Mergers and Acquisitions Director

Director, M&A Separations & Execution

If you're a seasoned M&A separation expert who thrives in complex, high-stakes transaction environments and loves turning strategy into operational reality, this is a rare opportunity to do meaningful work at the center of significant portfolio activity. You'll operate as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, drive cross-functional execution across global teams, and leave a lasting mark on how major business separations come to life — all within a dynamic, collaborative environment that values hands-on expertise and clear thinking under pressure.

• Start Date:** November 30, 2026
• Duration:** 6 months
• Location:** Onsite, Deerfield, IL
• Compensation:** Starting at $100/hr per hour (W2) plus benefits

Summary

The Director, M&A Separations & Execution is responsible for planning and executing complex divestitures, carve-outs, asset sales, and other portfolio transactions — from initial planning through Day 1 and into the post-close separation period. This role translates transaction strategy into practical, integrated operating plans across business operations and corporate functions.

Working alongside leaders in Strategy & Corporate Development, Finance, Legal, IT, HR, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Quality, Regulatory, Commercial, and other functional areas, this individual will help shape and run the Separation Management Office (SMO). The role involves working closely with business leads to identify critical separation requirements, define interim operating models, establish and manage Transition Service Agreements (TSAs), prepare the organization for Day 1, and drive progress toward the intended end state.

This is a hands-on individual contributor role with no direct reports, working directly with senior corporate development leadership. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable advising senior executives, facilitating cross-functional workshops with diverse stakeholders, interacting with third parties managing a transaction's master plan, and managing overall deal governance and deliverables.

Key Responsibilities

M&A Separation Strategy & Planning

• Lead operational separation planning for divestitures, carve-outs, asset sales, and other portfolio transactions from pre-sign through close and post-close.
• Translate transaction strategy and deal requirements into integrated separation plans, workstreams, milestones, dependencies, and decision points.
• Conduct operational carve-out assessments across business processes, technology, legal entities, people, regulatory requirements, manufacturing, supply chain, and commercial operations.
• Identify separation complexity, stranded-cost considerations, operational risks, and resource requirements early enough to inform transaction decisions.
• Establish governance, decision rights, issue escalation processes, and execution cadences appropriate to each transaction.

Sell-Side Transaction Execution

• Serve as an operational lead on sell-side M&A transactions, partnering with corporate development, functional leaders, external advisors, and transaction counterparties.
• Support operational diligence and buyer requests, including identification and resolution of separation dependencies.
• Translate deal terms and transaction assumptions into actionable operating requirements.
• Partner with Legal and Corporate Development on operational inputs to transaction documents, schedules, and separation agreements.
• Lead sign-to-close readiness and coordinate execution priorities across functional workstreams.

Day 1 & Separation Execution

• Develop and manage the overall SMO plan and deal timeline; oversee the development of functional separation plans by business teams covering signing, closing, Day 1, and the post-close transition.
• Establish Day 1 readiness criteria, lead cross-functional assessments, and resolve material gaps.
• Oversee development of functional cutover plans and coordinate activities required to maintain operational continuity at close.
• Monitor post-close execution and drive progress toward the defined end state.
• Create dashboards and executive reporting that clearly communicate progress, risks, dependencies, and decisions.

Transition Service Agreements (TSAs)

• Lead the operational development and implementation of TSAs required to enable a successful separation.
• Partner with functional owners and Legal to define TSA scope, service requirements, duration, service levels, costs, dependencies, and exit requirements.
• Establish TSA governance and performance monitoring following close.
• Build TSA exit plans from the outset, identify barriers to exit, and drive mitigation actions with accountable functional owners.
• Monitor TSA performance, costs, and exit milestones and escalate issues requiring senior-level decisions.

Interim & End-State Operating Models

• Design interim operating models that maintain business continuity following an asset sale, carve-out, or other separation.
• Define how critical processes, services, systems, resources, and decision rights will operate between Day 1 and the targeted end state.
• Determine with functional leaders which capabilities transfer, remain with the organization, operate temporarily through TSAs, or require alternative solutions.
• Develop transition roadmaps from the interim environment to a sustainable standalone or buyer-owned model.
• Pressure-test operating-model assumptions against timing, organizational capacity, cost, and execution risk.

Cross-Functional Leadership, Risk & Communication

• Lead complex separation work across functions without relying on formal reporting authority.
• Connect decisions and dependencies across workstreams and facilitate timely resolution of cross-functional issues.
• Maintain an integrated view of operational risks, decisions, and milestones and develop mitigation plans.
• Provide concise, decision-oriented updates to senior executives and transaction leadership.
• Translate complex operational issues into clear options, tradeoffs, and recommendations while remaining close to detailed execution.

Qualifications & Experience

Required

• Bachelor's degree in business, finance, engineering, operations, or a related field; an MBA or other advanced degree is preferred.
• Significant professional experience across M&A, Separation Management Office, transaction execution, business operations, transformation, or related disciplines.
• Approximately five or more years of direct carve-out, divestiture, separation, or related transaction execution experience, with meaningful responsibility for operational delivery.
• Demonstrated sell-side M&A experience, preferably involving complex businesses, carve-outs, or asset sales.
• Experience across multiple phases of the transaction lifecycle, including pre-sign planning, sign-to-close execution, Day 1 readiness, and post-close separation.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing detailed separation plans involving multiple business functions.
• Direct experience developing, implementing, and/or managing TSAs, including governance and exit planning.
• Experience designing or implementing interim operating models associated with asset sales, carve-outs, or other business separations.
• Strong operational background and the ability to understand impacts on processes, systems, people, supply chains, and business continuity.
• Experience operating effectively across global, matrixed organizations, jurisdictions, and time zones.
• Ability to lead complex cross-functional programs and influence senior stakeholders without formal authority.
• Strong financial, commercial, analytical, and problem-solving capabilities, with the ability to structure ambiguous situations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level communication.
• Demonstrated ability to work as a hands-on individual contributor and personally develop analyses, plans, executive materials, issue logs, and operating-model documentation.

Preferred

• Experience in medical devices, MedTech, healthcare, or another highly regulated global industry.
• Experience in a Big Four deal practice, strategy consulting firm, corporate development organization, private equity portfolio environment, or comparable transaction-intensive setting.
• Experience with transactions involving manufacturing, supply chain, regulated products, or complex international operations.
• Experience working directly with buyers, sellers, investment bankers, transaction counsel, and third-party advisors.

Core Capabilities

• Separation Management Office (SMO) leadership
• Carve-out and separation execution
• Sell-side M&A
• Operational due diligence
• Day 1 readiness and cutover
• TSA development, governance, and exit
• Interim operating-model design
• Cross-functional program leadership
• Operational risk management
• Executive communication and influence
• Global business operations
• Structured problem solving
• Hands-on execution

Please apply today!