Senior Associate - Mergers & Acquisitions

Solen Software Group: Solen Software Group is an evergreen holding company that acquires and operates proven software businesses that have significant growth potential in a variety of vertical markets, enabling them to be market leaders in their niche industry. Solen owns several software companies in various market spaces: Human Resource Technology, Fleet Telematics, Asset Management. Solen is backed by a group of advisors and investors that have built software businesses of material scale (10-100M in ARR) and advised many.

Your Role: At Solen, it is Day 1 of a journey that will last decades. This is an opportunity to be a crucial member of the Solen team–managing the mission-critical aspect of the business: M&A. Solen has built a highly productive sourcing engine - you will be a critical part of helping Solen enter our next phase of growth as an elite, professionalized holding company. You will be involved in aspects of the entire deal lifecycle, from thesis development to post-close support of operating companies, with specific responsibility for transaction underwriting and closing. You will be the key point of contact for business owners, brokers, and third parties, managing all aspects of the underwriting, due diligence, deal negotiations, and deal execution. The role will report directly to Alex Spencer, the company’s CEO, and will work closely with the leadership team. The scope of this role expands well beyond the tactical aspects of underwriting and diligence. You will be a strategic partner for the future of Solen’s strategy.

About You

• You have a high curiosity and drive to connect with business owners
• You are scrappy
• You are a leader
• You are self-motivated and work autonomously
• You think independently and are open to learning and sharing new ideas
• You have excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• You are collaborative
• You are a multi-faceted generalist with a specialization in your craft: M&A
• You understand Software and love b2b SaaS.
• You are a deal junkie - you get energy from the deal making process
• You have a sense for value and focus on the key “needle moving” questions (80/20)
• You have extensive experience investing in profitable software businesses and have an intuitive sense for what “good” looks like
• You are proactive in doing whatever it takes to answer the key diligence questions, and are focused on getting perspectives from customers, competitors, and industry experts
• Financial modeling is second nature - you develop financial models which get to the appropriate level of detail without being overly complex
• You are creative and thoughtful when it comes to deal structure. You structure deals in a “heads we win, tails we don’t lose much” mentality, while create a win-win transaction for founders and avoiding zero-sum negotiations whenever possible
• You are a systematic thinker. You develop tools, frameworks, and processes that can be used to streamline and scale our M&A engine

Responsibilities

M&A Strategy & Sourcing Support

• Develop Solen’s overall M&A strategy
• Work collaboratively with Solen’s sourcing team to identify, map and perform outreach to attractive markets
• Develop expertise and credibility with founders in target verticals
• Work collaboratively with the sourcing team to develop and achieve ambitious KPIs

Deal Underwriting

• Meet with founders and quickly understand the fundamentals of their business
• Collect needed information (both from the company and other sources) to prepare a thoughtful and appropriately detailed financial model to determine an appropriate valuation and structure
• Develop, negotiate and execute LOIs

Due Diligence

• Create a diligence plan and drive the end-to-end due diligence process
• Create elite diligence supporting materials (deal decks, models, etc)
• Be laser focused on the key questions (80/20) without losing sight of the details
• Doggedly find opportunities to get a 360 view of the company through conversations with management, customers, competitors, industry experts, and whomever else we need to speak with to gain conviction
• Get all necessary company financial and operational information to deeply understand how the business works, what the key levers for growth are and asses trends and opportunities
• Work collaboratively with third parties for key aspects of the diligence (e.g., QoE, technology, insurance, legal, etc.) and manage their work

Deal Execution

• Oversee the drafting and the negotiation of the purchase agreement, working closely with Legal
• Work with other third-parties to ensure a smooth deal execution process
• Identify and secure the most favorable debt financing terms available by working and negotiating with a broad range of lenders
• Work collaboratively with management to develop a post-transaction business plan

Requirements

• Experience: 2+ years prior work experience in consulting, investment banking or M&A
• Deep understanding of all aspects of the deal making process
• Strong financial modeling and presentation development skills
• Experience managing third party vendors (quality of earnings, tax, legal, etc.)
• Overall executive presence and prior experience directly interacting with founders, investors, bankers, and other intermediaries
• Prior experience in software is plus
• Advanced Excel, written, and verbal communication skills

Solen Software Group is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We encourage qualified applicants of all backgrounds to apply for this position.