Director, Corporate Development

Aspiration is in the business of fighting the climate crisis. We help people and businesses build sustainable impact into what they do every day by making it easy, automated, and powerful -- whether it is in the ways people spend and save their money or the ways businesses engage their customers and employees. Across our initiatives--from our debit and credit cards to our global scale reforestation and carbon credit projects--the estimated cumulative climate impact of the Aspiration community thus far is the equivalent of taking every car in the state of Wyoming off the road for a year. With more than 7 million members, over $550 million in funding to date, and a commitment to plant one billion trees by 2030, Aspiration is not only a certified B Corporation but has been named to the “Best for the World” list of the top five percent of highest scored certified B Corporations five times in a row.
Our Core Values are Aspiration’s guiding principles:
Action: We take initiative. We are doers, not bystanders. Boldness: We don’t tinker, we transform. Customer-Centered: Our customers are at the core of our business. Delivering for them is our North Star. Diligence & Dedication: We do what we say we’re going to do, when we say we’re going to do it. Entrepreneurial: Act like an entrepreneur not an employee, generate results for the company and customers everyday.
As Director of Corporate Development at Aspiration, you’ll have a rare opportunity to build the Corporate Development function. You will be charged with running build vs. buy vs. partner analysis to find an optimal deal structure to meet business growth objectives in this role. You will lead acquisitions and strategic venture investments, including the deal negotiation, due diligence, cross-functional coordination (product, engineering, legal), and other diligence supporting teams to evaluate targets. The right leader for this role will have a deep connection across the investment banking, venture capital, and private equity ecosystems and will uphold our core values and an insatiable desire to drive the inorganic strategy for Aspiration.

What You'll Do

• Work collaboratively across various functions (Product, Engineering, Legal, HR, etc.) to identify and evaluate business needs
• Perform build vs. buy vs. partner analysis to find optimal deal structure to meet business growth objectives.
• Own the M&A processes end-to-end, including opportunity assessment, market analysis, sourcing, business case development, valuation and financial modeling
• Lead due diligence processes, deal negotiation and integration planning for target acquisitions
• Partner with Business Development and Sustainability teams on strategy development, competitive analyses, and assessment of M&A opportunities
• Lead the development of the deal pipeline, including outreach to and sourcing of new opportunities
• Communicate effectively with Aspirations executive team, board and cross-functional stakeholders regarding acquisition & investment opportunities, outlining potential risk and opportunities
• Lead deal negotiation, due diligence and investments, including cross-functional coordination of product, engineering, legal, and other diligence supporting teams to evaluate targets
• Support post-acquisition integration planning and execution
• Participate and contribute to annual strategic planning sessions
• Maintain connections to accelerators, incubators, bankers, and venture capitalists

What You'll Bring

• 7 - 10 years experience in investment banking, corporate development, venture capital, and/or private equity
• Previous experience structuring deals within the ESG space
• MBA preferred
• Proficient in M&A and other strategic deals, including sourcing, evaluation, negotiation, execution and integration
• Strong leadership and management skills
• Excellent financial modeling and valuation skills
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment while executing and managing multiple projects
• Experience building and managing teams with a focus on growth & development
• Strong strategic thinker and passion for learning about new industries
• Great communication and interpersonal skills to work well with a diverse set of stakeholders
• Action oriented self-starter who can thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment

• Work for a mission-driven company to transform the lives of millions by building a better, values-oriented financial firm.
• Opportunity to be part of and to contribute to ESG, as a steward of social and environmental change.
• Participation opportunities in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion employee activities and events
• Robust benefit offerings, including medical, dental, vision and 401k.
• Parental Leave expansion (12 weeks of paid leave over the course of a year)
• Pet Insurance and other voluntary benefit plan offerings
• Unlimited vacation time and 80 hours of sick time annually
• 12 Paid Holidays
• Work from home setup and equipment reimbursement
• Semi - annual performance reviews
• Employee Referral Bonus Program

Aspiration is proud to be an ESG company.  We are an equal opportunity workplace. Diversity at Aspiration is not just compliance-driven. Diversity is our compass to drive equitable practices; to celebrate individuality; and to foster the uniqueness within each of us that makes our products, services, and culture better than most. Yes, we are proud to be a DEI company and we encourage everyone, inside and outside of Aspiration, to show up as you are and as you want to be, every day.
This organization participates in E-Verify.  Find more information here!
#BI-Remote #LI-Remote