Corporate Development Director

About the role

The Director, Global Corporate Development is expected to lead transactions with limited oversight, a senior individual contributor and deal leader within the GCD team, reporting to the VP Americas, Corporate Development. This role is comparable in scope and responsibility to a senior 'Vice President' or junior 'Director' level role in investment banking, with direct accountability for leading transactions end-to-end and shaping investment/deal recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Enterprise Understanding & Strategic Connectivity — Build deep fluency across Wolters Kluwer’s operating businesses and strategic priorities, and develop meaningful professional relationships across the Global Strategy group to drive alignment and effective collaboration on transactions.
• Deal Leadership & Execution — Lead assigned acquisition and divestiture processes end-to-end, with accountability for transaction strategy, timelines, and outcomes.
• Stakeholder & Relationship Development — Meaningfully engage divisional leadership, bankers, PE sponsors, and industry contacts to advance opportunities aligned with strategic priorities. Build and maintain trusted relationships with divisional GMs, SVPs, and functional leaders. Act as the day-to-day lead with target management teams, PE funds, and transaction advisors on selected deals.
• Investment Thesis & Decision Framing — Develop investment theses; frame key value drivers, risks, and trade-offs; prepare and present recommendations to senior executives.
• Financial & Operating Model Oversight — Direct the development and review of valuation and operating models (DCF, comps, accretion/dilution, multiple-case operating scenarios); challenge assumptions and ensure analytical rigor rather than acting as the primary model builder.
• Project Management & Governance — Lead complex, cross-functional deal processes; set workplans, manage dependencies, and resolve issues across internal teams and external advisors under compressed timelines.
• Due Diligence Leadership — Oversee financial, commercial, technical, and operational diligence; synthesize findings into clear implications for valuation, structure, and deal risk; serve as escalation point for key issues.
• Divestiture & Portfolio Actions — Lead divestiture processes including carve-out planning, self-diligence, and coordination with internal and external stakeholders.
• Team Development — Mentor and review work of members; raise analytical and execution standards across the group through coaching and feedback.

Qualifications For Success

• Experience: 9–12 years of experience across investment banking, private equity, or corporate development, with a strong record of leading M&A transactions.
• Software M&A Expertise: Significant experience across Software, AI, and SaaS M&A, with a deep understanding revenue models for subscription and usage-based businesses. Familiarity with negotiating key commercial deal points (e.g., valuation, price adjustments, restrictive covenants, reps and warranties) and reviewing disclosures against due diligence findings.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Mathematics, or a related field; MBA strongly preferred.
• Transaction Leadership: Must have demonstrated experience leading transactions end-to-end, including negotiation of valuation and commercial elements in definitive documentation, and leading development of investment memos (or equivalent).
• Financial Judgment: Ability to assess financial models critically and focus on key drivers, while ensuring mechanics are correct. Solid understanding of financial statements.
• Executive Presence: Proven ability to influence and advise senior executives; comfort operating in ambiguous, high-stakes decision environments.
• Communication: Exceptional written and verbal skills; able to synthesize complex information into concise executive materials. Ability to synthesize complex diligence findings into clear, decision-ready narratives.
• Organization: A preference for structure and standardization and an ability to project manage on compressed timelines.
• Intellectual Curiosity: Genuine interest in diverse businesses, emerging industries, and applied AI.
• Technical Skills: Advanced Excel (valuation and driver-based models), PowerPoint (executive-ready presentations) and Word capabilities. Proficient using research platforms (CapitalIQ, PitchBook) and managing data rooms.

Pay

$181,900.00 - $325,050.00 USD

This role is eligible for Bonus.

Career Path: Director

Compensation range listed is based on primary location of the position. Actual base salary offer is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skills, experience and actual hiring location.