At Circana, we are fueled by our passion for continuous learning and growth, we seek and share feedback freely, and we celebrate victories both big and small in an environment that is flexible and accommodating to our work and personal lives. We have a global commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as we believe in the undeniable strength that diversity brings to our business, employees, clients, and communities. With us, you can always bring your full self to work. Join our inclusive, committed team to be a challenger, own outcomes, and stay curious together. Circana is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place To Work®. This prestigious award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at Circana.
Learn more at www.circana.com.
What will I be doing?
We are seeking a strong strategic thinker who can help define and accelerate Circana's growth trajectory through mergers and acquisitions (M&A). You will play a critical role in the Corporate Development team by driving the end-to-end aspects of acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and partnerships required to drive growth from both our existing business and new business opportunities. Reporting to the Vice President of Corporate Development, you will be a key member of Circana's Corporate Development team and lead critical global cross-functional M&A initiatives.
As a leader within Circana, you will work closely with key stakeholders to identify targets, craft deal rationale business cases, and execute M&A transactions. The successful candidate will interact with the CEO, strategy, commercial, product, and technology leaders and other executive team members to ensure alignment with the overall corporate strategy.
This is a critical position within Circana. The ideal candidate will operate at a high level of intellectual curiosity, exhibit superior analytical skills, demonstrate a strong work ethic, and bring a proven ability to work with and lead cross-functional teams. They will have the maturity, confidence, intellectual strengths, and real-world experience to lead and inspire cross-functional teams of smart and driven professionals. This candidate must be passionate about understanding, driving value, and delivering growth for Circana's business and the customers we serve.
Job Responsibilities
Deal Execution: Drive transaction execution, managing projects, due diligence, and valuation. Collaborate with business teams, internal experts (legal, accounting, tax), and external advisors to ensure seamless execution.
Pipeline and Relationship Management: Develop and maintain a robust deal pipeline by proactively sourcing targets through industry research, networking, and engagement with individual sellers, investment banks, venture capital firms, and other intermediaries.
Financial Analysis: Develop financial projections for M&A opportunities through detailed analysis, pro-forma modeling, valuation assessments, and synergy evaluations to support potential transactions.
M&A Strategy Design: Support the design and iteration of corporate M&A strategy; drive the strategic planning process, acting as a trusted advisor to Circana's Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and relevant stakeholders during strategy formulation, development, and execution
Strategic Alignment: Partner with business leaders and functional experts to develop business propositions aligned with strategic priorities
Board-Level Content Preparation: Responsible for working closely with senior management, coordinating, and developing Board presentations in support of acquisition targets
Requirements
2-3 years of relevant M&A experience; with at least 2+ years of experience with a top-tier investment bank, private equity firm, venture capital firm, strategy consulting firm, or corporate development group
Bachelor's degree required (preferably in the areas of Business or Operations concentration, i.e., Finance, Engineering, Economics, etc.)
Industry experience in the consumer products, consumer services, retail sectors, software, analytics, or business intelligence sectors is desired
Strong valuation experience, specifically with building complex discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation models and conducting comparable transaction/company analyses
Experienced in project management, leading multiple cross-functional deals simultaneously
Experience in building trusted advisor relationships and influencing others (including C-level executives). Ability to work effectively with people at all levels in an organization
Experience with other strategic transactions including partnerships, alliances, or joint ventures
Strong financial acumen, Excel modeling skills, and experience applying those skills to business development, operations, and other projects
Excellent communication skills. Must be able to effectively and succinctly communicate in writing and orally to executive management
An entrepreneurial, creative thinker with an action-orientated approach characterized by speed and productivity
An ability to operate at the highest ethical levels and project this integrity to customers and employees
Ability to perform with high pressure and short timelines
Need to be open to travel (< 10%)
Location
This position can be located in the following area(s): Option for remote with a preference for Boston, Chicago, or New York City.
Circana Behaviors
As well as the technical skills, experience and attributes that are required for the role, our shared behaviors sit at the core of our organization. Therefore, we always look for people who can continuously champion these behaviors throughout the business within their day-to-day role:
Stay Curious: Being hungry to learn and grow, always asking the big questions.
Seek Clarity: Embracing complexity to create clarity and inspire action.
Own the Outcome: Being accountable for decisions and taking ownership of our choices.
Center on the Client: Relentlessly adding value for our customers.
Be a Challenger: Never complacent, always striving for continuous improvement.
Champion Inclusivity: Fostering trust in relationships engaging with empathy, respect, and integrity.
Commit to each other: Contributing to making Circana a great place to work for everyone.
Prospective candidates may be asked to consent to background checks (in accordance with local legislation and our candidate privacy notice ) Your current employer will not be contacted without your permission.
The below range reflects the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, any collective bargaining agreements, and business or organizational needs. The salary range for this role is $110,000.00 to $145,000.00.
This job is also eligible for bonus pay.
We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.
An offer of employment may be conditional upon successful completion of a background check in accordance with local legislation and our candidate privacy notice. Your current employer will not be contacted without your permission.
You can apply for this role through the Circana careers website or Intranet site for internal candidates. The anticipated application deadline for this position is Tuesday, April 8, 2025.