Founding M&A Partner

Dilectus Workforce Solutions; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 320,000 - 700,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Faster path to partnership

Small company, big impact

Work-life balance

Job summary

Dilectus Workforce Solutions is seeking a Founding M&A Partner with 8+ years of dedicated tech M&A experience.

The role focuses on selling tech businesses to strategic acquirers, with 90% deal flow on sell-side transactions and 10% on buy-side or general corporate work. A top-tier AmLaw 20 background and strong drafting/negotiation skills are essential.

Qualifications

• 8+ years as a corporate associate specializing in M&A at a top-tier firm
• 6-10 years post JD in M&A
• Experience from an AmLaw 20 firm with top M&A practice
• Primarily tech sell-side M&A experience

Responsibilities

• Sell-side tech M&A (~90% of deal flow) involving strategic acquirers
• Occasional buy-side tech M&A and general corporate work (~10%)
• Lead M&A practice; run deals end-to-end under light supervision or independently for senior candidates
• Handle deals ranging from mid-market to $50M–$200M+ transactions

Skills

M&A experience

Tech M&A focus

Top law firm background

Deal execution

Large deals

Education

JD from a T30 school

Bar admission in good standing (US)

Job description

• 8+ years of experience as a corporate associate at a top-tier law firm specializing in M&A
• 6-10 years post JD of M&A experience
• Experience from a AmLaw 20 firm with top M&A practice
• Primarily tech sell-side M&A experience
• Deal sheet showing $50M+ transactions where they ran or co-ran the deal, not just supported

Education

• JD from a T30 school
• JD class year max 2015 (open to below, 8+ yoe)
• Any active US bar in good standing is accepted (doesn't need to be CA)
• Can independently draft and negotiate merger agreements, SPAs, APAs, LOIs, and term sheets

Why candidates should join

• Competitive Compensation: Our compensation system is designed for high earning potential. Our required annual billable hours are 1200 compared to 1950 at most firms.
• Faster Path to Partnership: Our reasonable rates make it easier to bring in clients. This helps you accelerate your career, take on more ownership, and become a partner faster than at larger firms.
• Small Company, Big Impact:Our legal team is rapidly growing. We're ranked 22nd in the US for venture deals by PitchBook. We're working with exciting startups and have an influx of pipeline coming, which is why we've grown our team from 5 to 35 and are looking to hire more!
• Work-Life Balance: We offer the same high-caliber work as big firms but with a more reasonable pace and workload. You can do great work, enjoy your quality of life, and have boundaries on holidays and weekends.
• We need a Founding M&A Partner with 8+ years of dedicated tech M&A experience. This person will run deals end-to-end under light partner supervision (or independently for the more senior end of the range). The firm currently handles M&A across its existing corporate team but wants to build out a dedicated M&A group
• Primary work: Sell-side tech M&A (~90% of deal flow). Selling tech companies to strategic acquirers (not PE-to-PE flips). Deal sizes range from mid-market to $50M–$200M+ transactions.
• Secondary work (~10%): Occasional buy-side tech M&A, general corporate overflow (ECVC work to fill gaps during slower M&A periods), and random non-tech transactions that cross the desk (PE deals, services businesses). The candidate should be comfortable doing general corporate work as a fill-in, but this is fundamentally an M&A seat.
• Partner, leads M&A practice) and potentially 1-2 other corporate partners.

Company name provided upon agreement for Dilectus Workforce Solutions representation.