Founding Dealmaker, M&A, Partner Track

Clera; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Job summary

Clera in San Francisco, CA seeks an M&A-focused professional to lead live deals from mandate to closing, partnering with engineers to turn execution into scalable, automated workflows.

You will manage client relationships, provide strategic advice, and help hire and lead the initial deal execution team to build capacity as software accelerates throughput.

The role offers substantial equity and the opportunity to shape how investment banking services scale within a high-growth fintech setting.

Qualifications

• 1–4 years in finance, with 1–2 years as an M&A analyst or associate at a leading bank or advisory.
• Meaningful post-bank experience at a high-growth startup, growth equity, VC, or PE firm.
• Hands-on ownership of live M&A transactions and end-to-end execution.

Responsibilities

• Manage M&A deals from mandate through closing with process management and client advisory.
• Collaborate with engineers to define workflows for automation from live transactions.
• Build client relationships, exercise sound judgment, and scale involvement as software streamlines execution.
• Hire and lead the initial deal execution team to scale capacity.

Skills

M&A deals

Client advisory

Negotiation

Deal execution

Team leadership

Automation workflows

Job description

About the Role

Join an AI-focused financial services team building software to deliver investment banking services at scale. You will lead live M&A transactions while working with engineers to turn deal execution into repeatable, increasingly automated workflows.

What You'll Do

• Manage M&A deals from mandate through closing, including process management, client advice, negotiation, and execution details.

• Work with engineers to identify recurring manual tasks, define workflows for automation, and validate solutions on live transactions.

• Build client relationships, earn trust, make sound judgment calls, and take on more deals as software streamlines execution.

• Hire and lead the initial deal execution team, building capacity that can scale beyond headcount.

What We're Looking For

• Approximately 1 to 4 years of experience, including 1 to 2 years as an M&A analyst or associate at a leading investment bank or advisory firm.

• Meaningful subsequent experience at a high-growth startup, growth equity or venture capital firm, or small to mid-sized private equity fund.

• Hands-on ownership of live M&A transactions, including process management, client advisory, negotiation, and end-to-end execution.

• Experience translating recurring deal execution tasks into clear engineering requirements and assessing whether software solutions work.

• Commercial judgment, strong client-facing skills, and the ability to manage relationships independently.

Compensation & Benefits

The role includes substantial equity. A specific salary range and visa sponsorship policy were not provided.

Location

On-site in San Francisco, California.