Head of Corporate Development

NielsenIQ•Chicago, IL

3d•$237,200 - $300,000

About The Position

NielsenIQ is in a rapid growth mode with the backing of Advent International. The NielsenIQ Strategy and Corporate Development team is embarking on a rapid growth transformation and is seeking a talented Head of Strategy and Corporate Development to lead M&A, divestitures, joint ventures, minority investments, and other inorganic growth activities for the business. As a direct report to the Chief Strategy Officer of NielsenIQ, the Head of Corporate Development plays a critical role in defining and executing the company’s organic and inorganic growth agenda. Because of this, this position will have exposure to all senior leaders across the organization and the entire C-Suite / executive leadership team of NielsenIQ as well as Advent International.

Requirements

10-15 years of experience across either or both:
Mergers & Acquisitions: Investment banking and/or Corporate Development, and a proven track-record of successfully leading/building a corporate development function. The candidate will also have experience closing a variety of different kinds of transactions (JVs, investments, partnerships, etc.)
Strategy Experience: Management consulting experience in a top tier consulting firm or top Corporate Strategy in a highly demanding, fast paced environment.
Strategic thinker with ability to synthesize complex business issues into clear, actionable insights and communicate them concisely to senior leadership
Industry Experience: Background in Information Services, Consumer Packaged Goods, or Retail industries
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with rigorous, methodical approach to business analysis
Excellent project management capabilities; ability to mobilize cross-functional teams and drive execution across multiple workstreams
Exceptional leadership and stakeholder management skills with ability to influence internal and external partners at all organizational levels
Strong executive presence and communication skills; comfortable presenting to senior management and external audiences
Self-motivated, high-energy professional comfortable working in fast-paced, performance-driven environments and managing multiple priorities simultaneously
Collaborative team player with high emotional intelligence, strong communication skills, and openness to feedback
Ability to function as both individual contributor and team leader; comfortable with ambiguity and cross-functional complexity

Responsibilities

Mergers & Acquisitions
Curate and grow a pipeline of potential deals, proactively developing ideas for growth and actively sourcing and screening targets
Represent NielsenIQ externally with M&A targets and related advisors / intermediaries
Build investment thesis for potential acquisition spaces and targets, and organize and conduct due diligence activities to validate
M&A and other inorganic activity in close collaboration with the C-Suite and other relevant corporate stakeholders
Leading the due diligence and deal execution process; including negotiations and management of cross-functional teams and outside advisors.
Driving the development and execution of a transformational and tech-enabled M&A agenda across multiple business lines.
Support in integration planning and management, on an as-needed basis
Divestitures
Assess potential divestiture opportunities, as needed
Drive divestiture processes – from banker selection, to data prep, to support on diligence, and ultimately deal documentation
Joint Ventures / Minority Investments
Keep track of status and information for mixture of JVs and minority investments
Drive investment and decision making progress for any new potential partnerships
Other
Drive development of corporate development team
Support three year planning process, particularly as it relates to building out inorganic growth opportunities for key business and regions
Support other strategic / partnership based initiatives as business priorities dictate