Business Dev & Partnerships
CorpDev
Corporate development professionals architect the deals that reshape entire industries, building portfolios of strategic investments, acquisitions, and partnerships. This path creates executives who think like investors but execute like operators.
The Career Arc
Rotational · L1–L3
Build the CorpDev craft. Prove you can wield the tools of Business Dev & Partnerships.
Transformational · L4–L7
Deliver CorpDev outcomes — each Business Dev & Partnerships tour at this altitude has a defined mission and success criteria.
- L4 : Manage transactions with guidance
- L5 : Lead transactions independently
- L6 : Define M&A strategy and lead the company's most strategic transactions
- L7 : Serve as the company's foremost corporate development strategist
Manage a Team?
Great CorpDev managers are practitioners first. The Business Dev & Partnerships IC responsibilities in L4–L7 are your foundation — your management responsibilities are additive:
- • Hire for relationship building AND deal structuring—both are essential
- • Coach strategic thinking—which partnerships move the needle?
- • Run 1:1s that develop negotiation skills and partner empathy
- • Give feedback on deal quality, not just deal volume
- • Remove blockers—fight for legal bandwidth, exec alignment, and internal resources
Foundational · L8–L9
Shape the Business Dev & Partnerships organization from the CorpDev chair — build institutions, not just products.
L1 — Associate Corporate Development Analyst Rotational
Mission
Learn corporate development fundamentals
This tour of duty
Support your first transaction through close
Own the outcomes
- • Learn corporate development fundamentals and financial modeling
- • Support transaction research and target analysis
- • Build financial models and valuation analyses
- • Assist with due diligence document preparation
- • Document market mapping and competitive landscape
- • Participate in deal team meetings and reviews
CorpDev at L1 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Researching potential targets
- • Creating market maps
- • Building initial models
L2 — Junior Corporate Development Analyst Rotational
Mission
Support transactions with analysis
This tour of duty
Lead analysis workstreams on deals
Own the outcomes
- • Support transactions with detailed analysis
- • Lead financial modeling workstreams
- • Conduct market research and target screening
- • Support due diligence processes
- • Build relationships with bankers and advisors
- • Develop transaction proposals and presentations
CorpDev at L2 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Building financial models
- • Analyzing strategic fit
- • Creating due diligence materials
L3 — Senior Corporate Development Analyst Rotational
Mission
Lead workstreams on transactions
This tour of duty
Own due diligence for a transaction
Own the outcomes
- • Lead due diligence workstreams on transactions
- • Own financial analysis and valuation for deals
- • Build relationships with target companies
- • Develop deal structures and term proposals
- • Handle transaction negotiations with guidance
- • Contribute to M&A strategy and pipeline
CorpDev at L3 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Developing deal structures
- • Analyzing synergies
- • Creating board materials
L4 — Staff Corporate Development Analyst / Manager, Corporate Development Transformational
Mission
Manage transactions with guidance
This tour of duty
Manage a transaction through close
Own the outcomes
- • Manage transactions with leadership guidance
- • Lead due diligence across workstreams
- • Build executive relationships with targets
- • Develop complex deal structures and terms
- • Coordinate integration planning activities
- • Train junior analysts on deal execution
CorpDev at L4 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Building transaction plans
- • Analyzing integration requirements
- • Creating executive presentations
L5 — Senior Staff Corporate Development Analyst / Senior Manager, Corporate Development Transformational
Mission
Lead transactions independently
This tour of duty
Lead a strategic acquisition
Own the outcomes
- • Lead transactions independently
- • Define best practices for M&A execution
- • Drive strategic initiatives for inorganic growth
- • Build board-level relationships with targets
- • Influence company strategy through M&A
- • Create transaction frameworks and playbooks
CorpDev at L5 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Developing M&A frameworks
- • Analyzing market consolidation
- • Creating thought leadership
L6 — Director, Corporate Development Transformational
Mission
Define M&A strategy and lead the company's most strategic transactions
This tour of duty
Build a team that executes transactions
Own the outcomes
- • Define M&A strategy and lead the company's most strategic transactions
- • Architect deal approaches for transformational acquisitions and investments
- • Establish best practices and playbooks that elevate corporate development excellence
- • Serve as the expert on transaction methodology and deal execution
- • Drive initiatives that shape inorganic growth approach company-wide
- • Influence company strategy through deep M&A and investment insights
CorpDev at L6 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Pipeline management
- • Building team playbooks
- • Creating training programs
L7 — Senior Director, Corporate Development Transformational
Mission
Serve as the company's foremost corporate development strategist
This tour of duty
Scale corporate development operations
Own the outcomes
- • Serve as the company's foremost expert in corporate development methodology
- • Define the strategic framework for successful M&A and investment
- • Establish thought leadership in transaction execution and integration
- • Architect innovative deal structures for transformational opportunities
- • Drive cross-functional alignment on strategic transaction initiatives
- • Shape corporate development culture through expertise and best practices
CorpDev at L7 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Transaction analysis
- • Building scale strategies
- • Creating process improvements
L8 — VP, Corporate Development Foundational
Mission
Own M&A strategy
This tour of duty
Transform M&A practices
Own the outcomes
- • Own M&A strategy and transaction pipeline
- • Build organizational structure for corp dev
- • Define M&A investment thesis and priorities
- • Establish board relationships for transactions
- • Drive alignment across company on deals
- • Represent corp dev in executive forums
CorpDev at L8 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Organizational modeling
- • Building M&A strategies
- • Creating executive content
L9 — SVP, Corporate Development Foundational
Mission
Define the inorganic growth strategy
This tour of duty
Define the inorganic strategy
Own the outcomes
- • Define the inorganic growth strategy
- • Shape company approach to M&A and investment
- • Establish initiatives for strategic acquisitions
- • Build programs that drive transaction success
- • Drive M&A culture and excellence
- • Influence board decisions on inorganic growth
CorpDev at L9 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Strategic planning
- • Building board content
- • Creating growth strategies
What Hiring Managers Look For
L1-L3: Demonstrates deal sourcing ability through concrete examples of identifying and qualifying acquisition targets or partnership opportunities worth $10M+ in value.
L4-L6: Shows end-to-end deal execution experience including due diligence leadership, negotiation of complex terms, and post-transaction integration that delivered measurable synergies.
L7+: Proves strategic portfolio thinking with track record of building inorganic growth engines that generated 20%+ of company revenue or market expansion into new verticals.
Common Career Transitions
CorpDev → Strategy & Operations at L5-L6 for broader business transformation scope
CorpDev → Product Strategy at L4-L5 when M&A focus shifts to technology integration
CorpDev → Investment Banking at L6+ for buy-side private equity or growth equity roles
Official Classifications
| System | Code | Official Title |
|---|---|---|
| O*NET-SOC (US) | 13-1161.00 | Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists |
| ISCO-08 (UN/ILO) | 2431 | Advertising and Marketing Professionals |
At L6 and above, the manager classification 1221 — Sales and Marketing Managers applies IN ADDITION to the professional code — a manager is a superset of the individual contributor, never a replacement.
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