Job Title:

Lead Specialist, Corporate Development

We are seeking a proven M&A practitioner to lead acquisitions and divestitures across Pearson’s portfolio of education businesses. This role will support the full deal lifecycle, leading workstreams within our cross-functional M&A model, partnering closely with the Corporate Development Team and other corporate functions to validate deal rationales and targets, define and operationalise integration plans, and oversee post-close integration.

Location:

UK (London)

Department:

M&A Deal Operations Team

About Pearson:

At Pearson, we’re committed to a world that’s always learning and to our talented team who makes it all possible. From bringing lectures vividly to life to turning textbooks into laptop lessons, we are always re-examining the way people learn best, whether it’s one child in our own backyard or an education community across the globe. We are bold thinkers and standout innovators who motivate each other to explore new frontiers in an environment that supports and inspires us to always be better. By pushing the boundaries of technology—and each other to surpass these boundaries—we create seeds of learning that become the catalyst for the world’s innovations, personal and global, large and small.

About the Role:

This is a critical role within an innovative, fast-growing organization, and will engage a broad landscape of internal stakeholders across the globe and across functions. The ideal candidate will operate at a high level of intellectual curiosity, with superior communication skills, a collaborative work ethic, a proven ability to drive operational excellence through ambiguity. They will have the maturity, confidence, intellectualstrengths, and robust experience to lead project teams and advise senior stakeholders through complex initiatives.

Key responsibilities

Strategy and execution:

• Drive the creation of as-is assessments, separation or integration strategies and plans, including TSA schedules, services and negotiations, through due diligence and transaction processes, across all the functional areas in any transaction. Working alongside functional leads and deal operations team

Collaboration:

• Act as liaison and assurance on data collation for data room, with significant interaction, coordination and connecting between stakeholders and business teams. Work with appointed representatives across specialist and technical areas.

• Contribute to pre- deal due diligence and valuation processes and deliverables, supporting the Corporate Development Strategy Deal Team.

• Using program management disciplines, establish governance and deal milestones that are adequately tracked, monitored and escalated as necessary. Collaborate with dedicated deal Program Manager as required.

• Build a network of partnerships internally and externally that help drive team’s performance improvement

Analytics and research:

• Gather financial estimates and identify key costs associated with integration or separation, including one time, stranded, and TSA costs, which could inform valuation and execution, as well as managing budget and spend for deal execution costs.

Communication:

• Ensure transaction governance and managing of buyer/business relationships, risk & issue management to ensure successful execution of post deal close activities

• Prepare clear, concise materials for senior stakeholders; communicate trade-offs, dependencies and recommendations across transaction phases.

Knowledge Management:

• Maintain playbooks, department and business knowledge, keeping up with industry best practices, and maintaining a high-performance level and success rate of all identified post deal activities for the business.

Skills and Expertise

Essential

• Experience working in an M&A, Divestment and Deal delivery capacity within a fast-paced, highly competitive, and dynamic environment, at a director level.

• The candidate will demonstrate an in-depth operational and valuation financial estimating experience, making effective decisions through the analysis of information and proficient deal analysis, negotiation, consulting and execution.

• The candidate will have knowledge of accounting concepts, corporate finance, and will also have experience managing a deal operations team through the entire lifecycle of a transaction. This includes in depth knowledge of the company operating model and business strategic drivers and models.

• Ability to build strong networks and business relationships with influence across a highly complex, globally matrixed organization with competing priorities.

• A suitable candidate will also have had a successful track record of managing transactions, transaction valuation, and strategic transaction analyses.

• The candidate will have ability to design and deliver holistic operational strategies across multiple dimensions in complex matrix environments across a range of industries and sectors.

• The candidate will have the ability to manage strictly confidential information relating to potential targets and manage stakeholder communications with need-to-know requirements

• Strong project management experience with proven delivery expertise at a strategic and tactical level.

Preferred

• Excellent communication skills, both in written and verbal form, and able to tailor to suit various audiences. Ability to handle high profile engagements from Board room to external partners and third parties, operating at the highest level of professionalism as a representative of the Pearson Brand

• Strong people leadership skills

• Highly proficient integrator and influencer

• Degree (or equivalent experience) in Business, Finance, Accounting, Economics or a related field.

• Experience from consulting, Big 4, corporate development, integration management office (IMO) and/or separation management office (SMO) environments.

• Demonstrable experience managing HR / Technology M&A integration.

• Highly proficient in the use of Ms Word, Ms Excel, and PowerPoint, necessary for the creation of visually and verbally engaging reports and presentations for the business’s executives, stakeholders, and collaborating personnel.

• Skilled in efficiently analysing and synthesizing large data quantities and driving financial estimates and due diligence. Able to process raw information and data, translating this into actionable insights for informed decision-making within the departments

• Experience working across global teams and multiple time zones.

Key Success Criteria

Strategy and Execution

• Delivers timely, accurate plans ensuring successful deal delivery and execution, navigating the complexities of our transformed operating model and minimising deal risk and protecting operational costs

• Provides or source solutions to ensure contractual obligations are met to quality standards, agreed timeframes and within budget/cost agreements.

• Ability to adapt and maintain effectiveness through significant change, shifting priorities and evolving deal contexts.

• Uses data and experience to assess options, manage trade-offs, and recommend pragmatic paths forward

• Ensures proper protocols and processes are followed and adhered to in a timely manner for each transaction.

• Establishes clear governance, milestones and accountable owners, and delivering plans on time.

• Ensures relevant business/functional representative approvals and signoffs are obtained, and all issues/risks appropriately mitigated.

• Details accurate financial estimations and budget management.

• Installs KPI’s and tracks these to ensure realization of value drivers

• Maintains the M&A Playbook, ensuring up to date business knowledge reflecting current Pearson business and governance practices.

Collaboration

• Delivers well communicated, balanced, and comprehensive analyses for each stage of transactions for the business’s executives and key stakeholders.

• Demonstrates clear, credible communication, effective influencing and relationship-building across functions.

• Aligns stakeholders, negotiates effectively, and drives timely decisions in a matrix environment.

• Builds a network of partnerships internally and externally that help drive team’s performance improvement

• Performs steadily under pressure and in ambiguous situations typical of transactions.

• Takes ownership for outcomes, proactively escalates issues, and delivers on commitments