The Director of Corporate Development drives Nava's growth strategy through acquisitions and partnerships, working closely with senior leadership to evaluate and execute transactions while ensuring alignment with company objectives.
About Nava
Nava is a consultancy and public benefit corporation working to make government services simple and effective. Since 2015, federal, state, and local agencies have trusted Nava to help solve highly scrutinized technology modernization challenges.
As a client services company, we guide agencies constrained by legacy systems to a future with sharp user experiences built on secure, reliable, fault-tolerant cloud infrastructure. We bill for our time, offering our expertise and problem-solving approach to help our government partners enhance their digital products and services. People are at the heart of our work, from members of the public who rely on benefit programs to government agency staff. Through human-centered design and modern engineering best practices, we help our government partners understand user needs and deliver on their missions more effectively. This focus gives everyone at Nava the opportunity to do work that is meaningful, impactful, and deeply connected to public good.
Position Summary
The Director of Corporate Development is a critical driver of the company’s inorganic growth strategy. This role will identify, evaluate, and execute transformative acquisitions, strategic investments, and high-impact partnerships. You will act as a critical bridge between senior leadership, external stakeholders, and cross-functional teams to ensure our corporate development plans and resulting transactions align with Nava’s long-term strategy and business objectives.
This role is highly visible and requires a strategic thinker who can translate market intelligence, company strategy, and financial objectives into actionable business insights for the Executive Leadership Team and organizational leaders. The ideal candidate has deep experience in corporate development and an understanding of the critical metrics which drive long-term business value in tech-enabled professional services. This person is an integral member of the company’s management team and will report to the CFO.
They will work as part of a remote-first team to deliver the highest quality internal support and solutions to employees at scale in a fast-growing company. Nava is ~650 people today, and the Director of Corporate Development will be integral to enabling us to approximately double over the next several years. This role will help us solidify our position as a mid-market government contracting firm with a portfolio spanning the federal, state, and local level. Critical to this role will be the ability to identify transactions, operate with a strong attention to detail, and effectively engage our senior leadership team to build alignment. As a proven leader and exceptional operator, this person should build trust and confidence in all interactions, elevate those around them, serve as a role model for others, radiate their intent, take pride in strong attention to detail and precision, enjoy solving challenging problems creatively alongside internal colleagues and external teammates, setup scalable technology-enabled processes, and understand our industry’s dynamics and how best to operate within them.
We are seeking “T-shaped” candidates – people with vertical depth of expertise in business strategy, mergers and acquisitions, financial analysis, and business combinations who are strong horizontal leaders and communicators across organizational boundaries. In particular, we are looking for a leader who is an exceptional operator, and will deeply understand our goals, business, delivery approach, and mission, before bringing their expertise to the table to help us get there.
What you’ll do
- Strategy and Impact Analysis
- Partner with the Chief Executive Officer, other C-Level executives, the EVP of Growth, the General Counsel, and other senior leaders to develop and refine corporate development strategy and strategic priorities.
- Proactively build relationships and lead industry research, market intelligence, and competitive benchmarking efforts to identify and cultivate a pipeline of targets, new ventures, and strategic partnerships for review and prioritization by senior leadership.
- Work closely with the CFO and FP&A team to develop useful financial models, including DCF, accretion/dilution, and sensitivity analysis, to evaluate the economic impact of potential transactions.
- Drive the transaction lifecycle from initial outreach, trusted relationship building, internal alignment and buy-in, term sheet development, definitive agreement, and closing, in close partnership with the Legal Team and other senior leaders.
- Guide the due diligence and integration process across Delivery, Growth, Legal, Finance, Talent, Operations, and Market Shaping, ensuring all risks are identified and mitigated before closing.
- Collaborate with Delivery, Growth, and other senior leaders to assess strategic fit of a potential transaction, ensuring internal alignment on transaction objectives and the allocation of capital and business resources.
- Drive post-acquisition value creation by partnering with integration teams to develop 30, 60, and 90+day plans, ensuring smooth transitions and the realization of projected synergies.
- Partner with the CFO, other C-level executives, the General Counsel, and key leaders on firm-wide strategic and operational initiatives.
