Post Merger Integration Director
IDj-35509
Job TypeDirect Hire
Ascension Search Partners has been engaged by a leading manufacturer and service provider. The organization operates multiple production and service facilities across the United States
and is recognized for its operational scale, high-quality product delivery, and strong commitment to innovation. Their culture
emphasizes collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement, with a focus on empowering employees and driving
long-term value creation.
Job Summary:
The Director, M&A Integration will lead integration planning and execution for the company’s acquisitions from letter of
intent through close, Day 1 readiness, the first 100 days, and post-close stabilization. This leader will own the integration
plan, coordinate through functional owners, maintain disciplined execution, protect operational continuity, and ensure newly
acquired businesses are aligned to the company’s standards, culture, systems, and operating model. This role requires a
practical, hands-on integration leader who brings program management discipline, business judgment, executive
communication, manufacturing orientation, and the ability to build trust with acquired teams while driving priorities forward
with urgency and accountability.
Primary Duties:
The role leads integration across the business by setting the plan, driving accountability, coordinating through functional
owners, and escalating risks early.
• Serve as the day-to-day integration lead from letter of intent through close, Day 1 readiness, first 100 days, and
post-close stabilization.
• Build and manage integrated workplans, workback schedules, Day 1 checklists, milestone trackers, risk logs,
dependency maps, communication plans, and executive reporting.
• Lead cross-functional integration workstreams through clear ownership, milestone discipline, risk management,
and practical problem solving.
• Coordinate Day 1 readiness to ensure employee onboarding, payroll and benefits transition, system access, financial
controls, customer continuity, supplier continuity, operating procedures, and leadership communication are
prepared and executed.
• Partner with Customer Operations and Inside Sales to protect quote-to-order continuity, customer communication,
order entry processes, service expectations, backlog visibility, and customer handoffs during integration.
• Partner with Engineering and Design leaders to align design standards, CAD and documentation practices,
engineering change control, manufacturability expectations, product data, and acquired-team processes with
company standards.
• Support operations integration across manufacturing sites, including safety expectations, quality systems,
production planning, inventory controls, maintenance practices, labor and capacity planning, and standard work.
• Track synergy expectations, operating risks, cost opportunities, and integration commitments with clear ownership,
validated data, and disciplined follow-up.
• Prepare concise executive summaries, dashboards, decision materials, and status updates for company leadership,
business sponsors, and ownership stakeholders.
• Identify gaps, lessons learned, and improvement opportunities to strengthen repeatable integration playbooks,
templates, tools, and lightweight Integration Management Office practices.
• Build trust with acquired leaders and employees through clear communication, respectful engagement, practical
problem solving, and consistent follow-through.
• Escalate risks early, resolve cross-functional barriers, and keep integration activity aligned with the company’s
strategy, culture, standards, and operating model.
Education/Experience:
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Operations, Engineering, or a related field required.
• 8 to 10 years of progressive experience in M&A integration, corporate development, consulting, operations, finance,
transformation, program management, or project management.
• Demonstrated experience leading multiple workstreams, managing complex timelines, and driving cross-functional
accountability in high-expectation environments.
• Experience in private equity-backed, investor-backed, high-growth, multi-entity, or multi-site operating
environments.
and is recognized for its operational scale, high-quality product delivery, and strong commitment to innovation. Their culture
emphasizes collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement, with a focus on empowering employees and driving
long-term value creation.
Job Summary:
The Director, M&A Integration will lead integration planning and execution for the company’s acquisitions from letter of
intent through close, Day 1 readiness, the first 100 days, and post-close stabilization. This leader will own the integration
plan, coordinate through functional owners, maintain disciplined execution, protect operational continuity, and ensure newly
acquired businesses are aligned to the company’s standards, culture, systems, and operating model. This role requires a
practical, hands-on integration leader who brings program management discipline, business judgment, executive
communication, manufacturing orientation, and the ability to build trust with acquired teams while driving priorities forward
with urgency and accountability.
Primary Duties:
The role leads integration across the business by setting the plan, driving accountability, coordinating through functional
owners, and escalating risks early.
• Serve as the day-to-day integration lead from letter of intent through close, Day 1 readiness, first 100 days, and
post-close stabilization.
• Build and manage integrated workplans, workback schedules, Day 1 checklists, milestone trackers, risk logs,
dependency maps, communication plans, and executive reporting.
• Lead cross-functional integration workstreams through clear ownership, milestone discipline, risk management,
and practical problem solving.
• Coordinate Day 1 readiness to ensure employee onboarding, payroll and benefits transition, system access, financial
controls, customer continuity, supplier continuity, operating procedures, and leadership communication are
prepared and executed.
• Partner with Customer Operations and Inside Sales to protect quote-to-order continuity, customer communication,
order entry processes, service expectations, backlog visibility, and customer handoffs during integration.
• Partner with Engineering and Design leaders to align design standards, CAD and documentation practices,
engineering change control, manufacturability expectations, product data, and acquired-team processes with
company standards.
• Support operations integration across manufacturing sites, including safety expectations, quality systems,
production planning, inventory controls, maintenance practices, labor and capacity planning, and standard work.
• Track synergy expectations, operating risks, cost opportunities, and integration commitments with clear ownership,
validated data, and disciplined follow-up.
