Senior M&A Paralegal

American Operator is seeking a highly organized, proactive Senior M&A Paralegal to help manage the execution of acquisitions from diligence through closing and post-close. This role sits at the intersection of legal transaction support and project management and will serve as a key coordinator across our legal, investment, finance, HR, and operating teams.

The ideal candidate is an experienced corporate paralegal who has supported and managed M&A transactions in a fast-paced law firm or in-house environment. You are comfortable owning the details of a transaction, anticipating what needs to happen next, and keeping multiple stakeholders aligned against an aggressive timeline. You have excellent judgment, communicate clearly, and are equally willing to handle administrative details and take ownership of complex, cross-functional projects. This role will report to the General Counsel.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own transaction project management for small and middle-market acquisitions, building and maintaining deal timelines, identifying the critical path, tracking dependencies, and proactively escalating issues that could delay closing.

• Manage the due diligence process, including building and maintaining data rooms, coordinating document requests, tracking outstanding diligence items, identifying gaps, and working with internal teams and outside counsel to drive items to completion.

• Own closing checklists and execution logistics, including tracking conditions to closing, coordinating signatures, preparing signature packets, maintaining closing documents, and assembling final closing binders.

• Draft, review, and coordinate transaction documentation, including NDAs, disclosure schedules, consents, certificates, ancillary agreements, and other routine transaction documents.

• Coordinate regulatory and corporate requirements, including UCC searches and filings, state qualifications, entity documentation, and other transaction-related filings.

• Serve as the central point of coordination across legal, investments, finance, HR, operations, business teams, and outside counsel, translating legal requirements into clear owners, deadlines, and action items.

• Provide clear transaction reporting, developing concise executive-level updates as well as detailed working-team trackers that communicate status, risks, dependencies, and next steps.

• Manage post-closing workstreams, including outstanding consents, contract assignments, corporate documentation, transition items, and other post-close obligations.

• Maintain highly organized transaction records, templates, trackers, and documentation across multiple concurrent transactions.

• Identify opportunities to improve transaction processes, templates, systems, and workflows as American Operator continues to scale its acquisition activity.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• 8+ years of relevant experience as a corporate or M&A paralegal, with a paralegal certificate or recognized paralegal certification required.

• Experience within the corporate/M&A practice of a leading mid-size or large law firm; relevant in-house transaction experience is also valuable.

• Able to design and implement processes end-to-end, including software implementation, change management, and securing stakeholder buy-in.

• Significant experience supporting M&A transactions from diligence through closing, with the ability to independently manage transaction processes and multiple concurrent workstreams.

• Strong understanding of transaction mechanics, diligence processes, closing requirements, corporate documentation, and basic regulatory and entity filings.

• Exceptional project management and organizational skills, with demonstrated ability to manage detailed workstreams, deadlines, dependencies, and multiple stakeholders.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate legal requirements into clear, actionable guidance for non-legal stakeholders.

• High attention to detail and strong judgment, with the ability to identify gaps, anticipate issues, and proactively drive work forward.

• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment where responsibilities may extend beyond a traditional paralegal role.

• Experience with virtual data room platforms such as Datasite or Intralinks and project management tools such as Asana or Smartsheet; strong Excel skills required.

• Low ego and highly collaborative; willing to handle the smallest execution details while also taking ownership of complex processes and projects.

The anticipated base salary range for this position is listed below. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance-based bonus and equity. Please note that compensation is determined based on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, education, skills, and other qualifications specific to the role.

$140K - $170K

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance, a company-matched 401(k), unlimited PTO, paid holidays, and paid parental leave.

American Operator exists because we believe the American Dream is worth protecting, and that small businesses are the backbone of our communities. To do this well, we need a team that reflects the real world: operators, builders, investors, and problem-solvers from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.

Every company claims to be mission-driven, but our mission is simple, tangible, and urgent: preserve the legacy of America’s small businesses and create more pathways to meaningful ownership.

We partner with operators who want to step into leadership, take responsibility for great companies, and continue the work that founders spent decades building. When we succeed, communities keep their employers, families keep their livelihoods, and operators get the chance to build wealth through real ownership.

We work hard because we know what’s at stake: generational businesses that deserve to thrive, and talented operators who deserve the chance to lead them. And while we measure our success in deals closed and businesses grown, the real reward is seeing these companies continue to serve their people and their towns, stronger than before.

Where else do you get the opportunity to help someone become a CEO, preserve a founder’s life’s work, and strengthen a community, all in the same job? That’s what makes our work both serious and incredibly fulfilling.