Corporate Development Senior Associate – M&A

About the role

We are a financial consulting firm founded by a non‑accountant entrepreneur challenging the status quo. We believe people can love their jobs, work hard, and enjoy life. Our mission is to provide peace of mind to corporate finance and business leaders. The Corporate Development team at Embark is a high‑impact, entrepreneurial function advancing the company’s growth through acquisitions and strategic investments. Reporting to the Head of Corporate Development, you will contribute across all phases of the deal process and apply your strategic and analytical skills to the identification, evaluation, and advancement of acquisition opportunities.

This role is open to candidates in Eastern or Central time zones; hybrid office policy if located near an Embark office.

Responsibilities

• Own financial modeling, valuation, and returns analysis
• Coordinate diligence workstreams across finance, legal, IT, compliance, and operations
• Support target identification and deal sourcing (market research, founder meetings, cold outreach), and maintain a detailed acquisition target database
• Conduct market, financial, and competitive research to identify opportunities that enhance long‑term enterprise value
• Coordinate cross‑functional workstreams and external advisors throughout the transaction process
• Draft letters of intent, investment committee memos, deal recommendations, and Board materials that clearly articulate rationale and impact
• Review quality of earnings findings and evaluate net working capital pegs, purchase price adjustments, and other closing mechanics
• Model deal structures including earnouts, seller notes, and rollover equity, and support negotiation of key economic terms
• Partner with business leaders to ensure successful integration and onboarding of acquired companies and achievement of investment objectives
• Support financing workstreams and prepare lender and sponsor reporting materials
• Support broader corporate development initiatives, including applying AI tools to pipeline screening, diligence review, and deal reporting

Qualifications

• Self‑starter with a strong work ethic who holds themselves and others to high standards
• Executive presence, comfortable in founder and owner conversations, and capable of building trust with management teams of closely held businesses
• Excellent communicator, able to distill complex concepts concisely in writing, speech, and presentations
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent; MBA or CFA welcome but not required
• Open to candidates in Eastern or Central time zones; hybrid office policy if located in proximity to an Embark office
• Travel: approximately 20%, primarily for management meetings, site visits, and post‑close integration
• 3 to 6 years of M&A experience at an investment bank, private equity