Senior Manager, Corporate Development

Job Description

COMPANY OVERVIEW:

Cognex is a world leader in machine vision, a fast-growing branch of AI.  The 1 million+ vision systems sold to date guide robots, perform inspections, and read critical characters and barcodes in the world’s most advanced manufacturing and logistics facilities.

Cognex serves an international customer base from offices located throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia, and through a global network of integration and distribution partners. The company is headquartered close to Boston in Natick, MA.

POSITION FUNCTION:

The Senior Manager, Corporate Development reports to the CEO of Cognex.  A core component of the role is to work closely with the CEO, CFO, CTO and Business Unit Leaders to develop the strategy to address growth opportunities.  As such, you will have broad exposure across the company and significant ability to affect growth at Cognex. 

Our CEO’s vision for this role is to serve as a platform for a high-caliber individual who will move into a general management (GM) role in one of our business units. To be successful in the eventual GM role you will need to have a technical background (CS, ME, EE, etc). 

In addition to reporting directly to the CEO, this position entails regular interactions with a wide range of senior leaders across the organization.  The Senior Manager must be able to work independently and collaborate productively with a broad range of individuals. 

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Market Analysis: Lead detailed market analysis including understanding of the size, growth rate, profitability, and competitive dynamics in these markets.  Identify attractive segments and markets for Cognex to enter and/or invest in.

M&A: Determine the most attractive and actionable acquisition targets.  Develop relationships and cultivate management of potential targets. Perform financial analysis and valuation.  Lead the acquisition due diligence, including program management of cross-functional team.  Negotiate contracts.  Assist in managing the post-acquisition process.

Strategic Projects: Run strategic projects for the CEO, other CXOs, and the Board of Directors (BoD).  Prepare BoD presentations.  Recruit new members of the Corporate Development Team. 

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Strategy Consulting Experience: 2 – 4 years of post-MBA experience in a top-tier management consulting firm.

• Relevant Industry Experience: Preference for candidates with experience working as an engineer, software developer, or other technical roles prior to business school or candidates who have spent at least 50% of their time working in the technology or industrial products industries. 

• Relevant Functional Experience: Preference will be given to candidates with at least 50% of their projects focused on growth and/or go to market strategy. 

• Structured and Logical Thinking: Strong judgement, problem solving skills, and a demonstrated ability to quickly develop recommendations are critical to this role. 

• Analytical Rigor: Ability to run complicated quantitative analysis. Mastery of Microsoft Excel.

• Powerful Communication: Excellent communication and presentation skills, both written and verbal, including confidence and the presence to engage effectively with senior executives.

PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

The candidate selected for this position will be a creative, out-of-the-box thinker who is intellectually curious with a demonstrated interest in learning.  This person will also need to be a self-motivated, high-energy individual who can easily work on multiple tasks in parallel.  Additionally, he/she must demonstrate strong leadership skills, best demonstrated by the individual’s ability to gain credibility with team members and senior management.

The successful candidate will:

• Be modest in nature, recognizing the accomplishments of the team before the individual
• Communicate in an open and honest way that quickly builds trust and respect
• Be highly motivated and possess vision and enthusiasm
• Be comfortable acting as an individual contributor and as a team manager (Player/Coach)
• Understand how to deliver on short time frames
• Possess an entrepreneurial spirit
• Be comfortable on his/her feet making presentations

Additional Job Description

Equal Employment Opportunity

Cognex is an equal opportunity employer. Cognex evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, disability/handicap status or any other legally protected characteristic.