Corporate Development Associate

Wipfli•Chicago, IL

About The Position

The Corporate Development Associate supports Wipfli’s acquisition strategy by identifying and engaging prospective acquisition targets, building and managing an M&A pipeline, and helping qualified opportunities advance through the transaction process. The role conducts outbound prospecting to business owners and managing partners, coordinates introductory meetings with Corporate Development leadership, and maintains ongoing relationships with prospects, referral sources, and industry contacts. The Associate researches and prioritizes potential targets, prepares materials for exploratory discussions, records outreach and pipeline activity in CRM platforms, and reports performance metrics to leadership. The position calls for strong communication, organization, research, relationship-building, persistence, and judgment in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.

Requirements

At least one year of experience in professional services.
Demonstrated success in outbound prospecting, including cold calling, email outreach, and setting meetings with business owners or senior executives.
Ability to plan, prioritize, and organize work effectively.
Ability to manage multiple initiatives and meet deadlines.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including confidence engaging firm owners and senior executives by phone and email.
Strong relationship-building and networking skills.
Ability to collaborate across organizational levels with firm leadership and external prospects.
Strong research skills and business acumen, including the ability to assess the potential fit of acquisition targets.
Persistence, self-motivation, resilience, and the ability to handle rejection while sustaining high outreach activity.
Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and identify when to escalate opportunities to leadership.
Comfort working in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.
Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Working knowledge of CRM and sales engagement platforms.

Responsibilities

Conduct daily outbound outreach to owners and managing partners of prospective acquisition targets, including cold calls and personalized email campaigns.
Set and coordinate qualified introductory meetings between prospective acquisition targets and Corporate Development leadership, including scheduling, confirmations, and follow-up.
Build, launch, and manage multi-step outreach sequences using sales engagement tools, refining messaging based on responses and meeting conversion rates.
Research, profile, and prioritize acquisition targets by service mix, industry focus, geography, size, and strategic fit.
Support introductory and exploratory discussions by preparing briefing materials, capturing notes, and coordinating next steps.
Cultivate relationships with prospects, referral sources, and industry contacts to maintain long-term engagement and generate introductions.
Assist Corporate Development leadership in evaluating acquisition opportunities and advancing qualified prospects through the transaction process.
Maintain accurate outreach, contact, and pipeline data in CRM platforms.
Prepare regular activity reports and pipeline metrics, including calls, emails, meetings set, and conversions.