Strategic Planning & Corporate Development — M4
STRATE.STRATEGI44F4.M4
Leads inorganic growth and long-range strategy: sources, evaluates, structures, and executes M&A transactions (valuation, due diligence, negotiation, integration planning) and directs corporate strategic/long-range goal planning. Distinct from Finance/FP&A (which owns operating budgets and forecasting) and from Business Development sales partnerships — this focus owns deal origination-to-close and the multi-year strategic agenda presented to executives and the Board.
Leads inorganic growth and long-range strategy: sources, evaluates, structures, and executes M&A transactions (valuation, due diligence, negotiation, integration planning) and directs corporate strategic/long-range goal planning. Distinct from Finance/FP&A (which owns operating budgets and forecasting) and from Business Development sales partnerships — this focus owns deal origination-to-close and the multi-year strategic agenda presented to executives and the Board.
Focus — Strategic Planning & Corporate Development
Leads inorganic growth and long-range strategy: sources, evaluates, structures, and executes M&A transactions (valuation, due diligence, negotiation, integration planning) and directs corporate strategic/long-range goal planning. Distinct from Finance/FP&A (which owns operating budgets and forecasting) and from Business Development sales partnerships — this focus owns deal origination-to-close and the multi-year strategic agenda presented to executives and the Board.
Responsibilities by level
What this person actually does at each level on the management track — escalating scope, not one generic blob. Your level is highlighted.
- Manages a transaction process from start to finish for assigned targets, owning financial modeling, valuation (DCF/NPV in Excel/Hyperion), and deal-model inputs
- Coordinates buy-side due diligence and data-room review of legal, financial, and operational information, tracking workstreams in files-management and data-room tools
- Owns and manages communications and relationships with targets, executes deal sourcing and industry research to build target lists, and supports negotiations on terms
- Conducts market and competitive analysis using Bloomberg and BI tools to identify and prioritize growth opportunities for the deal pipeline
- Leads the functional deal team for assigned transactions, vets analyst financial models, and prepares board materials and investment memos in PowerPoint for senior management
- Oversees multiple concurrent transaction processes and aligns deal frameworks with business objectives, taking an active lead role in negotiating terms with counterparties
- Formulates acquisition strategy for target sectors and faces investment banks and partner companies, giving input on contract language and deal structuring
- Manages due-diligence teams and vets valuation models, and oversees integration-planning scope to protect business activities at risk in a deal
- Drives strategic initiatives and supports development of long-term growth plans, leading project teams across the full deal lifecycle
- Presents business cases to senior leaders on functional strategy, standardizing deal-model inputs across CRM and Oracle ERP systems for the pipeline
- Directs and oversees the organization's strategic and long-range goal planning function, defining methods and frameworks that impact division and company operations
- Leads M&A execution through Managers, setting valuation, negotiation, due-diligence, and integration standards across the deal portfolio
- Analyzes emerging industry trends, expansion opportunities, competitive threats, and sources of capital to direct portfolio-level deal prioritization and capital allocation
- Provides strategic updates on deal success criteria to executives and the Board, influencing decisions on individual key transactions
- Builds and develops the CorpDev team, owns the function's budget and resourcing, and codifies playbooks and templates (including Agile workflows) for repeatable sourcing, diligence, and integration
- Defines the multi-year inorganic growth and corporate strategy spanning multiple functions and business lines, with choices that shape company success over the long term rather than executing within an existing roadmap
- Sets enterprise deal-policy thresholds (target criteria, valuation discipline, risk and capital limits) under which Directors source, structure, and close transactions
- Negotiates the most critical, abstract, cross-functional transactions directly with executives, the Board, and senior counterparties where precedent and structure must be created
- Acts as the standing strategy partner to the executive team and Board, framing the inorganic vs. organic growth agenda and translating it into the corporate strategic plan
- Leads the CorpDev organization through senior managers across functions or divisions, owns the senior advisor and banking relationships, and develops the next layer of deal leaders
Level guidelines
The universal leveling rubric applied to this function — how scope, complexity, collaboration, and experience step up across levels.
| Level | Knowledge & Application | Complexity & Problem Solving | Collaboration & Interaction | Typical Degree & Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M3 | Applies deep financial modeling, valuation, and due-diligence expertise to run individual transactions and assess targets; impacts short-term deal goals. | Resolves diverse deal and analysis issues, evaluating market trends and model assumptions to advance a transaction toward close. | Leads functional deal teams and manages target-company relationships; coordinates with legal, finance, and operations on diligence. | 5–7+ years in corporate development or transaction work, including managing professionals on deal teams. |
| M4 | Sets acquisition strategy for target areas and aligns deal frameworks with business objectives; mistakes could jeopardize business activities. | Addresses strategic, multi-deal issues and shapes policies governing valuation, negotiation, and integration across concurrent transactions. | Engages senior leaders on functional strategy and faces investment banks and counterparties directly on terms and contract language. | 8–10+ years with complex team leadership across the full deal lifecycle. |
| M5 | Defines methods for strategic and long-range planning and M&A execution that impact overall division or company operations; owns the function's budget and resourcing. | Solves complex org-wide issues spanning capital sourcing, competitive threats, and portfolio-level deal prioritization. | Influences executives and major counterparties on key transactions; leads the function through Managers. | 10–12+ years, second-level management, with substantive enterprise strategy work. |
| M6 | Defines the long-term corporate and inorganic strategy and the deal-policy thresholds within which the function operates; choices carry multi-year, company-wide consequences. | Tackles abstract, cross-functional problems, creating novel deal structures and strategic frameworks where no precedent exists, rather than applying established methods. | Serves as the Board's and executive team's standing strategy counterpart and negotiates the most critical transactions; leads through senior managers across functions or divisions. | 12–15+ years with deep leadership across departments, divisions, and end-to-end deal execution. |
Skills
Focus-specific skills the role applies — the relevance layer beyond the occupational base.
- Financial modeling
- Building models to evaluate acquisition targets including valuation, financial statement analysis, NPV, and discounted cash flow analysis.
- Valuation
- Assessing the worth of acquisition targets using methods such as DCF and NPV.
- Negotiation
- Managing deal terms and negotiating with counterparties and targets.
- Market research and competitive analysis
- Researching markets and competitors to identify growth opportunities.
- Due diligence
- Reviewing legal, financial, and operational information during deal evaluation.
- Strategic planning
- Directing long-range goal planning and formulating strategy and growth plans.
- Project management
- Managing deal processes and project teams from start to finish.
- Business development
- Identifying and developing strategic opportunities and partnerships.
- Communication
- Strong communication to manage deals, relationships, and present to leadership and the board.
- Integration planning
- Overseeing post-deal integration of acquired entities.
- Team leadership and mentorship
- Leading, building, and mentoring the corporate development team.
Provenance
The evidence base behind this profile — every layer is sourced; quality is scored by an adversarial review panel (1–5; passes at ≥4 on the minimum dimension).
Level — M4 — Director
Leads a function or department; owns strategy, budget, and outcomes for the area.
- Scope
- A function or department
- Autonomy
- Owns area strategy and budget
- Complexity
- Strategic priorities and cross-functional alignment
- Impact
- Function-level results
- Decision rights
- Owns strategy, budget, and org design for the area
- Leadership
- Leads managers; sets direction for the function
- Typical experience
- 10–15 yrs
Adjacent roles
Nearest roles by structural coordinates (level + taxonomy). Distance 0 → 1; each carries its 3-state match band. How coordinates work → · Compare side-by-side →
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O*NET / SOC
- code=11-1021source=jfm-factory.resolve