Corporate Development Director

Director – Global Corporate Development | New York (Hybrid) | Office: 2days/week with team in office; more as projects require | Travel:
Occasional, < 25%

The Global Corporate Development (GCD) team sits within Wolters Kluwer's Global Strategy group, which reports to the CEO and Chair of the Executive Board, giving the team a direct line of sight to Group‑level capital allocation and portfolio strategy. The team drives the company's inorganic growth strategy, partnering with divisional general managers and senior executives across all five of Wolters Kluwer's global divisions to source, assess, structure, and execute transactions.

Over the last two years, the GCD team has executed nearly US $2billion in transactions in both the US and Europe, with deal sizes ranging from US$~5M to 500M.

The Director, Global Corporate Development is a senior individual contributor and deal leader who reports to the VP Americas, Corporate Development. The role leads M&A transactions end-to-end, from initial intake through diligence, valuation, board memo preparation, negotiation, and execution.

• Enterprise Understanding & Strategic Connectivity – Build fluency across Wolters Kluwer’s operating businesses and strategic priorities, and develop meaningful professional relationships across the Global Strategy group to drive alignment and effective collaboration on transactions.
• Deal Leadership & Execution – Lead assigned acquisition and divestiture processes end‑to‑end, with accountability for transaction strategy, timelines, and outcomes.
• Stakeholder & Relationship Development – Meaningfully engage divisional leadership, bankers, PE sponsors, and industry contacts to advance opportunities aligned with strategic priorities; build and maintain trusted relationships with divisional GMs, SVPs, and functional leaders; act as the day‑to‑day lead with target management teams, PE funds, and transaction advisors on selected deals.
• Investment Thesis & Decision Framing – Develop investment theses; frame key value drivers, risks, and trade‑offs; prepare and present recommendations to senior executives.
• Financial & Operating Model Oversight – Direct the development and review of valuation and operating models (DCF, comps, accretion/dilution, multiple‑case operating scenarios); challenge assumptions and ensure analytical rigor.
• Project Management & Governance – Lead complex, cross‑functional deal processes; set workplans, manage dependencies, and resolve issues across internal teams and external advisors under compressed timelines.
• Due Diligence Leadership – Oversee financial, commercial, technical, and operational diligence; synthesize findings into clear implications for valuation, structure, and deal risk; serve as escalation point for key issues.
• Divestiture & Portfolio Actions – Lead divestiture processes including carve‑out planning, self‑diligence, and coordination with internal and external stakeholders.
• Team Development – Mentor and review work of members; raise analytical and execution standards across the group through coaching and feedback.

• Experience:
  
  9–12years across investment banking, private equity, or corporate development, with a strong record of leading M&A transactions.
• Software M&A Expertise:
  Significant experience across Software, AI, and SaaS M&A, with a deep understanding of revenue models for subscription and usage‑based businesses.
• Negotiation & Deal Point Experience – Familiarity with negotiating key commercial deal points (valuation, price adjustments, restrictive covenants, reps and warranties) and reviewing disclosures against due diligence findings.
• Education – Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Mathematics, or a related field; MBA strongly preferred.
• Transaction Leadership – Demonstrated experience leading transactions end‑to‑end, including negotiation of valuation and commercial elements in definitive documentation and leading development of investment memos.
• Financial Judgment – Ability to assess financial models critically, focusing on key drivers, while ensuring mechanics are correct and a solid understanding of financial statements.
• E…