- Lead, mentor, and develop participants in the corporate development process, fostering a culture of high performance, accuracy, and continuous improvement.
- Streamline and improve existing reporting and planning processes so all leaders can easily access the information they need to perform their roles relative to a transaction, leveraging systems and business intelligence tools for efficiency and enhanced analytics.
Execution and Due Diligence
Team Leadership and Development
Required skills
- Minimum of 7–10 years in corporate development, investment banking, private equity, management consulting, or a similar role.
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, or related field.
- Strong understanding of professional services and government contracting, including industry dynamics and vehicle and contract variables which influence business value.
- Strong negotiation skills, with an ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization.
- Proven expertise in business valuation, financial modeling, and unit economics.
- Exceptional ability to synthesize complex data into clear, concise, and actionable insights for non-financial executives.
- Strong leadership, communication, and people management skills, with experience developing a Corporate Development function.
- Executes excellent change management around goals and expectations and proactively identifies when course correction is needed.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a keen attention to detail and accuracy.S
- Strong computer skills and an ability to leverage technology in a professional services context.
- Excellent time management skills with keen attention to detail.
- Problem solving and conflict resolution skills.
- High level of personal integrity, ethics, motivation, and ability to foster mutual respect and inclusion.
- Capacity and resilience to develop, build, and grow strong working relationships at all levels of leadership, management, and external stakeholders and clients.
- Ability to implement strategies and services in a fast-paced, dynamic, and growing environment while maintaining alignment across organizational boundaries.
Desired skills
- MBA or CPA/CFA certification.
- Experience with a global or multi-entity professional services organization.
- Proficiency in GSuite, Slack, Zoom, Excel, Apple computers, and other tools used to support a remote-work environment.
Other requirements
All roles at Nava require the following:
Legal authorization to work in the United States
Ability to meet any other requirements for government contracts for which candidates are hired
Work authorization that doesn’t require visa sponsorship, now or in the future
May be subject to a government background check or security clearance, depending on the contract
Perks working with Nava
Health coverage — comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans to support your overall health needs
Insurance coverage — Nava provides disability, life, and accidental death insurance at no cost
Time off — vacation, holidays (including Juneteenth), and floating holidays to rest and recharge
Company holidays — enjoy 12 paid federal holidays each year on top of your regular PTO
Annual bonus — when Nava meets its goals, eligible employees receive a performance-based annual bonus
Parental leave — paid time off for new parents, plus weekly meals delivered to your home
Wellness program — full platform offering physical, mental, & emotional health resources & support tools
Virtual care — see doctors online with no copay through UnitedHealthcare’s virtual visit program
Sabbatical leave — earn extended unpaid leave after continuous service for personal growth or rest
401(k) match — Nava matches 4% of your salary to support your retirement savings plan
Flexible work — remote-first environment with flexibility built around your schedule and responsibilities
Home office setup — company laptop & setup assistance provided via Staples for remote work needs
Utility support — monthly reimbursement to help offset eligible home office utility expenses
Learning opportunities — internal training programs and resources to help grow your professional skills
Development opportunities — LinkedIn Learning access & an annual allowance for courses, tuition, & certs
Referral bonus — get rewarded when you refer great people who join the Nava team
Commuter benefits — pre-tax commuter programs to support in-office travel when applicable
Supportive culture — A collaborative and remote-friendly team environment where people genuinely care
Location
We have fully remote options if you reside in one of the following states:
Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, DC, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin
*If you are not living in one of the states listed above, unfortunately, you will not be considered for a position at this time.
Stay in touch
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Please contact the recruiting team at [email protected] if you would like to request reasonable accommodation during the application or interviewing process.
We participate in E-Verify. Upon hire, we will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. This role requires you to work from the contiguous United States.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Nava is committed to providing equal employment opportunities without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, gender and/or gender identity or expression, color, creed, religion, religious creed, age, national origin, ethnicity, disability, veteran or military status, sex, sexual orientation, reproductive health autonomy, pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth, genetic information, domestic violence victim status, marital status, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Nava prohibits any such discrimination or harassment. This policy applies to all employees, applicants, contractors, and temporary workers of Nava.
Top Skills
Apple Computers
Excel
Google Suite
Slack
Zoom
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