Sr Director - Corporate Development

New

34 U.S. statesFull-TimeDirector

Salary195000 - 362000 USD per year

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Job Details

Experience: 12+ years

Requirements

12+ years in corporate development, investment banking, management consulting, or private equity with a consistent track record of leading and evaluating end-to-end transactions and deep exposure to technology and innovation ecosystems.
Strong strategic vision and business acumen with an understanding of key business drivers and the ability to connect M&A and investment opportunities to product and long-term market trends, translating insights into actionable strategies.
Significant experience in managing people and leading cross-functional teams to execute all aspects of a deal, from idea generation to due diligence and negotiations, with strong negotiation experience and a reputation for closing complex, high-value deals.
Exceptional analytical, financial modeling, valuation and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate analysis into clear recommendations.
Executive presence and communication skills with experience influencing and presenting to GMs, product leaders, C-suite and Board level executives on product strategy, go-to-market decisions, and long-range planning in addition to M&A execution.
Familiarity with marketplaces, AI or HR/labor tech strongly preferred.
Excellent judgement with the ability to think creatively and conceptually, while thriving in a highly dynamic, fast-paced environment.
Exceptional strategic thinking and executive communication skills, with the ability to influence across all levels of an organization.
A bias for action, growth mindset, and ability to navigate ambiguity and complexity with clarity and purpose.

Responsibilities

Lead End-to-End M&A and Investments Execution: Support Upwork’s growth strategy through identification, assessment and execution of potential mergers, acquisitions, investments, and joint ventures including sourcing, valuation, due diligence, commercial and legal document negotiations, and post-merger integration.
Financial Modeling & Business Case Development: Build and oversee detailed evaluation exercises (Build/Buy/Partner), valuation models, ROI frameworks, and scenario analyses to evaluate deal economics and to prepare acquisition and investment business cases.
Executive & Board Engagement: Translate complex market insights into actionable recommendations and prepare investment / M&A memos and presentations for leadership and the Board of Directors to secure buy-in on major initiatives.
Integration Leadership: Drive post-deal integration in partnership with cross-functional leaders to maximize value capture and ensure acquired capabilities are successfully scaled within Upwork’s platform by setting KPIs and milestones to measure integration success and drive value realization.
Competitive & Market Intelligence: Partner with Corporate Strategy team to build and advance a disciplined approach to market, competitive, and ecosystem intelligence to identify white spaces, disruptive trends, emerging opportunities and prospective companies to partner with, invest in or acquire.
Team Leadership & Development: Provide strategic direction and mentorship to a high-performing Corporate Development team, driving a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning. Oversee workload prioritization, professional growth, and performance management to ensure the team consistently delivers at the highest standard across all phases of M&A and investment execution.
Ecosystem Relationships: Cultivate relationships with bankers, VCs, advisors, and entrepreneurs to ensure strong deal and information flow.

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