VP of Corporate Development search
If acquisitions are part of your growth plan, a VP of Corporate Development gives the company its own deal lead from first target screen to signed purchase agreement. We find candidates who have closed transactions of your size and type and stayed involved through integration.
The VP of Corporate Development role and its market
A VP of Corporate Development runs the company's M&A and other strategic transactions. Day to day that means keeping a pipeline of targets, building valuation models, managing due diligence with accountants and lawyers, negotiating terms alongside investment bankers and outside counsel, and handing a clear integration plan to the operating teams. Some also handle divestitures, joint ventures and minority investments. The role usually reports to the CFO, sometimes to the CEO or the Chief Strategy Officer. A public company serial acquirer may want a VP who runs a small team and several live processes at once. In a PE-backed platform pursuing add-ons, the VP works closely with the sponsor's deal team and moves quickly on smaller targets. A family-owned company making its first acquisitions may need someone to set up the process from scratch.
Most candidates come from investment banking, private equity or corporate strategy, and many are strong at modeling and execution. The trouble starts when a company hires a pure transaction specialist and then expects them to originate deals by building relationships with founders who are not for sale. Another common error is ignoring integration. A buyer who closes deals and walks away leaves operating leaders with the problems. We ask in the brief how many deals you expect, at what size, and who owns integration, then look for candidates whose record matches that pattern.
What sets a strong VP of Corporate Development apart
Each of these can be tested in interview or through references before an offer.
- Deals they led
- They can separate transactions they ran from ones they supported, with size, structure and outcome. Bankers and counsel on those deals can confirm it.
- Origination ability
- They have sourced proprietary deals through owner relationships and can describe how a conversation turned into a process.
- Integration follow-through
- Operating leaders confirm the candidate stayed involved after closing and tracked synergies against the original case.
- Walked away when needed
- Ask about a deal they recommended killing. Good candidates explain the diligence finding or price gap that ended it.
How we assess VP of Corporate Development candidates
Shortlisted candidates meet the CFO, the CEO and often a board member or sponsor partner in structured interviews. Finalists complete a deal case based on a realistic target in your sector: a short valuation view, the key diligence questions, the walk-away points and a draft integration plan for the first hundred days. We check deal lists line by line against press releases, SEC filings and references from bankers, lawyers and sellers on the other side of the table. A CFA charter, CPA or MBA is common, and we confirm any credential a candidate lists.
What shapes VP of Corporate Development compensation
What a VP of Corporate Development earns depends on company size, deal volume and ownership. Public companies offer base salary, an annual bonus and RSUs or performance shares. PE-backed platforms often add management equity, which matters to candidates coming from private equity who are used to carried interest. Some companies pay a deal completion bonus, which should be designed carefully so it pays for deals that meet the original investment case. Candidates from investment banking will compare against banking bonuses, and location matters for those based in major financial centers. We agree the package and any deal-linked incentives with you or the compensation committee before the search starts.
Other product and strategy searches
Hiring a VP of Corporate Development: common questions
Should we hire from banking or private equity?
Bankers bring process discipline and buyer and seller networks. Private equity candidates bring investment judgment and experience owning results after closing. Your deal volume and how much origination you need usually decide it, and we often show both.
Is this role needed if we already use investment bankers?
Bankers run processes on a fee basis and leave once the deal closes. An in-house VP keeps the pipeline warm between deals, holds the company's view on price, and makes sure integration happens. Companies doing more than an occasional deal usually find the role worthwhile.
How long does the search take?
Retained executive searches commonly run a few months from brief to accepted offer. Candidates in banking or private equity may have bonus timing or carried interest that affects when they can move. Confidentiality around your acquisition plans can also shape the pace.
How do you keep our acquisition strategy confidential?
We describe the role to candidates in general terms until they sign a confidentiality agreement. Specific targets and plans are shared only with finalists, and only with your approval. The case exercise uses a realistic example rather than your live pipeline.
Discuss your VP of Corporate Development search
Send the title, the reporting line, the ownership of the business and when you need the person in place. We will reply to set up a call about the brief.
Prefer email? Write to info@executivesearchfirms.org.
Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm.