Mergers & Acquisitions Project Director in Wayne, Pennsylvania at ECOVYST

• M&A Project Management (acquisitions, JV’s and divestments)

• Lead the end-to-end M&A project execution and transaction, timeline, and deliverables across all workstreams (commercial, operations, EHS, legal, finance, tax, treasury, IT, HR and 3rd party Advisors), including corporate governance reviews, decisions, and approvals cadence.
• Lead and manage overall Due Diligence workstream - - facilitate VDR management and distillation of DD findings into workstream DD reports and summary conclusions for management review - - translate DD findings and estimated impacts into business case/valuation assumptions, as well as build into a negotiation strategy.
• Facilitate internal deal-team meetings and prepare executive-ready updates summarizing milestones, key findings, open items, and decisions required.
• Collaborate with Legal and external advisors on Non-Binding Offer, Binding Offer, and definitive agreement support, closing conditions tracking, regulatory approvals, and closing readiness activities.
• Ensure documentation of assumptions, analyses, valuation assessment, and approvals are complete, well-controlled, and aligned with internal governance requirements.

• M&A Valuation Financial Modeling & Assessment

• Based on normalized QoE financials for the target, collaborate with the commercial lead and finance controller to build a deal Business Case as critical input to the Valuation assessment
• On each specific deal, partner with business/functional leaders to quantify synergies and dis-synergies (cost, revenue, capex, working capital) and translate initiatives into a time-phased, model-ready Business Case.
• Develop and maintain integrated three-statement M&A models (income statement, balance sheet, cash flow) to evaluate acquisition/divestiture opportunities, including working-capital dynamics and key accounting considerations.
• Perform valuation assessments (DCF, trading comparables, precedent transactions, and other approaches as applicable) and sensitivity/scenario analyses to assess value drivers and downside risks - -in some cases, collaborate with 3rd Party M&A advisor (Investment Bank or M&A Advisory).
• Assess deal structure alternatives (asset vs. stock, earn-outs, and purchase price adjustments) and implications for returns (IRR), accretion/dilution, and net leverage.
• Provide negotiation and diligence decision support through targeted analyses (Enterprise Value, EV to Equity Bridge, and valuation impact of key findings).
• Collaborate with SVP Strategy/ CEO to prepare Board materials (valuation summary, key assumptions, synergy bridge, returns profile) and clearly articulate key risks and mitigations.

• M&A Integration Planning

• Lead development of the integration (or separation) thesis and high-level plan, including Day 1 readiness, 30/60/90-day priorities, and value-capture roadmap.
• Set up integration governance (IMO structure, workstream leads, cadence, KPIs) and coordinate cross-functional execution planning.
• Translate synergy targets into actionable initiatives with owners, milestones, and measurement approach; track progress and escalate gaps/risks as needed.
• Partner with HR/Communications to support stakeholder communications and change-management planning.
• Coordinate Day 1 readiness deliverables (org/leadership alignment, access/IT needs, finance close processes, customer/supplier communications, and compliance items).

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Engineering, or related field coupled with an MBA (CFA, or CPA a plus)
• 7+ years of relevant experience in corporate development, investment banking, private equity, or transaction advisory including direct end-to-end M&A Project Leadership and ownership of financial modeling/valuation work.
• Experience in industrials, chemicals, specialty chemicals, materials, or adjacent manufacturing/process industries.
• Demonstrated experience leading and managing complex, cross-functional projects with multiple stakeholders and tight deadlines.
• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills; strong grasp of financial statements, cash flow drivers, valuation methodologies, and transaction mechanics.
• Ability to synthesize diligence findings into clear recommendations and executive-ready materials.
• High integrity and sound judgment when handling confidential information.

• Prior involvement/experience in integration management (IMO), synergy tracking, or separation planning for divestitures.

Core Competencies:

• Demonstrated track record in end-to-end M&A Project Management
• Structured problem solving; ability to frame ambiguous issues and drive to decisions.
• Executive communication and stakeholder influence management.
• Attention to detail with strong quality control over models and deliverables.
• Ownership mindset, follow-through, and ability to influence without authority.
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities.