Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) Associate

Who are we, and what do we do?

Vylor, the seed and gene editing spin out of Corteva Agriscience, is looking for a Corporate Mergers & Acquisition (M&A) Associate. The role will support senior M&A leaders in the execution of transactions and also be expected to independently execute small to medium sized transactions with limited supervision. The position provides an opportunity to be an integral part of the M&A team and work closely with global Strategy, Finance, and Business teams to support the execution of a diverse range of transactions including acquisitions, divestments, joint ventures, and early-stage investments while providing an excellent opportunity for growth within the organization. Key to success in this role will be a candidate who is a “do-er” not a “delegator” and a candidate who can manage multiple concurrent projects.

Primary Responsibilities - How will you help us Grow!

• Support the identification, evaluation, and execution of strategic transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, early-stage investments, licensing arrangements, and strategic partnerships.
• Support transaction execution throughout the deal lifecycle, including opportunity assessment, due diligence, valuation, transaction structuring, negotiation support, execution of definitive agreements, and post-close performance monitoring.
• Develop and maintain detailed financial models, valuation analyses, business cases, and synergy assessments to support investment decisions and transaction approvals.
• Assist the M&A team in developing and implementing modeling/valuation templates based on best practices (using select corporate and investment bank models as benchmarks).
• Coordinate cross-functional teams across business, finance, legal, tax, accounting, strategy, and operational functions to support transaction evaluation and execution.
• Support internal approval processes, including the preparation of deliverable documents / approval presentations to key stakeholders (i.e. business leaders, executive management teams, and the board).
• Manage interactions with counterparties, investment bankers, advisors, and internal stakeholders throughout transaction evaluation and execution processes.
• As required, support integration planning, synergy tracking, and post-close performance monitoring to help ensure achievement of transaction objectives.
• Monitor, track and consolidate M&A activities for various stakeholders to support required education and governance for the Strategy and Finance leadership teams.
• Assist the M&A team in establishing best practices including creation of internal databases; preparation of internal reports and presentations to senior management; and supporting the recruitment efforts including summer internships.
  
  

Education and Experience – What you'll bring to the table!

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or Economics required. MBA not required but will be considered in conjunction with experience.
• Candidate should have 3 years of relevant experience (investment banking, consulting, or valuations). Strong preference for candidates who have 2-4 years of associate level experience leading or supporting M&A transactions in investment banking, consulting, or corporate development roles.
• Relevant prior transaction experience in investment banking, consulting, corporate development, or valuations. Life sciences industry transaction experience is preferred but not required.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex information, identify key value drivers and risks, develop actionable recommendations, and communicate insights clearly to senior leadership.
• Detail oriented with strong problem-solving abilities.
• Project Management: Experience with M&A project management including coordinating and evaluating findings from financial, commercial, legal, operations, and tax due diligence (DD) workstreams.
• Analytical Skills: Strong analytical and quantitative skills including proficiency in assessing and summarizing financial models and highlighting key drivers, variances or gaps and fluency with Capital IQ, Pitchbook, and other similar platforms.
• Financial Modeling: Advanced financial modeling and valuation skills, including: DCF, comparable company analysis, precedent transactions, accretion/dilution analysis, synergy modeling, and transaction structuring assessments.
• Presentation Development: Advanced proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel, including development of executive-level presentations and investment committee materials.
• Interpersonal: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and independently, as required; Travel as required to support transaction execution.
• Technical/Functional Expertise: Relevant M&A experience and a demonstrated ability to play various roles within M&A transactions (with the potential to grow into a deal lead in the near future). Must be able to calculate company valuations, and integrate basic accounting, tax and business analysis knowledge into creative business solutions. Experience leveraging AI-enabled tools and automation technologies to improve research, analysis, reporting, knowledge management, and transaction execution workflows is highly desirable.
• Influence & Stakeholder Management: Ability to build credibility and influence stakeholders across multiple levels of the organization. Demonstrated success managing competing priorities, aligning cross-functional teams, and communicating effectively with senior executives, external advisors, and transaction counterparties. Key to this role will be the ability to manage up, down, and across a globally complex organization.
• Planning/Organizing: Provides a clear picture and timing of desired results. Establishes sound course of action for self and others to accomplish goals.
  
  

Benefits – How We’ll Support You

• Numerous development opportunities offered to build your skills
• Be part of a company with a higher purpose and contribute to making the world a better place
• Health benefits for you and your family on your first day of employment
• Four weeks of paid time off and two weeks of well-being pay per year, plus paid holidays
• Excellent parental leave which includes a minimum of 16 weeks for mother and father
• Future planning with our competitive retirement savings plan and tuition reimbursement program
• Learn more about our total rewards package here - Corteva Benefits
• Check out life at Corteva! www.linkedin.com/company/corteva/life
  
  

Are you a good match? Apply today! We seek applicants from all backgrounds to ensure we get the best, most creative talent on our team.

Corteva Agriscience is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to embracing our differences to enrich lives, advance innovation, and boost company performance. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, military or veteran status, pregnancy related conditions (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), disability or any other protected status in accordance with federal, state, or local laws.