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Core Education · 1 day ago

Practice Area Lead, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)

United States

Full-time

Remote

Director/Executive

10+ years exp

Core Education is a Public Benefit Corporation that partners with colleges and universities to transform their business models for long-term sustainability and growth. The M&A Practice Area Lead will own and scale Core’s Mergers, Acquisitions, and Partnerships (MAP) practice, guiding institutions through the full lifecycle of strategic transactions and leading engagements to enhance institutional collaboration.

EducationSmall and Medium BusinessesTrainingUniversities

Hiring Manager

Megan Alpaugh

Responsibilities

Lead and grow Core’s M&A / MAP practice area, establishing methodology, playbooks, and success metrics for transaction design and integration

Serve as a senior advisor to presidents, boards, and CFOs on mergers, affiliations, partnerships, and system formation

Build a strong pipeline of engagements in collaboration with Core’s business development and partnerships team

Represent Core in sector forums, conferences, and board-level discussions, articulating the value of system-enabled growth

Oversee all phases of M&A engagements - including strategy development, opportunity screening, financial and operational modeling, due diligence, and post-transaction integration design

Direct multi-disciplinary Core teams (finance, technology, HR, and governance) to deliver coordinated, data-driven analyses and recommendations

Lead deal structuring and LOI-to-agreement progression, working in concert with institutional and legal counsel

Ensure that every engagement aligns with Core’s mission of strengthening independence through shared capacity

Manage project economics, staffing, and resource allocation across engagements

Partner with Core’s finance team to establish deal budgets, forecasts, and margin targets

Track and report on practice-level performance indicators, driving continuous improvement

Shape Core’s intellectual capital in M&A and system design, developing frameworks, case studies, and best practices

Mentor emerging leaders across the firm to strengthen expertise in transaction design and institutional integration

Contribute to the evolution of Core’s Private Systems model as a platform for multi-institution collaboration and growth

Qualification

M&A advisoryHigher education strategyFinancial modelingInvestment bankingManagement consultingClient relationship managementEntrepreneurial mindsetCommunication skillsCollaborative leadership

Required

10+ years of experience in higher education strategy, M&A advisory, investment banking, or management consulting - with a strong record of leading complex transactions or system integrations

Deep understanding of higher education finance, governance, and institutional operations

Proven experience managing senior client relationships at the president, board, or CFO level

Strong financial modeling, valuation, and scenario analysis skills

Exceptional communication and presentation ability — able to distill complexity into clarity for diverse audiences

Demonstrated success in building and scaling a practice, business line, or team

Entrepreneurial mindset: thrives in a growth-oriented, mission-driven organization