Vice President, Corporate Development with PHG

Collaborative Strategies • St. Louis, MO

13d

About The Position

PHG is seeking a Vice President, Corporate Development to lead acquisition-driven growth and identify opportunities across its portfolio. Reporting to the CEO and based in St. Louis, the role combines the strategic discipline of private equity with an entrepreneurial operator mindset and the long-term perspective of an owner. This newly created position will shape PHG’s M&A approach and catalyze growth across portfolio businesses, with responsibility spanning acquisition sourcing and closing through investments in capabilities that build lasting value. The VP will have ownership of results within PHG’s strategic framework.

PHG is a family-owned holding group with three generations of business-building experience dating to 1979. It partners with founder- and family-owned businesses as a long-term owner, investing its own capital to build stronger businesses while preserving what makes each company unique.

Requirements

• At least 8 years of experience in private equity, corporate development, investment banking, M&A advisory, or an acquisitive operating company, with demonstrated success leading transactions from origination through close.
• Strong financial modeling, valuation, due diligence, negotiation, and deal-structuring capabilities.
• Ability to translate strategic opportunities into actionable plans.
• Experience building acquisition pipelines, managing complex cross-functional diligence, and partnering with senior leaders to drive post-acquisition performance.
• Exceptional relationship-building skills, judgment, and executive presence, with the ability to influence without authority and earn the trust of founders, owners, and operating executives.
• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working within or alongside operating businesses and their leadership teams is strongly preferred.
• MBA, CFA, or CPA.
• Experience with privately held founder- or family-owned businesses.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the CEO, CFO, Board, and operating-company leaders to define acquisition priorities, develop target theses, and identify opportunities to expand existing businesses and build new platforms.
• Build proprietary deal flow through direct outreach, industry relationships, and intermediaries; lead evaluation, financial modeling, valuation, due diligence, negotiation, and transaction execution from origination through close.
• Assess strategic fit, leadership, culture, risk, and long-term potential to ensure investments align with PHG’s ownership philosophy and create sustainable value.
• Work alongside operating-company presidents to identify growth opportunities, evaluate strategic investments, and explore new capabilities, markets, and business lines that strengthen existing companies.
• Represent PHG to newly acquired businesses, guiding onboarding, first-100-day priorities, governance, and performance tracking while respecting leadership autonomy and preserving each company’s unique culture.
• Establish disciplined acquisition processes, pipeline management, diligence frameworks, and post-close feedback loops to strengthen PHG’s approach to investing and building businesses over time.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior