Head of Corporate Development

Role overview

CarGurus is looking for a Head of Corporate Development to join our team to participate in the full cycle of M&A deals, including sourcing, diligence, negotiation, and execution.
We are looking for a highly motivated self-starter to help manage sourcing through our deal pipeline, conduct rigorous due diligence efforts, assist with transaction execution, and coordinate post-merger integration efforts. With excellent financial and analytical skills and a down-to Earth business sense, this person will partner closely with leaders across our organization.
This person will have the unique opportunity to help execute CarGurus’ strategic acquisition roadmap, and will be a key member of the Corporate Strategy team. The role will be highly cross-functional and a successful candidate will possess analytical horsepower as well as strong communication and organizational abilities.

What you'll do

• Perform market research, build industry landscapes, and identify and engage with target opportunities
• Partner with leadership across the organization to identify and create M&A strategy that accelerates our corporate strategy and vision
• Build and refine financial models for company valuation purposes, and analyze and interpret financial statements
• Own strategic relationships—launch, manage, optimize and scale existing and new relationships with potential acquisition targets and contact persons
• Work with executives and colleagues, target company management teams and external advisors on a regular basis
• Research and understand new business trends and leverage expert interviews to build insights / recommendations on new business opportunities
• Maintain deal pipeline, track market M&A activity, draft internal updates, and create deal review presentations for VP of Corporate Strategy and select members of the Executive Team
• Actively spend time in market, building relationships with and engaging potential targets, industry peers, existing partners/vendors and customers to inform our corporate development point of view
• Develop and own the achievement of corporate development goals
  
  

What you'll bring

• 8-10+ years of professional experience—investment banking, VC/PE, corporate M&A or management consulting (M&A focus) experience preferred
• Proven track record of executing value-driven acquisitions, deal ideation through due diligence
• Strategic / analytical mindset with an ability to think broadly, refine questions, and develop analytical frameworks
• Strong grounding in financial analysis, capital allocation, and valuation methodologies
• Capable of effectively tracking and reporting on deal pipeline
• Experience evaluating build / buy / partner approach to strategic opportunities
• Ability to problem solve and create structure in complex and sometimes ambiguous environments
• Demonstrated success working closely with senior executive leadership, and experience influencing across the organization
• Self-motivated, well-organized and detail-oriented
• Business mindset with experience driving metrics-oriented outcomes
• Innovative mindset, able to identify unconventional opportunities for growth
• Excellent analytical skill set—able to translate quantitative and qualitative inputs into actionable strategic direction
• Possess project management ability to complete deal components, such as managing a cross-functional due-diligence team, under deadline constraints
• Experience and deep understanding of SaaS business models; understanding of the automotive tech landscape preferred