Senior M&A Leader: Strategy, Divestitures & Integrations

DRiV; Skokie (IL); On-site; USD 250,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

DRiV is seeking an accomplished M&A Executive to lead acquisitions, divestitures, JVs, integrations and separations across the enterprise. The Executive Director, M&A will guide transactions from opportunity assessment through close, with rigorous vetting and cross-functional due diligence.

This highly visible role serves as a senior M&A partner to executive leadership, collaborating with Corporate Development, Strategy, Finance, Tax, Legal, HR, IT, Operations, and external advisors.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, accounting, economics, strategy, or related field.
• 12–15+ years of progressive experience in mergers and acquisitions, corporate development, strategy, transaction advisory, investment banking, or related field, including leadership of complex global transactions.
• Demonstrated success vetting transaction opportunities, leading multidisciplinary due diligence, assessing strategic fit and risk, and presenting go/no-go recommendations to senior leadership.
• Significant experience executing divestitures, carve-outs, and separations, including perimeter definition, buyer diligence, transition service agreements, stranded-cost planning, and Day 1 readiness.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full M&A lifecycle for acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, integrations, and separations, from initial opportunity assessment and strategic review through negotiation, close, and post-close execution.
• Proactively identify, screen, and prioritize potential acquisition targets in partnership with business and strategy leaders, using strategic fit, market position, growth potential, value-creation opportunity, and risk to build and maintain a robust target pipeline.
• Establish a disciplined opportunity-vetting process that assesses strategic fit, market attractiveness, competitive position, operational feasibility, financial impact, execution complexity, and risk before advancing potential transactions.
• Lead cross-functional due diligence across commercial, operational, financial, legal, tax, HR, IT, environmental, compliance, and other critical areas; synthesize findings, identify deal breakers, and recommend appropriate risk mitigation.
• Direct divestiture strategy and execution, including asset perimeter definition, carve-out planning, buyer readiness, management presentations, data-room coordination, separation requirements, transition service agreements, stranded-cost mitigation, and Day 1 readiness.
• Partner with business and functional leaders to build transaction theses, evaluate strategic alternatives, define value-creation opportunities, and ensure each transaction supports enterprise priorities.
• Coordinate internal stakeholders and external advisors through transaction structuring, valuation, negotiation, governance approvals, signing, closing, and regulatory requirements.
• Develop clear recommendations and approval materials for senior executives and governance forums, highlighting strategic rationale, diligence findings, value drivers, risks, sensitivities, and execution considerations.
• Lead integration and separation planning with accountable workstreams, milestones, decision rights, risk tracking, communications, and executive reporting across concurrent global transactions.
• Monitor transaction outcomes, synergy or dis-synergy commitments, separation costs, stranded costs, and other value-creation objectives; escalating performance gaps and drive corrective action.
• Build scalable M&A playbooks, diligence frameworks, divestiture tools, governance standards, and repeatable processes while strengthening transaction capability across the organization.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Executive presence

Strategic thinking

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business/finance

MBA

Job description

DRiV is seeking an accomplished M&A Executive to lead acquisitions, divestitures, JVs, integrations and separations across the enterprise. The Executive Director, M&A will guide transactions from opportunity assessment through close, with rigorous vetting and cross-functional due diligence.

This highly visible role serves as a senior M&A partner to executive leadership, collaborating with Corporate Development, Strategy, Finance, Tax, Legal, HR, IT, Operations, and external advisors.