Post Merger Integration Associate

PlanetArt; Calabasas (CA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

401(k) with matching

Pet Insurance

Mental Health Benefits

Time Off Program

Job summary

PlanetArt is seeking a Post-Merger Integration Associate to ensure that acquired businesses deliver on their full potential. This highly analytical yet operational role leverages AI as a core tool to build models, identify cost reductions, redundancies, and synergies, and drive programs through to completion.

The ideal candidate has a strong academic record and 1–3 years of experience in investment banking, private equity, management consulting, or corporate development.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years of experience in investment banking, private equity, management consulting, corporate development or similar analytically rigorous roles.
• Hands-on experience building financial models and performing quantitative analysis to support major business decisions.
• Exposure to M&A or post-merger integration projects preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to use AI to deliver real business results and automate analysis.

Responsibilities

• Build complex Excel models to evaluate integration initiatives, cost reductions and synergies.
• Manage integration plan, priorities, milestones and owner assignments across functions.
• Identify risks and dependencies; escalate issues with proposed solutions.
• Turn analysis into actionable recommendations for senior leadership.

Skills

Excel modeling

AI tools

Analytical mindset

PowerPoint

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or CFA a plus

Tools

AI platforms (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot)

SQL

BI tools

Job description

Company and Vision

PlanetArt’s vision is to be the leading seller of personalized and make-on-demand products worldwide. We provide consumers with unmatched tools and content and an unparalleled end-to-end customer experience that result in high-quality, meaningful finished products and memorable celebrations of life events.

The company’s brands include the popular FreePrints and FreePrints Photobooks apps and the industry leading SimplytoImpress card and stationery site, as well as Personal Creations, CafePress and ISeeMe! Visit www.planetart.com to learn more about our brands.

We have more than 500 team members across multiple offices, primarily in Calabasas CA, San Diego CA, Woodridge IL, Minneapolis, MN and Pleasanton, CA. We also have team members in two company-owned offices in China, as well as in Europe.

Job Overview

PlanetArt is seeking a Post-Merger Integration Associate to help ensure that the businesses we acquire deliver on their full potential. This is a highly analytical yet operational role for an exceptionally sharp, detail-obsessed problem solver who is fluent in AI and uses it as a core part of how they work. You will build the models and analysis that reveal where costs can be reduced, where redundancies exist, and where synergies have not yet been captured – and then you will drive those programs through to completion. You will aid in the development of integration priorities, work across every function of the company to keep initiatives on track, and make sure that nothing discussed is ever dropped.

The ideal candidate has a strong academic record from a four-year university and 1-3 years of experience in investment banking, private equity, management consulting, or corporate development. You know Excel backwards and forwards; you have real, hands‑on depth with AI tools and automation; you love digging into the numbers; and you can turn analysis into action. You will make responsible, well‑reasoned recommendations that make our investments pay off, while respecting the people and culture of the businesses that join PlanetArt. This position reports directly to the co‑CEOs and works closely with general managers and senior leaders across finance, operations, marketing, technology and HR.

PLEASE NOTE: Candidates must be local to or willing to relocate to the Calabasas area as we operate on a hybrid work model (3 days onsite, 2 remote)

What You’ll Do

Key Responsibilities

Analysis & Financial Modeling

• Build complex, well-structured Excel models to evaluate integration initiatives, cost reduction opportunities and synergy cases


• Conduct deep-dive analysis of the P&L, cost structure, vendor spend and operating metrics of acquired businesses


• Benchmark acquired businesses against PlanetArt's existing operations to pinpoint gaps, opportunities and best practices


• Size and prioritize opportunities based on financial impact, risk, cost to implement and time to value


• Track realized versus planned synergies and integration costs and report progress to the co-CEOs and leadership team


• Translate complex analysis into clear, concise recommendations and presentations for senior leadership


• Perform ad hoc analysis to support integration decisions and answer questions from leadership quickly and accurately

Integration Program Management

• Manage the integration plan and master list of priorities, workstreams, owners, milestones and deadlines


• Liaise with general managers and with team leads across finance, operations, supply chain, marketing, technology and HR to keep every workstream moving


• Identify risks, dependencies, and roadblocks early and escal issues with proposed solutions


• Participate in integration status meetings and produce regular progress updates for leadership

Follow-through & Accountability

• Capture every idea, decision and action item raised in integration meetings – nothing falls through the cracks


• Assign each action item to the appropriate owner, agree on timing and follow up persistently until it is complete


• Maintain a clear, current tracker of open items, owners and status that leadership can rely on


• Bring an exceptional level of detail to every task, double-checking numbers, assumptions and commitments

Culture & People

• Make responsible, balanced recommendations that weigh financial return alongside impact on employees and customers


• Respect and help to preserve the strengths of each acquired business's culture while aligning it with PlanetArt's ways of working


• Build trusted relationships with team members at every level of the acquired businesses

What You Should Have

Skills, Qualifications, and Requirements

Experience

• 1–3 years of experience in investment banking, private equity, management consulting, corporate development or a similar analytically rigorous role


• Hands‑on experience building financial models and performing quantitative analysis to support major business decisions


• Exposure to M&A, post‑merger integration or operational improvement projects strongly preferred


• Demonstrated, hands‑on experience using AI to deliver real business results – for example, automating analysis, building AI‑powered workflows or leading an AI implementation


• Experience in ecommerce, retail or consumer products a plus

Analytical Skills

• Exceptional analytical and quantitative ability, with a track record of solving complex, ambiguous problems


• Expert‑level command of Microsoft Excel, including complex models, scenario and sensitivity analysis, lookups, pivot tables and data manipulation of large datasets


• Strong financial acumen, including deep understanding of P&L, cash flow, unit economics and cost structures


• Ability to quickly find the signal in messy data and turn it into clear insights and recommendations


• Strong PowerPoint skills for presenting analysis to senior leadership; familiarity with SQL or BI tools a plus

AI Skills

• Advanced, everyday proficiency with leading AI models and tools (such as Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot), including sophisticated prompting and multi‑step workflows


• Ability to use AI for data analysis, financial modeling support, research and document review – with the judgment to verify outputs and catch errors


• Sound understanding of AI's capabilities, limitations, costs and data privacy and security considerations


• A builder's mindset is a plus: You have personally created AI‑powered tools or workflows, and you can show them to us

Skills & Abilities

• Extraordinary attention to detail – you leave no stone unturned


• Highly organized, with the ability to manage many priorities and workstreams at once


• Relentless follow‑through and a strong sense of ownership; you finish what you start


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the confidence to work with and influence senior leaders


• High emotional intelligence and sound judgment, with sensitivity to people and culture during periods of change


• Strong work ethic, intellectual curiosity and comfort in a fast‑paced, entrepreneurial environment

Education

• Bachelor's degree from a four-year university with a strong academic record required; degree in finance, economics, engineering, mathematics, or a related quantitative field preferred


• MBA or CFA a plus, but not required

What You Can Expect

Working Conditions

• Work is performed in a hybrid office environment


• Office is located in Calabasas, CA


• Position requires regular, continuous use of computer


• Position requires regular interaction with team members through the following methods: in‑person, phone, Zoom, Slack or email


• Requires periodic travel to the offices and facilities of acquired businesses, including our IL facilities

The compensation range for this position is $100,000 - $125,000 annual salary + bonus.

PlanetArt offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance


• Life Insurance


• 401(k) with matching


• Pet Insurance


• Mental Health Benefits


• Comprehensive Time Off Program, including Vacation, Sick Days, Paid Holidays, and Floating Holidays


• Employee Product Discounts