About this role.
Updater is seeking a senior corporate development leader to set and execute its acquisition, partnership, and growth strategy. The role owns the full deal lifecycle, including target sourcing, valuation, diligence, negotiation, closing, and post-merger integration. It partners closely with the CEO, CFO, Strategic Finance, Legal, Product, and GTM teams to assess strategic fit, synergies, risks, and value creation. The ideal candidate brings at least seven years of M&A, corporate development, banking, private equity, or venture capital experience, along with a strong dealmaking network and advanced financial modeling capability.
Role DNA
A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description.
Job Complexity
5/5Pace & Pressure
5/5Autonomy Level
5/5Communication Load
5/5Salary analysis
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Core skills
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Cover letter sample
Dear Hiring Team,
I am excited to apply for the Director, Corporate Development role at Updater. My background in corporate development, M&A evaluation, financial modeling, and cross-functional deal execution aligns strongly with your need for a leader who can identify and deliver strategic growth opportunities.
I would bring a disciplined approach to target sourcing, valuation, diligence, negotiation, and post-close value capture, while communicating clear investment theses to executive stakeholders. Updater's focus on intelligent, autonomous systems and its commitment to acquisitive growth make this an especially compelling opportunity.
I welcome the opportunity to discuss how I can help build a high-quality pipeline of acquisitions and partnerships that accelerates Updater's strategic vision.
Sample interview questions
Use a structured example that explains the strategic thesis, how the target was identified, valuation approach, diligence findings, negotiation decisions, closing process, and measurable post-close results. Highlight your personal ownership and the trade-offs you managed.
I would begin with the strategic objective and customer need, then compare time to market, differentiated capabilities, cost, execution risk, integration complexity, and expected returns across each option. I would present a fact-based recommendation with scenario analysis and clear decision gates.
A strong memo clearly states the strategic rationale, market context, target overview, valuation, financial returns, synergies, key risks, diligence findings, integration plan, and recommended decision. It should distinguish facts from assumptions and make the trade-offs easy for leaders to evaluate.
I establish a shared deal thesis, decision owners, workstreams, timeline, and escalation process early. Regular concise updates, a centralized diligence tracker, and explicit treatment of unresolved risks help each function contribute while keeping the transaction moving.
Before close, I would translate the thesis into specific financial, operational, product, customer, and talent KPIs with owners and milestones. After close, I would review performance against the baseline and integration plan regularly, identify variances quickly, and adjust actions to protect value creation.
About the Role
Updater is seeking an ambitious, strategic, and results-driven leader to spearhead our corporate development and growth agenda. In this role, you will source and evaluate opportunities that fuel Updater’s next stage of growth – including acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and initiatives that expand or enhance existing business lines. You will own the assessment of the market and competitive landscape across priority verticals, serving as a trusted advisor to the executive team. From identifying opportunities through executing and integrating transformative deals, you will ensure Updater capitalizes on the right partnerships and acquisitions that accelerate our strategic vision.
This is a unique opportunity to join a rapidly expanding business and to play a major role in shaping Updater’s future as a category-leading B2B2C platform with:
- A massive TAM across partner, service, and consumer verticals
- Strategic whitespace in high-growth sectors with fragmented competitive landscapes
- Rich data and integration opportunities through our enterprise partnerships
- An executive team aligned on acquisitive growth as a top strategic lever
Key Responsibilities
Growth Strategy & Pipeline Development
- Own the long-term corporate development strategy in close partnership with the CEO, CFO, and senior leadership
- Develop a deep understanding of the competitive landscape and emerging business models across our priority verticals, advising the executive team on market opportunities and whitespace plays
- Proactively source, evaluate, and prioritize acquisition and partnership opportunities in priority verticals, leveraging deep industry knowledge and networks
- Build and maintain a robust pipeline of targets, balancing strategic fit, financial return, and integration potential
- Partner with the CEO, CFO, and executive team to align targets with strategic growth initiatives
Deal Evaluation & Execution
- Lead all stages of the deal process — from initial outreach and valuation through diligence, negotiation, and closing
- Partner with cross-functional teams (Finance, Legal, Product, GTM) to assess deal synergies, risks, and integration requirements
- Develop and present investment cases and recommendations to the executive team
Market & Competitive Intelligence
- Continuously monitor market trends, competitive dynamics, and emerging business models in target sectors
- Identify adjacency plays and “build vs. buy” opportunities that can strengthen Updater’s competitive position
- Advise GTM teams on strategic business development opportunities
Relationship Building & Networking
- Build and maintain senior-level relationships across investment banks, private equity, venture capital, and industry operators to enhance deal flow
- Represent Updater as a thought leader in key sectors at conferences, panels, and industry events
M&A Integration Leadership
- Oversee M&A integration planning and execution for acquired companies to ensure seamless onboarding, value capture, and cultural alignment
- Partner with functional leaders to establish post-close KPIs and monitor acquisition performance against deal theses
- Partner with the Strategic Finance team to model acquisition opportunities, including but not limited to detailed three-statement financial models, revenue and cost synergies, and working capital requirements
Requirements
- 7+ years of experience in corporate development, M&A, investment banking, private equity, or venture capital
- Strong understanding of Generative AI and Agentic Commerce
- Proven track record of sourcing, structuring, and closing acquisitions in relevant industries
- Deep network of relationships across private equity, venture capital, and corporate dealmakers
- Strong financial acumen, with the ability to build and evaluate complex valuation models and ROI analyses
- Experience leading due diligence, negotiation, and integration in both buy-side and sell-side contexts
- Exceptional strategic thinking with the ability to translate business goals into actionable deal strategies
- Business development experience preferred
- Strong communication and influencing skills; able to articulate deal rationale and value creation opportunities to executives, boards, and external stakeholders
- Empathetic, pragmatic, and collaborative leadership style
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to convey strategic value to executives, boards, and external stakeholders
- Experience working with a remote-first team distributed across multiple time zones
Compensation
The new hire salary range for this position is $250,000-$280,000 annually. Factors which may affect the starting pay within this range include skills, experience, and other qualifications aligned with Updater’s internal leveling guidelines.
About Updater
Updater is a leading technology platform helping major brands acquire and retain customers at scale. We are on a mission to power millions of complex transactions through intelligent, autonomous systems. By combining deep integrations, real-world data, and purpose-built AI agents, we’re transforming fragmented purchasing workflows into seamless, automated experiences – freeing businesses and consumers from operational friction and enabling a new standard of speed, accuracy, and scale.
Updater has raised over $450 million from leading investors, including SoftBank Capital, Vista Credit Partners, IA Ventures, Commerce Ventures, Second Century Ventures (the strategic investment arm of the National Association of Realtors®), and more. For more information, please visit www.updater.com.
Updater is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants regardless of color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or family status, disability, gender identity or expression, veteran status, actual or presumed belonging to an ethnic group, or any other legally protected status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
Benefits: The Company offers the following benefits for full-time positions, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:
- Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- Flexible PTO
- 13 paid company holidays annually
- Updater Stock Options
- 401(k) with employer match
- Wellbeing Subsidy
- One Medical membership
- Virtual on-demand healthcare through Teladoc and Talkspace
- Flexible spending account (FSA)
- Health savings account (HSA)
- Supplemental Short & Long Term Disability Insurance
- Supplemental Life Insurance
- Paid Parental Leave
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