Tech Lead, M&A Platform

American Operator; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

American Operator is seeking a Tech Lead to own an AI-powered M&A platform, delivering data-intensive solutions with minimal oversight. You will drive end-to-end architecture, drive rapid iteration, and work closely with business users to prototype practical tools.

The role emphasizes data ingestion, entity resolution, enrichment, and AI-powered workflows for the BD and investments teams, reporting directly to the CEO. A track record in GTM-oriented engineering is highly valued.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience in Engineering, CS, Data Science, or a related field.
• 8+ years of software and/or data engineering experience with depth in GTM-oriented work.
• Strong product intuition and translating workflows into technical solutions.
• Bias toward rapid iteration and using third-party tools when possible.
• Excellent communication skills and collaboration with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Partner with cross-functional teams to understand constraints, challenges, and opportunities in the M&A process.
• Leverage software, data, and AI to maximize qualified targets per FTE.
• Own the M&A platform end-to-end: roadmap, implementation, and ongoing support.
• Improve system architecture: data ingestion, entity resolution, enrichment, scoring, storage.
• Prototype and deploy internal tools/workflows to save time with sellers and data analysis.
• Build integrations via APIs, webhooks, and tools like Zapier/Make to keep data in sync.

Skills

Communication skills

Rapid iteration

GTM experience

Data engineering

System design

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Engineering/CS/Data Science

Tools

Web crawling

Entity resolution

API integrations

Job description

American Operator is hiring for a Tech Lead to own our AI-powered M&A platform. This role, done well, will allow us to keep building unfair leverage for our team in identifying, prospecting, diligencing and closing acquisitions.

The ideal person has experience designing and building data-intensive applications, prides themselves on needing minimal product oversight, and takes an aggressive approach to rapidly iterating toward success with business users (vs. delivering overly complex or academic solutions). The ideal candidate is obsessed with solving problems and delivering results, not with building the most complicated in-house solution.

The majority of your time will be building on the systems that power our acquisition engine - from web-crawling and entity resolution to AI-powered workflows and tools for our business development and investments teams. This position will report to the CEO.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Partner deeply with cross-functional teams to understand constraints, challenges and opportunities associated with our M&A process.

• Leverage software, data and artificial intelligence to maximize the quality and number of businesses we can acquire per FTE.

• Own our M&A platform end-to-end, responsible for roadmap, implementation and ongoing support / enablement.

• Improve and own the system architecture, including data ingestion, entity resolution, enrichment, scoring models, and storage.

• Identify, prototype and deploy internal tools and workflows that allow our team to spend more time meeting with prospective sellers and less time analyzing data or drafting memos.

• Build integrations and automations via APIs, webhooks, and tools like Zapier/Make to keep data clean and business systems in sync.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience in Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, or a related technical field

• 8+ years of software and/or data engineering experience, with demonstrated depth in GTM-oriented work.

• Strong product intuition and the ability to translate business workflows into well-architected technical solutions.

• Bias towards rapid iteration and using third-party tools where possible. You care more about delivering results than writing code.

• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Familiar with web crawling, enrichment, and entity resolution best practices.

• Previously founded or joined an early stage company

• Past experience at a Fin-Tech or financial company - you're familiar with key terminology and concepts associated with lending, investing or banking

• Past work focused on small business segment

COMPENSATION

The anticipated base salary range for this position is listed below. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance-based bonus and equity. Please note that compensation is determined based on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, education, skills, and other qualifications specific to the role.

$150K - $200K

ABOUT THE TEAM

American Operator exists because we believe the American Dream is worth protecting, and that small businesses are the backbone of our communities. To do this well, we need a team that reflects the real world: operators, builders, investors, and problem-solvers from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.

MISSION-DRIVEN

Every company claims to be mission-driven, but our mission is simple, tangible, and urgent: preserve the legacy of America's small businesses and create more pathways to meaningful ownership.

We partner with operators who want to step into leadership, take responsibility for great companies, and continue the work that founders spent decades building. When we succeed, communities keep their employers, families keep their livelihoods, and operators get the chance to build wealth through real ownership.

We work hard because we know what's at stake: generational businesses that deserve to thrive, and talented operators who deserve the chance to lead them. And while we measure our success in deals closed and businesses grown, the real reward is seeing these companies continue to serve their people and their towns, stronger than before.

Where else do you get the opportunity to help someone become a CEO, preserve a founder's life's work, and strengthen a community, all in the same job? That's what makes our work both serious and incredibly fulfilling.