• Prepare concise executive summaries, dashboards, decision materials, and status updates for company leadership,
business sponsors, and ownership stakeholders.
• Identify gaps, lessons learned, and improvement opportunities to strengthen repeatable integration playbooks,
templates, tools, and lightweight Integration Management Office practices.
• Build trust with acquired leaders and employees through clear communication, respectful engagement, practical
problem solving, and consistent follow-through.
• Escalate risks early, resolve cross-functional barriers, and keep integration activity aligned with the company’s
strategy, culture, standards, and operating model.
Education/Experience:
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Operations, Engineering, or a related field required.
• 8 to 10 years of progressive experience in M&A integration, corporate development, consulting, operations, finance,
transformation, program management, or project management.
• Demonstrated experience leading multiple workstreams, managing complex timelines, and driving cross-functional
accountability in high-expectation environments.
• Experience in private equity-backed, investor-backed, high-growth, multi-entity, or multi-site operating
environments.
• Strong understanding of integration planning, Day 1 readiness, first 100-day execution, synergy tracking, change
management, and post-close stabilization.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to connect integration activity to operational, financial, customer,
employee, and risk outcomes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare executive-ready summaries,
dashboards, decision materials, and status updates.
• Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to influence across functions, levels, and newly acquired teams.
• High degree of ownership, judgment, urgency, confidentiality, and follow-through.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience in manufacturing, industrial products, building products, cold storage, distribution, field service, or other
multi-site operating businesses.
• Experience with engineered-to-order, custom manufacturing, or service-intensive operating models.
• Exposure to integration playbooks, PMO or IMO frameworks, synergy tracking, operating model design, systems
integration, and change management.
• Experience supporting integration across core business functions, including people, systems, finance, operations,
commercial, engineering/design, safety, and quality workstreams.
• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving capability, including the ability to translate ambiguous issues into
clear workplans and decisions.
• MBA, advanced degree, PMP, Lean Six Sigma, or similar certification preferred.
Skills Required
• Executive communication and concise business writing.
• Integration program management and milestone discipline.
• Structured problem solving and practical decision support.
• Cross-functional leadership without direct authority.
• Financial and operational acumen.
• Change leadership and stakeholder management.
• Manufacturing, customer operations, and systems orientation.
• Ability to operate in fast-change environments with urgency, accuracy, and professionalism.
Travel Requirements
This role requires regular travel to integration sites and newly acquired companies. Travel is estimated at up to 25%, with
peak periods around diligence support, deal close, Day 1 execution, and early integration stabilization.
Why This Role:
This is a rare opportunity to help build and lead the M&A integration capability during a period of acquisition-driven growth.
As the Director of M&A Integration, you will have end-to-end ownership of integration efforts from letter of intent through
Day 1 readiness, the first 100 days, and long-term stabilization, making a direct impact on business performance, customer
continuity, operational execution, and value creation. The role offers significant visibility with executive leadership,
including the CFO, and the opportunity to influence strategy, integration best practices, and the future structure of the
integration function. For a leader who enjoys driving cross-functional initiatives, solving complex business challenges, and
creating alignment across people, processes, and operations, this position provides a unique platform to shape how
acquisitions are successfully integrated across a growing, multi-site manufacturing organization.
management, and post-close stabilization.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to connect integration activity to operational, financial, customer,
employee, and risk outcomes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare executive-ready summaries,
dashboards, decision materials, and status updates.
• Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to influence across functions, levels, and newly acquired teams.
• High degree of ownership, judgment, urgency, confidentiality, and follow-through.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience in manufacturing, industrial products, building products, cold storage, distribution, field service, or other
multi-site operating businesses.
• Experience with engineered-to-order, custom manufacturing, or service-intensive operating models.
• Exposure to integration playbooks, PMO or IMO frameworks, synergy tracking, operating model design, systems
integration, and change management.
• Experience supporting integration across core business functions, including people, systems, finance, operations,
commercial, engineering/design, safety, and quality workstreams.
• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving capability, including the ability to translate ambiguous issues into
clear workplans and decisions.
• MBA, advanced degree, PMP, Lean Six Sigma, or similar certification preferred.
Skills Required
• Executive communication and concise business writing.
• Integration program management and milestone discipline.
• Structured problem solving and practical decision support.
• Cross-functional leadership without direct authority.
• Financial and operational acumen.
• Change leadership and stakeholder management.
• Manufacturing, customer operations, and systems orientation.
• Ability to operate in fast-change environments with urgency, accuracy, and professionalism.
Travel Requirements
This role requires regular travel to integration sites and newly acquired companies. Travel is estimated at up to 25%, with
peak periods around diligence support, deal close, Day 1 execution, and early integration stabilization.
Why This Role:
This is a rare opportunity to help build and lead the M&A integration capability during a period of acquisition-driven growth.
As the Director of M&A Integration, you will have end-to-end ownership of integration efforts from letter of intent through
Day 1 readiness, the first 100 days, and long-term stabilization, making a direct impact on business performance, customer
continuity, operational execution, and value creation. The role offers significant visibility with executive leadership,
including the CFO, and the opportunity to influence strategy, integration best practices, and the future structure of the
integration function. For a leader who enjoys driving cross-functional initiatives, solving complex business challenges, and
creating alignment across people, processes, and operations, this position provides a unique platform to shape how
acquisitions are successfully integrated across a growing, multi-site manufacturing organization.