Vice President, Corporate Development & Business Development

A growing middle-market M&A advisory firm is seeking a VP/SVP-level professional to help build and expand its origination and business development platform. This is a highly visible role that combines industry expertise, relationship management, deal sourcing, and team leadership.

The ideal candidate is a commercially minded professional who enjoys building relationships, developing new opportunities, and representing an organization externally. This individual will play a key role in strengthening relationships with private equity firms, corporate acquirers, founders, and executives while helping drive proprietary deal flow.

The Opportunity

This role sits at the intersection of business development, corporate development, private equity relationship management, and M&A origination.

The successful candidate will become a market-facing leader responsible for developing relationships across a specific industry vertical, identifying acquisition opportunities, attending industry conferences, and helping shape a more strategic approach to sourcing and business development.

In addition to personal business development responsibilities, this individual will help mentor junior origination professionals and contribute to the ongoing development of the firm's sourcing platform.

Key Responsibilities

Industry Coverage & Market Development

• Develop deep expertise within a targeted industry vertical and serve as a subject matter expert internally and externally.
• Build relationships with founders, CEOs, private equity investors, corporate development executives, and other industry participants.
• Monitor sector trends, acquisition activity, and emerging opportunities.
• Develop and maintain a strong network across the broader M&A ecosystem.

Business Development & Relationship Management

• Establish and expand relationships with private equity firms, corporate acquirers, intermediaries, and strategic partners.
• Represent the firm at conferences, trade shows, and industry events.
• Develop opportunities before, during, and after industry events to maximize business development efforts.
• Support efforts to deepen client relationships and identify new engagement opportunities.
• Maintain an active pipeline of prospective relationships and opportunities.

Deal Origination & Sourcing

• Identify and cultivate proprietary acquisition opportunities aligned with client investment strategies.
• Develop creative sourcing initiatives across targeted sectors.
• Engage directly with business owners and senior executives regarding strategic alternatives and growth opportunities.
• Evaluate opportunities based on strategic fit, market dynamics, transaction readiness, and buyer interest.
• Partner with transaction execution teams as opportunities progress into actionable engagements.

Leadership & Team Development

• Mentor and support junior origination professionals.
• Provide guidance around outreach strategy, market intelligence, relationship building, and opportunity qualification.
• Help elevate the firm's sourcing and business development strategy beyond traditional outbound efforts.
• Contribute to process improvement, best practices, and platform development initiatives.

Ideal Background

The successful candidate will likely possess:

• 8+ years of experience in corporate development, business development, private equity, investment banking, deal origination, executive search, transaction services, or another relationship-driven environment.
• Strong understanding of M&A, private equity, and middle-market transactions.
• Demonstrated success developing senior-level business relationships and commercial opportunities.
• Experience building credibility with executives, investors, founders, and business owners.
• Proven ability to identify opportunities, develop relationships, and generate measurable results.
• Experience leading, mentoring, or developing team members.
• Strong communication skills and executive presence.
• An entrepreneurial mindset and desire to build something over time.
• Willingness to travel regularly for conferences, client meetings, and relationship-building activities.
• Bachelor's degree required.

Why This Role

This is an opportunity to help shape and build an evolving origination platform while becoming a visible market-facing leader within a growing M&A advisory environment. The position offers significant exposure to private equity investors, corporate development leaders, founders, and senior executives, along with the ability to influence strategy, drive business development efforts, and create meaningful transaction opportunities.