state definition, and consolidation sequencing.

• Partner with functional technology leaders and the business to evaluate rationalization options, define consolidation approaches, and drive execution in prioritized waves.

• Quantify, track, and realize value from rationalization initiatives, including application count reduction, licensing and operating cost savings, and risk reduction.

• Partner closely with Integration Architecture leadership to define target-state application patterns, integration approaches, and architectural standards.

• Collaborate with Information Security, Infrastructure, and Data teams to ensure integrated platforms meet enterprise standards for resilience, scalability, and compliance.

Stakeholder Engagement & External Partnerships

• Act as a trusted advisor to senior business leaders, investment teams, and functional heads on technology integration strategy, trade-offs, and implications.

• Build strong, collaborative relationships with application owners, infrastructure and cyber security teams, and enterprise architecture to enable shared accountability and execution.

• Manage and direct consulting and systems integration partners, leveraging external capacity for analysis and execution while retaining internal ownership of strategy and decisions.

• Communicate complex integration and rationalization topics clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing M&A Technology Integration team with clear roles, responsibilities, and career paths.

• Foster a "player-coach" culture, providing hands-on leadership for complex integrations and critical decision points.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field.

Experience Required

• 12+ years of progressive technology leadership experience, with at least 5 years of experience within Financial Services, with demonstrated success operating in complex, regulated environments.

• Demonstrated experience leading multiple end-to-end technology integrations for mergers and acquisitions, spanning due diligence, Day 0 / Day 1 readiness, post-close stabilization, and longer-term platform consolidation.

• Experience leading and scaling technology teams, including managers and senior individual contributors, with accountability for hiring, performance management, and capability development.

• Proven track record of managing enterprise-level integration programs, including setting strategy, establishing governance, prioritizing initiatives, and driving measurable outcomes across multiple business units.

• Strong understanding of enterprise financial applications and workflows, including accounting, investment operations, portfolio management, data platforms, and adjacent corporate systems, sufficient to evaluate trade-offs and guide architectural decisions.

• Broad, working knowledge of enterprise infrastructure and integration architecture, including cloud platforms, identity and access management, data integration patterns, security controls, and resiliency considerations.

• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in highly matrixed organizations, influencing senior executives, functional technology leaders, and business stakeholders without direct authority.

• Proven experience managing external consulting and systems integration partners, including defining scope, setting outcomes, governing delivery, and ensuring accountability for results.

Skills & Attributes

• Enterprise technology leader with the ability to set direction, make complex trade-offs, and drive execution across multiple concurrent initiatives.

• Strong people leader with a demonstrated ability to build, mentor, and retain high-performing teams, foster accountability, and develop future leaders.

• Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business implications, risks, and decisions.

• Deeply analytical and structured thinker, capable of breaking down ambiguity, designing operating models, and driving simplification at scale.

• Comfortable serving as a decision-maker and escalation point in fast-moving M&A environments, balancing speed, risk, and long-term architectural integrity.

• Strong business acumen, with a clear understanding of how technology decisions impact financial outcomes, operational efficiency, and enterprise risk.

Reporting Relationships

Compensation

The anticipated base salary range for this position is listed below. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance-based bonus. Note, the range takes into account a broad spectrum of qualifications, including, but not limited to, years of relevant work experience, education, and other relevant qualifications specific to the role.

$300,000 - $350,000

The firm also offers robust Benefits offerings. Ares U.S. Core Benefits include Comprehensive Medical/Rx, Dental and Vision plans; 401(k) program with company match; Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA); Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSA) with company contribution; Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance; Long-Term Disability (LTD) and Short-Term Disability (STD) insurance; Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and Commuter Benefits plan for parking and transit.

Ares offers a number of additional benefits including access to a world-class medical advisory team, a mental health app that includes coaching, therapy and psychiatry, a mindfulness and wellbeing app, financial wellness benefit that includes access to a financial advisor, new parent leave, reproductive and adoption assistance, emergency backup care, matching gift program, education sponsorship program, and much more.

There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.