Managing Director, M&A Advisory

Embarc Advisors; Chicago (IL); Remote; USD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with employer match

Medical, dental, and vision

Unlimited vacation

Short-term disability insurance

Team offsites

Job summary

Embarc Advisors is a fast-growing lower-middle-market advisory firm seeking a Managing Director, M&A Advisory to lead origination and advisory engagements from a strong regional network. The role emphasizes relationship-building with business owners, executives, and investors, while collaborating with execution professionals to deliver high-impact outcomes.

You will originate and advise across sell-side and buy-side M&A, capital raises, and related advisory services, leveraging an institutional

Qualifications

• Proven ability to originate and close engagements.
• Strong industry credibility in a defined vertical.
• Established regional/national network.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain senior-level relationships with owners and executives.
• Originate advisory opportunities across sell-side/buy-side M&A, debt, growth equity, and CFO services.
• Serve as trusted advisor to owners through lifecycle stages.
• Lead business development and client strategy with execution teams.
• Represent Embarc in industry and regional markets.

Skills

Relationship-building

Business development

Industry expertise

Networking

Job description

About the Job

Embarc Advisors is disrupting M&A advisory with an hourly-based fee model, moving faster for clients, and changing what advisors can expect from a platform built to help you accelerate and expand your own practice. Our services span sell-side and buy-side M&A, capital raising, quality of earnings, and outsourced/fractional CFO services. We focus exclusively on lower-middle-market clients across the full ownership lifecycle.

Embarc has grown nearly 3x over the past three years, earning three-time recognition on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies and a Top 20 ranking among investment banks by Axial. This recognition reflects our focus on outcomes, pace, and our ability to attract senior, blue-chip talent committed to best-in-class client delivery. Our work has been featured in Fortune, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal.

Every Managing Director is backed by a ~20-person, full-time, US-based execution team, so you can focus on origination and client relationships instead of staffing and delivery.

You will bring and expand your own senior-level relationships, originate engagements across M&A, capital raises, and advisory services, and partner with Embarc's execution professionals to ensure every engagement is delivered with the highest quality and impact. If you thrive in a high-performance culture and want a platform that lets you monetize an established book of business and network, this is the right role for you.

About Embarc Advisors

Embarc Advisors was founded to break the mold of traditional finance careers - built by a former Goldman Sachs banker and McKinsey consultant who saw a better way to do this work. We're one of the fastest-growing firms in our space, with revenue up nearly 3x over the past three years and multiple repeated rankings on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies. We're scaling fast, and we're doing it without sacrificing the culture that got us here.

We deliver best-in-class advisory work across M&A, capital raising, outsourced corporate development, and strategic CFO services--partnering with lower-middle-market companies at every stage of their growth journey, from first capital raise to exit.

We run like an elite team, not a traditional firm: trust-based, purpose-driven, and relentless about getting better; Kaizen isn't a poster on the wall here, it's how we operate. EOS gives us the structure and accountability to move fast without losing alignment, and it's exactly what lets us attract driven professionals and serious clients alike.

Embarc Intro Deck here: https://docsend.com/view/bej7d89ncu2mma4m

Role Overview

Job Type: Full time

Position Location: Remote

Managing Director, M&A Advisory

Embarc Advisors is seeking an accomplished investment banker or business broker with deep sector expertise and an established regional network to help lead our next phase of growth.

This role is designed for a proven relationship-builder who wants to spend more time originating and advising-and less time managing thinly staffed execution teams. You will bring trusted client relationships and market credibility; Embarc will provide the platform, talent, and capabilities to help you turn those relationships into a broader and more durable book of business.

You may, for example, be an industrials banker with deep relationships in Chicago or a home-services advisor with an established network in Dallas–Fort Worth. The specific market can vary; what matters is genuine industry credibility and a strong local or regional presence.

Detailed Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain senior-level relationships with business owners, executives, investors, lenders, attorneys, and other referral partners.
• Originate advisory opportunities across sell-side M&A, buy-side M&A, acquisition debt, growth equity, fractional CFO services, and quality of earnings.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to owners well before they are ready to sell, identifying the right solution for each stage of their business.
• Lead business development and client strategy while partnering with Embarc's execution professionals to deliver exceptional work.
• Represent Embarc in your industry and region through direct outreach, events, thought leadership, and relationship-driven marketing.

Why Embarc

• A broader advisory platform. Traditional bankers and brokers often have only one product to sell: a sell-side engagement. Embarc gives you multiple ways to help a client across the ownership lifecycle.
• A more diversified revenue mix. Our hourly and monthly-billed services complement transaction fees, creating more consistent cash flow than a success-fee-only model.
• An elite execution team. Our dedicated team of 20+ professionals focuses on execution and client delivery-not selling-so you can concentrate on relationships and winning business.
• Experienced talent. Our team averages more than 10 years of experience across private equity, investment banking, corporate development, Big Four accounting, public-company finance, and PE-backed portfolio-company leadership.
• A compelling market position. We excel in the lower middle market, particularly with companies generating approximately $1 million to $20 million of EBITDA.
• Brand and marketing support. You will be backed by an established brand and dedicated marketing leadership.
• A high-performing platform. Embarc has grown +80% year over year and continuing at 3%–4% month over month
• The firm has historically closed more than 85% of its transactions, and benefits from strong client satisfaction and referrals.
• Significant whitespace. To date, approximately 95% of new-client origination has come from one person-demonstrating the runway available to the right coverage leaders.

Who We're Looking For

• A successful investment banker, M&A advisor, or business broker with a demonstrated ability to originate and close engagements.
• Meaningful expertise and strong credibility in a defined industry vertical.
• An established network within a specific U.S. city, region, or business community.
• A consultative, long-term approach to relationships-not a purely transactional sales style.
• The judgment and executive presence to advise founders, family-owned businesses, private equity firms, and senior management teams.
• A collaborative mindset and a high bar for integrity, responsiveness, and client service.
• Strong written and verbal communication abilities.
• High level of professionalism and discretion handling confidential information.

Why This Role is Different

Many owners in your network are not ready to sell today-but they may need help with accounting, finance, quality of earnings, acquisitions, debt, growth capital, or pre-exit planning. Embarc enables you to serve those clients now, deepen the relationship over time, and remain their trusted advisor when a transaction eventually becomes the right answer.

If you have built a strong market presence and want an institutional-quality platform behind you, we would like to hear from you.

Our Benefits Include

• 401(k) with immediate vesting and employer match after one year
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Unlimited vacation time and accrued paid sick leave
• Short-term disability insurance
• Three team offsites per year, to connect, recharge, and grow together

About Embarc Advisors

Embarc Advisors is a rapidly growing lower-middle-market advisory firm providing sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory, capital advisory, quality of earnings, and fractional CFO services. We combine senior-level advice with a deeply experienced execution team to help business owners and investors make better decisions and achieve stronger outcomes.