Sr Specialist M&A

Compass International Holdings; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Compass International Holdings is seeking a Lead, People M&A Integration to shape and execute People Enablement strategy across the M&A lifecycle. The role translates transaction objectives into integrated plans, governance routines, and coordinated execution, spanning due diligence, integration planning, Day 1 readiness, change management, and post-close handoff.

This senior IC serves as a trusted advisor to business leaders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in Business, HR, or related field.
• 4-7+ years of experience in HR M&A, integration management, or related programs.
• Proven ability to lead complex cross-functional initiatives with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong program management and governance experience.
• Ability to operate with limited supervision and deliver results.

Responsibilities

• Act as strategic advisor to leaders, linking people-related integration decisions to objectives and risks.
• Lead or coordinate due diligence and integration activities across HR, culture, and operations.
• Develop and maintain integrated workplans, governance materials, risk registers, and dashboards.
• Facilitate governance sessions, document decisions, and ensure ownership and follow-through.
• Shape change management, communications, onboarding, and transition strategies for post-close integration.
• Capture lessons learned and build scalable playbooks from transaction experience.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Program management

Change management

Due diligence

Integration planning

Cross-functional leadership

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, HR, Finance, or related field

Job description

The Lead, People M&A Integration is a senior individual contributor who helps shape and execute People Enablement strategy across the M&A lifecycle. The role translates transaction objectives into integrated plans, decision frameworks, governance routines, and coordinated execution across due diligence, integration planning, Day 1 readiness, change management, and post-close transition. This role serves as a trusted advisor and subject matter expert to business and People Enablement leaders. It independently brings structure to complex work, identifies and escalates risks, drives cross-functional follow-through, and balances strategic guidance with hands-on delivery. The Lead partners across People Enablement, Finance, IT, Legal, Operations, Payroll, and FP&A, and works with HR business partners to support the transition of acquired employees and the post-integration handoff. Success requires deep M&A or integration experience, strong business acumen, exceptional stakeholder management, disciplined program management, and the judgment to operate effectively in a fast-moving and confidential environment.

Key Responsibilities

• M&A strategy, advisory, and lifecycle leadership
  • Act as a strategic advisor to leaders, connecting people-related integration decisions to transaction objectives, business priorities, employee outcomes, and organizational risk.
  • Provide subject matter expertise and practical guidance across due diligence, integration planning, Day 1 readiness, stabilization, and post-integration transition.
  • Anticipate business and stakeholder needs, develop proactive recommendations, and frame tradeoffs and decisions for senior leaders.
  • Help build and scale the People M&A capability through repeatable standards, policies, playbooks, and operating practices.
• Due diligence and integration assessment
  • Lead or coordinate people, organizational, cultural, operational, and HR functional due diligence activities.
  • Synthesize qualitative and quantitative information to identify risks, opportunities, dependencies, costs, and integration considerations.
  • Translate diligence findings into decision-ready insights, mitigation actions, integration requirements, and readiness plans.
  • Maintain confidentiality and apply sound judgment when handling sensitive transaction and employee information.
• Integration planning, governance, and execution
  • Develop and maintain integrated workplans, milestone trackers, decision logs, dependency maps, risk registers, and governance materials.
  • Drive critical initiatives from concept through completion, coordinating multiple workstreams and deadlines without unnecessary process.
  • Facilitate governance and working sessions, document decisions, clarify ownership, and hold stakeholders accountable for follow-through.
  • Prepare executive summaries, status reports, dashboards, and recommendations that provide clear visibility into progress, decisions, risks, and outcomes.
• Cross-functional stakeholder leadership
  • Serve as a bridge across People Enablement and enterprise partners, including the central M&A team, Legal, Finance, IT, Operations, Payroll, and FP&A.
  • Build trusted relationships, navigate competing priorities, resolve issues constructively, and elevate barriers when timing or outcomes are at risk.
  • Partner with HR business partners and functional owners to align integration activities and enable an effective transition and post-integration handoff.
  • Communicate complex topics clearly with senior leaders, project teams, and partners at all levels.
• Employee experience and change management
  • Assess organizational and employee impacts and shape practical change, communication, onboarding, and transition strategies.
  • Champion a people-first experience while aligning acquired teams with company culture, values, policies, processes, and business objectives.
  • Develop or coordinate employee-facing communications, leader materials, FAQs, readiness activities, and adoption plans.
  • Use empathy, resilience, and conflict-resolution skills to support stakeholders through ambiguity and change.
• Data, risk, compliance, and continuous improvement
  • Use data and insights to identify risk areas, support decisions, monitor outcomes, and improve execution quality.
  • Build compliance into integration planning by maintaining working knowledge of applicable company policies, processes, and legal requirements.
  • Create and improve dashboards, templates, decision frameworks, analytics, automation, and AI-enabled tools that strengthen efficiency and visibility.
  • Capture lessons learned and convert transaction experience into scalable playbooks and best practices.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Human Resources, Organizational Development, Finance, or a related field.
• 4-7+ years of relevant experience, including direct experience in HR M&A, integration management, human capital consulting, HR transformation, or M&A program management.
• Demonstrated success independently leading complex, cross-functional initiatives with multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and time-sensitive deliverables.
• Strong program and project management capability, including development of integrated plans, governance routines, decision frameworks, risk mitigation, and executive reporting.
• Ability to operate with limited supervision, exercise judgment, solve difficult problems, and move effectively between strategic priorities and detailed execution.
• Exceptional stakeholder management, written communication, executive presentation, meeting facilitation, analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong business acumen and the ability to communicate effectively with senior leaders and translate business needs into practical people solutions.
• Integrity and discretion in handling confidential information and sensitive employee or transaction matters.

Preferred qualifications

• Deep working knowledge of HR M&A and integration across talent, payroll, compensation, benefits, employee relations, people operations, HR systems, employee communications, culture, and organizational design workstreams.
• Experience in an Integration Management Office, Program Management Office, consulting environment, corporate strategy function, or a dedicated M&A integration team.
• Experience partnering with HR business partners and functional leaders to support employee transitions and post-integration handoffs.
• Familiarity with change management methodologies, integration frameworks, compliance considerations, and risk mitigation practices.
• Experience creating executive-level presentations, dashboards, governance materials, and decision-ready recommendations.
• Ability to leverage analytics, automation, and AI-enabled tools to improve decision-making, efficiency, and execution quality.