Director Finance M&A

Ascend Learning, LLC•Burlington, MA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Ascend Learning, a leading healthcare and learning technology company, is the connection between a powerful portfolio of brands serving students, educators, and employers with outcomes-based, data-driven solutions across the lifecycle of learning. From testing to certification, Ascend Learning products are used by physicians, emergency medical professionals, nurses, allied health professionals, certified personal trainers, financial advisors, skilled trades professionals and insurance brokers. Headquartered in Burlington, MA, with additional office locations and hybrid and remote workers in cities across the U.S., Ascend Learning was recognized by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group as one of America’s 2025 Greatest Workplaces as well as America’s Best Places to work for Mental Well-Being for 2025. We're always looking for talented, passionate professionals to join us in our mission to help change lives. If this sounds like an environment where you'd thrive, read on to learn more. As a Director Finance M&A, you will lead the financial analysis, planning, and execution of M&A and business development transactions and participate in key strategic planning activities. You will develop strong partnerships with the CFO, M&A Leader, CEO and other key SLT members in addition to integrating with the Controller and Corporate FP&A leader to support the acquisitions process. You will also have significant exposure to business leaders across Ascend. This role offers a unique opportunity to work in a private equity setting and have significant interaction with key shareholders at Blackstone and The Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board. The ideal candidate will have significant M&A transaction analysis and integration experience and be interested in transactions as well as key strategic projects.

Requirements

10+ years of previous public accounting, corporate finance, corporate development, or other relevant business experience
Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance required, Masters preferred
Strong quantitative skills, financial acumen, financial modeling, and accounting comprehension
Demonstrated ability to participate in and lead partner and M&A due diligence activities
Demonstrated ability to interface with multi-disciplinary teams and senior leadership - this position will have regular interaction with senior executives and functional leaders
Outstanding ability to analyze and articulate complex sets of metrics into a clear written analysis
Advanced expertise with Excel and PowerPoint

Responsibilities

Evaluate, assess and quantify the value of M&A, investment and business development opportunities
Work cross-functionally to create financial models and identify key risks and opportunities including any relevant synergies
Perform scenario and sensitivity analysis to evaluate various outcomes of a transaction based on identified risks and opportunities
Identify and evaluate the key drivers of transaction/partnership success – assess risk, advise structure, present alternatives across financial and non-financial parameters
Provide robust quantitative analysis in support of negotiations and deal execution – LBO returns, discounted cash flow, accretion/dilution analysis, comparable company, and precedent acquisition analyses
Work closely with corporate development and legal during deal execution including negotiations and document review
Lead financial due diligence efforts in partnership with Controller, FP&A leader and other key finance team members.
Develop executive-level materials for CFO, Corporate Development and other senior executives
Lead quantitative analysis to provide proactive insight into business drivers and financial forecasts and results
Build strong knowledge of Ascend’s business through constant communication with partners across finance and corporate strategy
Support internal cross-functional deals team towards successful evaluation, analysis, execution, and integration of targets and partners