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About the Role

The Principal, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) is a senior, hands-on transaction leader responsible for managing and executing WES's near-term acquisition activity. This role will work closely with executive leadership and cross-functional teams to lead financial evaluation, modeling, transaction planning, due diligence, structuring, negotiation, and closing of potential acquisitions and divestitures.

Responsibilities

Partner with executive leadership to develop and execute WES's M&A and portfolio strategy.
Identify, evaluate, and prioritize potential acquisitions, mergers, divestitures, strategic investments, and other corporate development opportunities.
Assess strategic rationale, market attractiveness, competitive positioning, operational fit, and value-creation potential.
Develop investment theses and recommendations on potential M&A opportunities for presentation to executive leadership and relevant Board committees.
Maintain and prioritize a pipeline of potential transaction opportunities.
Evaluate potential divestitures, carve-outs, and other portfolio optimization opportunities.
Lead financial modeling and valuation of potential transactions, including DCF, comparable company, precedent transaction, accretion/dilution, and return analyses.
Evaluate financial projections, business plans, capital requirements, synergies, and transaction economics.
Develop scenario and sensitivity analyses to identify key value drivers and risks.
Assess financial, accounting, tax, and capital structure implications of proposed transactions.
Establish appropriate valuation ranges, transaction thresholds, and financial return criteria.
Lead and coordinate comprehensive financial, operational, commercial, legal, technology, HR, tax, and other due diligence activities.
Establish diligence scope, workstreams, timelines, responsibilities, and decision criteria.
Identify and quantify material transaction risks, liabilities, opportunities, and potential synergies.
Coordinate internal functional leaders and external advisors throughout the diligence process.
Synthesize diligence findings and clearly communicate implications and recommendations to executive leadership.
Develop transaction structures and negotiation strategies designed to maximize value and mitigate risk.
Lead or play a central role in negotiations with sellers, buyers, investors, management teams, advisors, and other stakeholders.
Partner with Legal, Finance, Tax, and external advisors in negotiating letters of intent, purchase agreements, transition agreements, and other transaction documents.
Evaluate trade-offs across valuation, structure, representations and warranties, indemnification, earn-outs, working capital, and other transaction terms.
Maintain deal momentum while protecting WES's strategic and financial interests.
Explore and propose optimal financing structures at the individual deal and portfolio level.
Manage the end-to-end transaction process from initial evaluation and indication of interest through signing and closing.
Develop and manage transaction workplans, timelines, decision points, and executive approvals.
Coordinate internal stakeholders and external advisors, including investment bankers, attorneys, accountants, consultants, and financing partners.
Prepare materials and recommendations for executive leadership, the Board of Directors, and other governance bodies as appropriate.
Ensure transaction requirements, approvals, documentation, and closing conditions are completed accurately and on schedule.
Translate transaction assumptions and identified synergies into actionable post-close plans.
Monitor achievement of revenue, cost, operational, and strategic synergies against the approved investment case.
Conduct post-transaction reviews to evaluate performance against the original deal thesis and capture lessons for future transactions.
Serve as a trusted M&A advisor to executive leadership.
Present transaction opportunities, analyses, risks, and recommendations in a concise, decision-oriented manner.
Build effective relationships across Finance, Operations, Legal, Tax, HR, IT, Sales, and other functional areas.
Effectively challenge assumptions while building alignment among stakeholders with differing priorities.
Represent WES professionally and credibly with acquisition targets, investors, advisors, and other external parties.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, or a related discipline, or an equivalent level of work experience.
Significant experience working in progressively senior roles with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, corporate development, investment banking, private equity, transaction advisory, or a related field.
Demonstrated experience executing transactions across multiple stages of the M&A lifecycle.
Experience leading financial analysis, valuation, due diligence, deal structuring, and negotiations.
Advanced financial modeling, valuation, and analytical capabilities.
Strong understanding of financial statements, corporate finance, transaction structures, and deal economics.
Strong commercial and strategic judgment, with the ability to connect financial analysis to business strategy.
Demonstrated negotiation and influencing skills.
Experience managing complex cross-functional projects involving senior executives and external advisors.
Strong project and transaction management capabilities.
Executive-level written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
Ability to synthesize large amounts of complex information into clear recommendations.
Exceptional strategic thinking, judgment, and problem-solving skills, with the maturity and flexibility to work effectively with internal and external stakeholders across a range of disciplines.
Ability to thrive in an environment that values transparency, accountability, collaboration, and an orientation toward results.
Intellectual curiosity, openness to diverse ideas and perspectives, and a continued interest in learning, professional growth, and development.
Strong alignment with WES's mission and values.
MBA or equivalent level of experience.
Senior leadership experience across private, nonprofit, or social enterprise sectors.
Experience with post-merger integration strongly preferred.
Experience in education or workforce development.

Skills

Mergers and acquisitions
Corporate development
Investment banking
Private equity
Transaction advisory
Financial analysis
Valuation
Due diligence
Deal structuring
Negotiations
Financial modeling
Analytical capabilities
Financial statements analysis
Corporate finance
Transaction structures
Deal economics
Commercial judgment
Strategic judgment
Negotiation
Influencing
Project management
Transaction management
Written communication
Verbal communication
Presentation skills
Strategic thinking
Problem-solving
Post-merger integration
Education sector experience
Workforce development experience

Location

Remote - US

Work Type

Fixed-Term
Remote

Experience Level

Principal
Senior

Education Level

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, or a related discipline
MBA or equivalent level of experience

Salary/Compensations

$150K USD - $185K USD

Benefits

Competitive compensation
Comprehensive benefits
Time-off programs
Wellness programs
Learning opportunities
Professional development opportunities
Recognition of achievements

About the Company

World Education Services (WES) is a non-profit social enterprise that supports the educational, economic, and social inclusion of immigrants, refugees, and international students.
For over 50 years, WES has set the standard for international academic credential evaluation, supporting millions of people as they seek to achieve their academic and professional goals.
Through decades of experience as a leader in global education, WES has developed a wide range of tools to pursue social impact at scale.
From evaluating academic credentials to shaping policy, designing programs, and providing philanthropic funding, WES partners with a diverse set of organizations, leaders, and networks to uplift individuals and drive systems change.
Together with its partners, WES enables people to learn, work, and thrive in new places.

Equal Opportunity

World Education Services is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that reflects the rich tapestry of our communities, both in the US and Canada.
We are dedicated to providing equal opportunities to all qualified individuals, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or genetics.
This commitment extends to every aspect of employment, from recruitment and hiring to promotions, training, and benefits.
We comply with all applicable federal, state, and local anti-discrimination laws.
We welcome all applicants, irrespective of whether their experience perfectly fits the job description, as we value diverse and innovative viewpoints.
At our organization, individuals who thrive in a culture of continuous learning and inclusive teamwork excel.
We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported, and we welcome members of all backgrounds and perspectives to apply.