Corporate Development Associate (M&A)

Wold Architects Inc•Minneapolis, MN

11h•Hybrid

About The Position

Wold Architects & Engineers, a dynamic architectural and engineering firm in downtown Minneapolis, seeks a highly motivated, analytically rigorous, and execution-oriented Corporate Development Associate – M&A to help lead the company’s inorganic growth strategy. This high-visibility role supports, and increasingly leads, all phases of the mergers and acquisitions lifecycle and works closely with executive leadership, our private equity partner, and cross-functional teams. This position is ideal for an experienced M&A professional with 3-4 years of relevant experience and a strong transaction background who is ready to take on greater deal ownership, manage complex analyses, and play a meaningful role in shaping enterprise-level growth strategy within a lean, high-performing corporate development team.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, or related field
3–4 years of experience in investment banking, private equity, corporate development, M&A advisory, or transaction services
Demonstrated interest in corporate development
Exceptional analytical, financial modeling, and problem-solving skills
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to produce executive-level deliverables (investment memos, board materials, IC presentations)
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple active deals in a fast-paced environment
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word and familiarity with data room platforms

Nice To Haves

Experience with middle-market M&A transactions ($2M–$100M revenue targets)
Exposure to PE-backed platforms and buy-and-build strategies
Strong understanding of deal structures including earnouts, rollover equity, NWC mechanisms, indemnification, escrow, RWI and tax structuring (S-corp), asset/stock elections, F-reorg)
Familiarity with QoE reports, GAAP vs. cash-basis differences, WIP/POC accounting and normalized EBITDA analysis
Experience with CRM or deal management tools (Dealroom, Salesforce, Affinity)
MBA, CFA, or CPA a plus

Responsibilities

Contribute to the day-to-day management of the M&A pipeline, including assisting with sourcing new acquisition targets, tracking deal progression, maintaining CRM/deal management systems, and preparing pipeline review materials for senior leadership.
Develop comprehensive acquisition target profiles and screening memoranda, including financial overviews, strategic rationale, competitive positioning, and cultural fit assessments.
Support and contribute to outreach efforts to prospective acquisition targets, owners, founders, and intermediaries, including drafting introductory communications and coordinating exploratory conversations.
Build and maintain relationships with investment banks, industry advisors, and M&A intermediaries to expand the proprietary deal funnel.
Monitor market trends, competitor activity, and industry developments to identify emerging acquisition opportunities and inform pipeline prioritization.
Lead the development and maintenance of financial models and valuation analyses.
Build and own detailed deal models covering earnouts (cliff, linear, tiered), rollover equity, net working capital adjustments, and closing statement mechanics.
Prepare sensitivity, scenario, and return analyses to evaluate risk profiles and investment outcomes across various deal structures.
Analyze Quality of Earnings (QoE) reports and translate findings into actionable deal-level financial implications, including normalized EBITDA adjustments, working capital peg construction, and identification of debt-like items.
Support funds flow analysis, escrow structures, and tax-related considerations (asset vs. stock transactions, Section 338(h)(10), F‑reorganizations) in coordination with legal and accounting advisors.
Support financial, legal, tax, HR, IT, insurance, and operational diligence workstreams from pre‑LOI through closing.
Manage diligence checklists, information requests, timelines, and third-party advisor coordination.
Organize and oversee virtual data rooms, including document flow, access controls, and version management.
Support LOI drafting, purchase agreement review and negotiation, indemnification analysis, representation & warranty insurance (RWI) processes, and closing mechanics.
Prepare management presentation materials, site visit agendas, and executive stakeholder briefing documents.
Track open diligence items, risk flags, and deal-critical issues, providing regular updates to senior leadership and investment committees.
Conduct in-depth industry, market, and competitive landscape research across target verticals and geographies.
Benchmark valuation multiples, revenue profiles, margin structures, and operational KPIs across comparable companies and recent transactions.
Prepare investment committee memoranda, board presentations, PE sponsor updates, and executive-level briefing materials.
Maintain competitive intelligence on acquirer strategies, platform‑and‑add‑on models, and consolidation trends within target sectors.
Contribute to integration planning efforts, including Day 1 readiness and 30/60/90‑day integration roadmaps and functional workstream coordination across HR, Finance, IT, Legal, and Operations.
Support post‑close tracking of earnouts, synergy realization, KPIs, and lender covenant compliance and KPIs.
Help build and refine internal M&A playbooks, process templates, and best practices to create a scalable, repeatable corporate development function.