Job Description

Are you excited by the challenge of building an outreach machine, and establishing yourself as a dealmaker with the “who's who” in a quickly evolving industry?

TL;DR: We're a family of companies looking for a forward-thinking, entrepreneurial M&A Origination Associate who wants to own the process of finding prospective companies to acquire, “spreading the good news” of our mission, and closing deals across the nation. As our first true business development hire, you'll have the broad opportunity to shape our accelerating company in one of our most critical areas: growth through acquisition. There is a long-term career path and we hope you'll one day head our business development team.

What do we do?

We acquire and operate Homeowners' Association Management companies (read: the folks who make sure your neighbors pay their HOA dues, hire the landscaper, and keep your condo building beautiful and structurally sound).

What would you do?

We're looking for an M&A Manager who can build upon our current M&A diligence & execution machine (designed originally by our company's co-founder, formerly IB/PE). That means assisting our business development team with preliminary diligence to help sellers sign letters of intent, “quarterbacking” our LOI diligence process, and working directly with our co-founder and the company's attorneys to negotiate and close the transaction. You will own our diligence process, which includes managing our M&A analyst(s) to collect all necessary data, conducting commercial diligence, building a value creation plan, and coordinating with third-party accountants and attorneys. You will be responsible for validating if a company under LOI is ultimately a fit for The CAM Collective.

Why a “family of companies?”

We acquire small businesses, usually from their founders. They sell to us and not the big, national firms because they want to protect what made them special: their people, culture, and deep connections to the local community. So we honor that: no layoffs, no rebranding, limited integration, and decentralized decision-making. Because we believe if you offer smart, empowered people big-company resources, they'll take advantage and grow just as fast as any top-down organization (and feel a lot more fulfilled in the process). 

Show me the money!

You can't offer founders an exit plan without a hefty bank account — so we raised over $50M in committed capital to enable our ambitious growth vision (and those of our Member Companies). Our group of investors is led by Taubman Capital, which represents a family that spent the better part of a century building their own business. (Press Release (

What about geography?

We're based in Chicago, but our Member Companies are also in D.C., Florida, Maryland, Texas, and Virginia. The role is remote, but proximity to one of our Companies and a willingness to be a regular face in that office is a big plus. This role will also involve travel to meet with business owners, and attending conferences, including our own annual planning conference, “Collectivity”.

One curveball

We're big believers in automation, AI-enablement, and productivity tools. These tools allow us to effectively & efficiently manage 10 LOI diligence processes at any given time between our team of two (the co-founder and an M&A Analyst). With your addition, we will triple that output next year. That means comfort and fluency with modern technology tools and a desire to use them is a must. A “continuous improvement” spirit to better our model is a big plus!

Will we get along?

If you believe in these things, probably!

(1) When you have a problem or face an obstacle, “figure it out and get it done!”

(2) Employees first, customers second, bottom line third. Because great employees make for happy customers who take care of the bottom line.

(3) “Are we having fun yet?” is the most important question we ask each day. Life's too short to take yourself seriously!

So far so good? Here are some details on what you'd do:

• Conduct valuation analysis for prospective acquisitions
  • Conduct preliminary valuation analysis to inform our letters of intent (LOI)
  • Seek approval from our co-founder to structure transactions
  • Work with our outreach manager(s) to negotiate with seller and sign an LOI
• Manage the relationship with sellers through the diligence process
  • Host twice-weekly check-in meetings with the seller & team to collect data
  • Host 60+ minute diligence sessions
  • Educate the seller through the process, explaining the necessity of each step
  • Work with seller to confirm valuation post-financial diligence
• Conduct commercial, financial, and legal due diligence
  • Coordinate third-party advisors to complete diligence on-time and on-budget
  • Manage M&A analyst(s) to collect customer, employee, financial and legal data
  • Manage M&A analyst(s) to complete commercial diligence, pro forma and budget
• Write investment memoranda to seek approval from the co-founders
  • Draft memos pre-LOI, after key diligence milestones, and prior to close
  • Create “value creation” business plans with assistance of seller and advisors
  • Provide weekly diligence updates to the team
• Set up the operations and finance team for a successful onboarding process
  • Transform business plan into pre-closing onboarding checklist
  • Transform pro forma into first year budget and walkthrough with with seller team
  • Assist our operations and finance teams in establishing relationship with seller
• Negotiate final purchase agreement with seller and sellers' counsel
  • Work with our attorneys to review initial legal documents
  • Create issues lists to walk through differences with seller and negotiate solutions
  • Manage attorneys to facilitate timely negotiations & meet closing deadlines

What you have (the basics):

• Bachelor's degree
• 3-5 years of experience in investment banking and/or lower-middle market private equity
• A tendency to “nerd out” about business building and acquisitions

What you have (hard skills):

• Experience building detailed financial analysis
• Experience creating compelling visual presentations (PowerPoint, Google Slides, etc.)
• Experience in recruiting and managing analyst-level talent is preferred

What you have (soft traits):

• Strong servant-leadership qualities - you are not afraid to jump in and help wherever help is needed with an ample dose of humility (i.e., no task is beneath you).
• Excellent communication skills – you effectively inspire and energize both reports who you mentor and leaders who you support. You create clarity out of complexity.
• High horsepower – You have a demonstrated history of outworking your peers.
• Continuous improvement mindset – You know things can be better, have the analytical chops to figure out how, and can rally cross-functional teams around making it happen.
• A team-building mentality – you are committed to working as a member of the team and building a successful organization. You can quickly gain the trust, confidence, and respect of colleagues, customers, and other stakeholders.
• An entrepreneurial spirit – you are comfortable in a dynamic work environment and possess a proven ability to deliver without direct oversight. You're a self-starter and thrive in an evolving, changing environment.
• Unflinching ethics – you do the right thing, always.

What we have to offer:

• Competitive pay
• Excellent benefits package - Health, Dental, Vision, 401(k) match
• Unlimited PTO

Don't be shy!

We encourage you to apply even if you feel that you do not meet all of the above qualifications. Frequently cited statistics show that women and underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. The CAM Collective encourages you to break that statistic and to apply. No one ever meets 100% of the requirements. We look forward to your application!

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