Associate Director – Integration, Separation & Carve-Out

Socket.dev; United States; Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Socket.dev's Private Equity practice seeks an Associate Director to partner with PE clients on buy-and-build, carve-out, and divestiture theses. You will lead cross-functional teams, translate sponsor strategy into actionable plans, and manage complex integration programs through Day 1 readiness and beyond.

You will drive financial diligence, stand-alone cost models, TSA pricing, and separation activities while mentoring junior colleagues and contributing to business development.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in professional services or PE-backed M&A/integration leadership.
• Experience creating and reviewing standalone cost models for carve-outs.
• Hands-on TSA structuring, pricing, service levels, and exit planning.
• PE sponsor relationship management with CFOs, boards, and deal teams.
• Track record of large-scale transformation projects and cross-functional delivery.
• Mentoring and developing junior talent; leadership experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage integration engagements translating sponsor thesis into cross-functional plans.
• Build target operating models and re-engineer processes for post-close states.
• Drive Day 1 readiness and sponsor communications on progress.
• Lead separation, carve-out, and divestiture engagements end-to-end.
• Structure TSAs, negotiate pricing, and manage exit planning.
• Contribute to business development and mentor junior staff.

Skills

M&A integration leadership

Carve-out / divestiture expertise

PMO / program management

Talent development / mentoring

AI-enabled solutions adoption

PE sponsor relationship management

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business/Economics/Engineering/Finance

CPA or CA credential preferred

Job description

By joining our rapidly growing Private Equity practice, you will serve as a trusted partner to PE clients executing buy-and-build, carve-out, and divestiture investment theses.

You will bring first-hand experience, unique perspectives, and functional knowledge to deliver strategic and tactical integration, separation, and TSA support to PE sponsors and management teams.

As an Associate Director, you will be responsible for a mix of client delivery, team leadership, and developing junior team members. You will also participate in account management and business development activities.

What You’ll Do

Finance & Office of the CFO

• Own the Finance workstream on post-close integrations and separations — P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, and working capital through the full transaction lifecycle.
• Lead or support the preparation of standalone cost models
• Support management in drafting and pricing TSA-s and the related services (on the sell side) or performing diligence on such agreements (on the buy side

Integration work

• Lead complex integration engagements, translating the sponsor's thesis into a cross-functional plan covering every workstream.
• Build target operating models and re-engineer processes for post-close and NewCo operating states.
• Drive Day 1 integration readiness across functions.
• Own C-suite and sponsor communication on integration progress.
• Drive holistic IMO and program management.
• Contribute to developing and implementing firm-approved, AI-enabled solutions for clients, in accordance with company policies on data protection, intellectual property, and professional standards.
• Stay informed about emerging AI tools and techniques and collaborate with firm leadership to identify compliant opportunities to enhance client solutions and internal processes.

Separation and Carve-Out work

• Lead separation, carve-out, and divestiture engagements end-to-end, including the stand-up of NewCo entities.
• Run functional separation planning and entanglement analysis.
• Structure, negotiate, and manage TSAs and reverse TSAs, including scoping, pricing, service levels, and exit planning.
• Lead legal entity separation, IT and data separation, and employee and customer migrations.
• Stand up standalone operating capabilities for divested businesses.
• Manage stranded cost identification and remediation planning.
• Drive holistic program management and PMO; keep client leadership, deal teams, and third parties aligned through execution.

Internal / Business Development

• Build new client relationships, deepen existing ones, and support partners in go-to-market efforts and proposal creation.
• Play a key role in talent development, including mentoring and coaching junior team members.
• Attract, interview, hire, and retain top talent.

What You’ll Bring

• 7+ years of prior experience in professional services or in-house M&A/integration leadership at a PE-backed company.
• Experience in preparing and reviewing standalone cost models to support carve out transactions.
• Hands-on experience structuring and managing TSAs from inception — scoping, pricing, service levels, and exit planning.
• PE Sponsor relationship management presenting to and advising CFOs, boards, and deal teams.
• Track record of running large-scale transformation projects to completion.
• Direct experience across M&A integrations, carve-outs, and divestitures.
• Experience mentoring and developing junior talent.
• Comfort with AI: Demonstrated ability to responsibly explore and adopt firm-approved AI tools to enhance productivity and innovation.
• Continuous learning mindset: Openness to learning and applying emerging technologies, including AI and automation, in alignment with firm policies and client standards

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics, Engineering, Finance, Information Systems, or similar technical discipline.
• CPA or CA credential strongly preferred.
• Willingness to travel to client sites as needed — hybrid delivery model.