Senior Corporate Development Manager

About the role

This position will be instrumental in guiding Vanta's strategic expansion through key partnerships and acquisitions. You will manage significant deal processes from start to finish and advise the executive team on strategic decisions regarding building, buying, or partnering. This is a high-impact role at a crucial growth phase for Vanta, offering the chance to influence product direction, market reach, and the company's future. You will collaborate with Vanta leadership to define strategy, evaluate growth opportunities, and establish consensus on priorities. The role requires you to synthesize complex information into coherent narratives that align stakeholders and drive toward execution. Success in this position hinges on your capacity to act as a strategic partner to the CEO and broader leadership team. You will be responsible for identifying and shepherding opportunities that can define the next chapter of the company.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Collaborate with Vanta leadership to define strategy, evaluate growth opportunities, and establish consensus on priorities.
• Prepare and present business case documents, financial analyses, and executive-level presentations.
• Oversee the entire corporate development process, including due diligence, strategic framework development, deal execution, and post-acquisition integration.
• Conduct essential financial analysis to support decision-making and negotiations.
• Develop insights on market trends, significant venture capital and M&A activities, and competitive intelligence to inform Vanta's strategy.
• Work across various Vanta departments, including Engineering, Product, Go-to-Market, Operations, Legal, Finance, and People teams.
• Drive the evaluation and scoping of potential strategic initiatives, ensuring alignment with Vanta's long-term vision.
• Lead negotiations and draft key commercial terms to maximize value and mitigate risk for the company.
• Leverage AI tools to streamline research, accelerate analysis, and enhance the quality of strategic deliverables.
• Partner with Finance to build detailed financial models that clarify trade-offs and support rigorous decision-making.
• Monitor the competitive landscape and map key players to identify potential partnership or acquisition targets.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for external partners, investors, and advisors during active discussions.
• Coordinate cross-functional integration planning to ensure smooth post-close execution and value realization.
• Maintain a rigorous pipeline of opportunities and provide regular updates to the executive team on progress and outcomes.

Requirements

• Hold a Bachelor's Degree.
• Possess at least 8 years of relevant professional experience, such as in Corporate Development, Venture Capital, Private Equity, or Investment Banking. Prior corporate development experience within a high-growth technology or SaaS company is highly preferred.
• Demonstrate the ability to quickly process information, identify obstacles, and devise innovative solutions.
• Exhibit a self-starting, ownership-driven mindset suitable for a fast-paced technology environment.
• Show proven capability in managing both M&A and strategic partnership opportunities from initiation to completion.
• Possess strong financial modeling and analytical abilities.
• Be open to using AI tools to enhance skills and work output, showing curiosity, a desire to learn, and sound judgment in responsible application.
• Thrive in an ambiguous, fast-moving environment where priorities shift and problems are complex.
• Communicate clearly and persuasively, both in writing and verbally, to influence executive stakeholders.
• Exercise sound judgment and discretion when handling confidential and sensitive information.
• Demonstrate resilience and adaptability when navigating competing demands and tight timelines.
• Have a track record of collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams to achieve shared objectives.
• Understand the fundamentals of software as a service and technology business models.
• Have experience working in a fully remote or distributed team environment.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with the Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) and Security market sectors.
• Experience collaborating effectively with senior leaders in product, engineering, and go-to-market functions.

Skills & tools

• Financial Modeling
• Strategic Analysis
• Due Diligence
• Negotiation
• Cross-functional Collaboration
• AI Tools

Practical notes

• Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.
• This is a remote position within the U.S.
• Vanta offers comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, with 100% of employee-only premiums covered for most medical plans.
• Additional benefits include 16 weeks of paid parental leave, a health and wellness stipend, remote workspace and internet stipends, commuter benefits for SF and NYC office employees, family planning benefits, matching 401(k) contributions with immediate vesting, flexible PTO, 80 hours of sick time, and 11 company-paid holidays.
• Vanta is committed to diversity and inclusion, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, gender identity, age, religion, sexual orientation, veteran or disability status, or any other protected class.
• If you are being referred for this role, please contact your referrer to apply on your behalf.