Director, M&A Integration Strategy & Execution

Director, M&A Integration Strategy & Execution

Signing the deal is only the start. At Vertex, you will be the person who makes the integration happen, from Day 1 through handoff to the business.

We're looking for a hands-on Director, M&A Integration Strategy & Execution to personally lead post-acquisition integrations at Vertex. This is not an oversight role. You'll build the plans, run the workstreams, track the details and fix problems as they come up. Vertex is growing its global cloud and AI-enabled compliance business. Your job is to make sure every acquisition delivers on its investment thesis, keeps its customers and key people, and grows durable recurring revenue. That includes small capability tuck-ins as well as regional e-invoicing and platform expansions.

At Vertex, we help businesses handle the complexity of global indirect tax and compliance with confidence. Since 1978, we have combined deep tax expertise with enterprise software to cover the full transaction lifecycle, from tax determination and e-invoicing to reporting, filing and audit defense. Today, more than 60% of the Fortune 500 trust Vertex to manage their global compliance needs.

The Opportunity

You'll report to the leader of Vertex's Integration Management Office and be the day-to-day owner of each integration you're assigned. Corporate Development hands you the deal at signing. From then on, you're accountable for getting the acquired company integrated, keeping its people and customers, and delivering the value the deal was meant to create.

You'll work side by side with Vertex and acquired-company teams across Product and Engineering, Finance, Legal, People, Security and Customer Success. You'll need to earn trust quickly, influence people without formal authority, and get work done in both a public-company setting and a founder-led startup culture.

What Hands-On Means in This Role

• You build it. You write the integration charter, Day 1 plan, 100-day plan and RAID log yourself. You don't hand them off to someone else to draft.
• You run it. You lead the weekly workstream meetings, track every milestone and dependency, and follow up on open items until they're closed.
• You're on the ground. You spend real time with acquired-company leaders and teams. You learn how they work, find risks early and fix issues directly.
• You fix it. When a workstream slips, you find the cause, bring the right people together and put the plan back on track. You escalate only when an executive decision is needed.
• You report it. You keep the integration tracker, synergy ledger and health dashboard current, and you prepare the steering committee materials yourself.

What You Will Do

Integration Planning & Day 1 Readiness

• Personally turn the investment thesis and diligence findings into a deal-specific integration charter, Day 1 readiness checklist and 100-day plan.
• Build the integration approach for each type of deal. Decide what to integrate quickly, what to protect, and what to leave alone so the acquired team keeps its product and engineering momentum.
• Run Day 1 readiness yourself, end to end. That covers entity setup, payroll and benefits continuity, systems access and identity, security baselines, and customer, partner and employee communications.
• Be on point for Day 1 itself. Coordinate execution in real time and resolve issues as they come up.

Day-to-Day Integration Execution

• Own the integration program through Day 30, Day 100 and Day 365. Keep the master plan, RAID log, dependency map, decision log and issue tracker current.
• Stand up paired Vertex and acquired-company workstream leads across Product & Platform, Tax Content & Regulatory, Cloud/Security & Data, Customer & GTM, People & Culture, and Back Office & Legal.
• Run the weekly workstream check-ins, follow up on action items, and clear cross-functional blockers without waiting for escalation.
• Do the integration work directly where needed, including process mapping, systems and data cutover planning, policy alignment, org design inputs and communications drafting.
• Set and enforce capacity guardrails so integration work doesn't derail Vertex's core delivery roadmaps.

People, Customer & Change Integration

• Work directly with acquired-company leaders and employees to build trust, explain how Vertex works and help them through the transition.
• Work with People leaders on key-employee retention plans. Track retention milestones and vesting cliff dates, and flag risks early.
• Work with Customer Success on customer retention safeguards, monitor at-risk accounts, and coordinate customer communications.
• Lead change management for each integration: stakeholder mapping, communication plans, training and culture integration.

