HR (People) M&A Lead

CryptoproNetwork; Northern (KY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Payward is seeking an HR (People) M&A Lead to own the people side of the M&A process from diligence through integration. Reporting to the CPO, this high-velocity role demands fast judgments, data-driven risk assessment, and hands-on ownership.

The successful candidate will model compensation and equity, design retention plans, and coordinate with corp dev, legal, finance, and People leadership to drive post-close readiness and scalable playbooks for future deals.

Qualifications

• 8+ years across M&A people/HR diligence, integration, total rewards, or corp dev with hands-on ownership of people workstream on completed deals.
• Track record of running multi-diligence processes on tight timelines.
• Strong analytical depth in comp, equity, dilution, retention cost and integration spend.

Responsibilities

• Own the people workstream of Payward's M&A activity end to end, from diligence to close and integration.
• Build and own People DDQ including data requests, target questions, follow-ups, and workshops.
• Crunch high-volume data rooms using AI to compress review cycles.
• Translate findings into a short list of risk flags with recommendations.
• Lead drafting of people-side deal mechanics including comp, equity, retention, earn-out.

Skills

M&A diligence

HR integration

Analytical depth

Global deal experience

AI/automation

Executive communication

Confidentiality

Ambiguity handling

Job description

Building the Future of Open Finance

Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globally accessible financial infrastructure platforms in the industry, built to advance an open, global financial system.

Payward is hiring a HR (People) M&A Lead to own the people side of our M&A activity end to end — from first-pass diligence through close and integration. Reporting directly to our CPO, this is a high-pace, high-volume seat that needs someone who thrives on fast turnarounds and incomplete information. We're looking for an in-house operator with an analyst's mindset who can use AI to move fast through messy data rooms, but whose real edge is judgment — knowing what risks matter and when to deviate.

The opportunity

• Own the people's workstream of Payward's M&A activity end to end — from first-pass diligence through close and integration.
• Build and own People due diligence questionnaire (DDQ) including data requests and questions to the target, follow-ups and deeper-dive workshops.
• Crunch high-volume, low-structure data rooms — employment contracts, org data, comp and equity files, policies, claims history — using AI and automation to compress review cycles.
• Filter signal from noise: translate hundreds of findings into a short list of flags scored against Payward's risk tolerance, with a clear recommendation attached to each.
• Lead the drafting of the people-side deal mechanics: comp modelling, equity treatment, retention and earn-out structures, and deal‑specific considerations that hold up in negotiation with founders.
• Sit in the room with corp dev, legal, finance and People leadership — leverage SMEs and push recommendations upward, defending them with data.
• Act as People M&A program manager during integration after signing: support org design, levelling and comp harmonization, retention execution, and Day 1 people readiness.
• Turn each deal into reusable infrastructure and learnings — playbooks, DDQ templates, risk scoring, and automation that make the next deal faster.

What you bring

• 8+ years across M&A people/HR diligence, integration, total rewards, or corp dev — with hands‑on ownership of the people workstream on completed deals.
• A track record of running multi‑diligence processes in tandem, to a hard timeline: knowing what to prioritize or defer.
• Strong analytical depth — comfortable modelling comp, equity, dilution, retention cost and integration spend directly, not briefing someone else to do it.
• Global/cross‑border deal experience with multi‑jurisdiction and/or regulatory change of control employment considerations.
• Demonstrated use of AI and automation to review large document volumes, with judgement about where the model’s output can and cannot be trusted.
• Ability to make and communicate risk calls on incomplete information, and to state a position clearly to executive stakeholders.
• Credibility in founder‑facing negotiation conversations on comp, equity and retention structures.
• Rigorous confidentiality instincts and comfort operating on live, undisclosed transactions.
• High agency in ambiguity — deals move, scope shifts, and no one hands over a finished process.

Nice to haves

• Crypto, fintech or regulated financial services acquisition experience.
• Experience integrating founder‑led or early‑stage teams into a larger platform.
• Prior work building a diligence or integration playbook from scratch.

Unless a specific application deadline is stated in the job posting, applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Please note, applicants are permitted to redact or remove information on their resume that identifies age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.

We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment on our team, assessing candidates in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

Our commitment

Payward is powered by people from around the world and we celebrate the diverse talents, backgrounds, contributions, and unique perspectives that everyone brings to the table. We hire based on merit, seeking out people with the right abilities, knowledge, and skills for the job. We encourage you to apply for roles where you don't fully meet the listed requirements, especially if you're passionate or knowledgeable about crypto.

We may ask candidates to complete job‑related skills or work‑style assessments as part of our hiring process. These assessments evaluate competencies relevant to the role and are applied consistently across candidates for similar positions. Results are considered alongside experience and interviews, and are not the sole basis for any employment decision.

As an equal opportunity employer, we don't tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind, whether based on race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, citizenship, religion, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

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