Corporate Development Senior Analyst / Associate

Sylvan Group; Southfield (MI); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Sylvan Group is seeking a Corporate Development Senior Analyst/Associate to join its growth-focused team in Southfield, MI. The role spans M&A, capital markets, financing, and organic growth initiatives, offering exposure to senior leadership and strategic decision-making.

You will build complex financial models, analyze acquisitions, and support high-impact transactions from planning through execution. The ideal candidate brings 2–4 years of deal-oriented experience, strong Excel/PowerPoint,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Approximately 2–4 years of experience in a transaction-oriented environment; banking/PE/corp dev preferred.
• Hands-on financial modeling experience building analyses from scratch.
• Experience across M&A, leveraged finance, debt markets or similar.
• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint, creating presentations from scratch.
• Ability to take brief and deliver high-quality work with minimal direction.
• Strong multi-project management and prioritization.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management, including with senior leaders and sponsors.
• Experience leveraging AI tools to accelerate work while maintaining ownership.
• Entrepreneurial, generalist mindset open to broad responsibilities.
• Construction/MEP or multiple-location experience is helpful but not required.
• Michigan/Midwest ties and in-person work in Southfield HQ are preferred.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain financial models for acquisitions, financing and capital structure.
• Evaluate acquisitions and their impact on leverage and liquidity.
• Prepare lender/investor materials and support financing transactions.
• Support M&A execution from LOIs to data rooms and coordination.
• Analyze pipeline and market data to support growth initiatives.
• Contribute to presentations for Board, sponsors and lenders.

Skills

Financial modeling

M&A

Capital markets

Excel

PowerPoint

Communication

Project management

AI tools

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Corporate Development Senior Analyst / Associate

Sylvan is a premier AI-enabled construction services platform powering North American industries through a wide range of multi-trade capabilities. With expertise spanning data centers, energy, automotive, higher education, government, retail, commercial and industrial sectors, Sylvan provides advanced services from planning to project execution and ongoing service maintenance. By combining intelligent technology, expertise, and a commitment to safety and quality, Sylvan is dedicated to driving success for its clients and partners.

To support its next phase of growth, Sylvan has retained Townsend Search Group to identify a Corporate Development Senior Analyst / Associate to join its growing Corporate Development team. Reporting to the Corporate Development Manager, this individual will provide critical execution capacity across M&A, capital markets and financing, organic growth and other strategic initiatives.

The role is intentionally broader than a traditional corporate development position. Sylvan is simultaneously evaluating a robust pipeline of strategic acquisitions, optimizing its capital structure, pursuing organic growth opportunities and continuing to build the infrastructure required to support a rapidly scaling enterprise. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to participate in many of the major transactions and strategic decisions that shape the next chapter of the Company.

For an investment banking professional, the opportunity provides a chance to move from advising companies to helping build one – seeing firsthand how acquisitions, financing decisions and growth initiatives translate into operating results and long-term value creation. The role offers significant exposure to Sylvan’s senior leadership, financial sponsors, lenders, advisors, acquisition targets and customers, with increasing responsibility as the Corporate Development team continues to develop.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Financial Modeling, Capital Markets & M&A
  • Build and maintain financial models supporting acquisitions, financing activities, capital structure and other strategic initiatives, including debt schedules, covenant compliance, credit metrics, liquidity and sensitivities
  • Own financial analysis and acquisition models from initial historical assessment through valuation, financing analysis and post-close planning
  • Evaluate prospective acquisitions and their impact on Sylvan’s capital structure, leverage, liquidity and financial performance
  • Prepare lender-, investor- and senior management-facing materials and support execution of financing transactions alongside sponsors, arranging banks and third-party advisors
  • Support M&A execution, including indications of interest / letters of intent, diligence, data rooms, transaction materials and coordination with internal and external stakeholders
  • Monitor relevant public and private market activity and provide transaction, valuation and financing intelligence to Corporate Development and senior leadership
• Organic Growth & Other Strategic Initiatives
  • Partner with Corporate Development, sales, marketing and operating leadership on initiatives designed to accelerate organic growth
  • Analyze project, customer and pipeline data and develop market maps, opportunity screens and other analyses supporting new markets, customers and service lines
  • Support major customer pursuits and prequalification efforts through financial analysis, data gathering and development of presentation materials
  • Contribute to Board, sponsor, lender and leadership presentations and other strategic analyses
  • Take ownership of high-impact analytical and strategic projects as priorities evolve across the organisatio

Required Skills & Experience

To succeed in Sylvan’s high-growth, entrepreneurial environment, candidates will possess strong technical capabilities, intellectual curiosity, independence and interpersonal effectiveness. Ideal candidates will have:

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Approximately 2–4 years of experience, with a strong preference for investment banking or another rigorous transaction-oriented environment; private equity or corporate development experience considered where preceded by strong banking / capital markets training
• Demonstrated hands-on financial modeling experience, including the ability to build complex analyses from a blank workbook rather than simply populate existing templates
• Experience across M&A, leveraged finance, debt capital markets, restructuring or another technically rigorous transaction discipline
• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint capabilities, including experience developing presentations and financial materials from scratch
• Ability to take a short brief, determine the appropriate analytical approach and produce high-quality work with limited direction
• Strong project management skills and ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities across financial analysis, transactions and broader growth initiatives
• Strong communication skills and emotional intelligence, with the ability to work effectively with senior leadership, financial sponsors, lenders, advisors, customers and acquisition targets
• Demonstrated ability to leverage AI tools to improve the speed and quality of work while maintaining full ownership and accountability for the output
• Entrepreneurial, generalist mindset with a willingness to operate outside a narrowly defined lane
• Construction, MEP, multi-location services and/or percentage-of-completion accounting experience is helpful but not required
• Preference for candidates with Michigan / Midwestern ties and a desire to work in an in-person environment in the Company’s Southfield headquarters

About the Role

Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience and will include an attractive base salary, annual bonus opportunity, 401(k) + match and employer-sponsored health insurance.

The position offers a rare combination for an early-career finance professional: sophisticated transaction and capital markets experience, direct exposure to senior decision-makers and the opportunity to develop an operating perspective inside a rapidly growing company. As Sylvan, Inc. and its Corporate Development organization continue to scale, a high-performing individual will have the opportunity to take on greater ownership and advance with the organization