Value Realization & Reporting

• Build and keep a single, auditable synergy and value-creation ledger with FP&A. It will track cross-sell ARR, gross and net revenue retention (GRR/NRR), integration budget and run-rate EBITDA impact.
• Prepare the weekly integration status reports, health dashboards and steering committee materials yourself.
• Present progress, risks and trade-offs to the IMO leader and the Executive Integration Steering Committee, with clear options and a recommendation.

Handoff & Continuous Improvement

• Run a structured handoff of integrated functions to their business-as-usual owners by Day 180–365. That includes documented ownership, open items and success measures.
• Lead post-integration retrospectives and turn lessons learned into updated IMO playbooks, templates and checklists.
• Use AI, analytics and workflow automation to make integration tracking, synergy reporting and status reporting faster and more accurate.
• Coach workstream leads and project managers, and help the IMO build repeatable integration capability as acquisition activity grows.

What You Will Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Engineering, Economics or a related field. MBA, PMP or a change-management certification is a plus.
• 8–10+ years of experience in M&A integration, transformation or complex program leadership, including at least 4 years in enterprise B2B SaaS, cloud software, FinTech or compliance technology.
• Direct, hands-on experience personally leading multiple post-acquisition integrations from Day 1 through synergy realization and handoff to the business, not just overseeing them.
• Experience integrating founder-led or cross-border technology companies into a larger or public-company environment while keeping customers and critical talent.
• A track record of running cross-functional programs with many workstreams and delivering on time against complex dependencies.

Skills & Capabilities

• Strong, practical integration program management: charters, RAID logs, dependency mapping, milestone tracking and steering committee cadence.
• Working knowledge of SaaS metrics (ARR, NRR/GRR) and synergy tracking, and comfort working with FP&A on value capture and purchase-accounting interfaces.
• Familiarity with enterprise cloud integration topics, including API architectures, ERP ecosystems (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Workday), SOC 2 baselines, SOX/ITGC controls and cross-border data privacy.
• Change-management skills, including stakeholder mapping, communication planning and culture integration for acquired teams.
• Clear, concise executive communication, and the ability to influence senior leaders across a matrixed organization.
• Hands-on experience with project and portfolio tools, BI dashboards and AI-enabled integration tools.
• A builder mindset: you're comfortable doing the work yourself, setting priorities when things are unclear and creating structure where none exists.

COMMENTS:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals in this position. Other functions may be assigned, and management retains the right to add or change the duties at any time.

Vertex Values: Together We Win

We're building a team of people who are passionate about making an impact for our customers and committed to how that impact is achieved. Our values define the behaviors, mindset, and culture that make Vertex a great place to grow and do meaningful work.

Play to Win or We Don't Play — If we choose to do something, we're choosing to do it because we plan to win. That mindset raises our bar on product quality, customer outcomes, and how we show up for one another.

Work As a Team, Putting the Customer At the Core — Our customers are our true north. Whatever your role, ask: how will this help a customer succeed today? We earn trust through outcomes, not promises.

Achieve Excellence With Integrity, Speed, and Agility — The market isn't slowing down. We'll move faster, adapt quickly, and never compromise on doing things the right way — for teammates, customers, and partners.

Innovate Boldly With a Growth Mindset — Progress demands smart risk. We'll try new approaches, learn fast, and keep pushing the boundaries — especially where AI can remove friction and unlock value.

Communicate with Care, Candor and Transparency — Honest, constructive conversations make us better. Let's speak plainly about what's working and what isn't and help each other improve.

US Base Salary Range: $189,600.00 - $246,400.00

Base pay offered to new hires may vary based upon factors including relevant industry and job-related skills and experience, geographic location, and business needs.* The range displayed does not encompass the full potential of the role, which allows for further growth and career progression.

In addition, as a part of our total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Vertex Bonus Plan (VOB), a role-specific sales commission/bonus, and/or equity grants.

Learn more about Life at Vertex and connect with your recruiter for more details regarding Vertex's compensation and benefit programs.

*In no case will your pay fall below applicable local minimum wage requirements.