Director of Corporate Development

Job Summary

This is a company-defining hire. America is rebuilding its power infrastructure from the ground up - data centers, semiconductor fabs, grid upgrades, advanced manufacturing - and the demand for electrical equipment is accelerating faster than the industry can keep up. Lead times are stretching to 18–24 months. Founders who built great businesses over decades are looking for the right buyer. The window is open, and ACE - a builder’s company - intends to move through it aggressively.

This role is for a builder - someone who wants to be in the arena, not watching from the sidelines. Relentless in sourcing, sharp on analysis, credible with founders from first conversation through signing. If you need to be managed, this isn’t the job. If you thrive with ownership and move fast, keep reading.

Job Responsibilities

Deal Sourcing & Pipeline Development

• Own and continuously build a proprietary pipeline of acquisition targets across ACE’s core and adjacent verticals - electrical distribution, panel shops, switchgear and transformer manufacturers, electrical product manufacturers, etc. Cast a wide net; the best acquisitions may not be bolt-ons, they may be new divisions or offerings.

• Conduct outbound outreach to founder-owned and privately held businesses; develop relationships well in advance of a transaction process.

• Monitor industry dynamics, competitor activity, and macro tailwinds (data center buildout, grid investment, AI infrastructure) to identify opportunistic and complementary targets.

Deal Execution - Pre-LOI Through Close

• Lead all phases of the M&A process: target qualification, management meetings, preliminary valuation, LOI drafting and negotiation, and driving to close with urgency and precision.

• Quarterback due diligence - coordinate legal, financial, operational, and commercial workstreams; manage advisors and internal stakeholders.

• Build and own the financial models: DCF, LBO scenarios, synergy analysis, pro forma integration impact.

• Negotiate definitive agreements (APA, SPA, credit agreements, reps & warranties); manage intercreditor and lender relationships where applicable.

Strategic Analysis & Market Intelligence

• Own ACE’s M&A strategy framework - target criteria, priority markets, valuation guardrails, and platform fit scoring - and produce board-ready materials that translate it into clear, decisive recommendations.

• Track and synthesize external market activity: competitor acquisitions, PE roll-up dynamics, power infrastructure investment trends, and pricing signals across ACE’s product categories.

• Run ongoing analytical work on ACE’s existing business: segment performance, margin drivers, customer and vendor concentration, pricing dynamics, and operational benchmarks. Surface concrete recommendations, not just context.

• Identify and size organic growth and incubation opportunities where ACE has existing competitive advantage - product categories, geographies, customer segments, and distribution channels that can be captured without an acquisition.

AI & Operations

• Champion the build-out of ACE's internal operational intelligence layer - AI-driven quoting, procurement, and RFQ tools that compound with each acquisition.

• Evaluate and recommend technology platforms (ERP, data infrastructure, AI tooling) that support scale and integration efficiency.

• Partner with operations to ensure Day 1 integration readiness for each acquired business, plugging new entities into ACE's systems and workflows immediately post-close.

• Lead integration efforts for new acquisitions to realize synergies, drive growth, and ensure best practices are installed. Operate!

Job Requirements

• 7+ years in investment banking, private equity, or corporate development - with real, hands-on deal execution experience. We can tell the difference between someone who ran deals and someone who made slides while others ran deals.

• Demonstrated track record of leading private transactions from sourcing through close - LOI negotiation, due diligence management, and definitive agreement execution. Done it before, know what hard looks like, and still enjoy it.

• Expert-level financial modeling - DCF, LBO, accretion/dilution, synergy builds, debt structuring. Fast, clean, and defensible under pressure.

• Fluency in lower middle market and founder-owned deal environments. You know how to earn trust with an owner-operator who has never sold a business.

• Crisp, board-ready communication - written and verbal. You can take complex analysis and turn it into a clear, decisive recommendation without losing your audience or burying the point.

• Bias toward action - you identify a target, pick up the phone, and drive a process without being told to. The deals that get done are the ones someone pushed across the finish line. Entrepreneurial, builder mindset with an outrageous sense of urgency. You treat every day like the window is closing - because in this market, it is. You set the pace, not the other way around.

Experience in industrials, electrical distribution, manufacturing, power infrastructure, or adjacent sectors.

• Familiarity with AI tooling, ERP evaluation, or operational data systems - ability to think about technology as a platform accelerant.

Essential Job Function