Typical Corp Dev Role?
Just curious on how I should think about my current role.
Almost 4 years as an Analyst/Sr. Analyst at a pe backed port co in corp dev with there being two on the team, myself and the head of corp dev.
For the most part when not on a deal, my role consists of me taking notes during calls, modeling from time to time and making decks. Aside from this, I feel as like most of my job consists of "running errands" and doing one off brute force data hobbling projects. Is this typical?
When on a deal, mainly just corralling the troops together and putting together powerpoint decks.
Just kind of curious to see if this is what others are doing in the similar roles at their respective firms.
Based on the most helpful WSO content, your experience as an Analyst/Sr. Analyst in corporate development seems to align with many aspects of the typical responsibilities in the field. Here's a breakdown of what a typical role in corporate development might involve, which you can compare with your current duties:
Internal Presentations and Calls: A significant part of the role involves preparing internal presentations and participating in calls. This could be for M&A working groups, due diligence processes, or other functions.
Valuation and Modeling: Modeling is a common task in corporate development, similar to investment banking. This includes financial modeling for potential acquisitions or divestitures.
Managing Data Rooms and Trackers: During divestitures and asset sales, managing data rooms is key. Additionally, keeping track of due diligence and pipeline activities through various trackers is part of the role.
PowerPoint and Excel Work: Creating presentations and performing data analysis in Excel are tasks that corporate development professionals often engage in.
Deal Sourcing and Execution: When on a deal, corporate development teams are involved in managing the deal process, which includes coordinating with different teams, managing due diligence, and creating decks for the M&A or investment committee.
Strategic Initiatives: Outside of deal-making, corporate development professionals work on strategic initiatives, identifying growth opportunities, and helping to solve business challenges.
Your description of "running errands" and doing "one-off brute force data hobbling projects" could be interpreted as the less glamorous but necessary tasks that support the broader strategic goals of the corporate development team. It's not uncommon for roles to include a mix of high-level strategic work and more mundane tasks, especially in smaller teams where resources are limited.
If you're feeling that the role is becoming too task-oriented and not as strategic or intellectually stimulating as you'd like, it might be worth discussing with your head of corporate development or seeking advice on how to shift more towards the strategic aspects of the role. Remember, every company and corporate development team can operate differently, so experiences can vary widely.
Sources: Corporate Development: My Experiences and Background, Corporate Strategy vs Corporate Development, Anyone do both FP&A and Corp Strat or Dev?, Questions about Corp Dev post-banking, CorpDev -> MM PE?
Not super typical outside of making decks, and I assume you know not to speak about your role like that in an interview.
That being said: Corp dev groups at PE backed portco's have such an interesting relationship with their equity backers. In my experience at a port-co, our role was largely looking at smaller bolt-on acquisitions and conducting operational analysis/continuous improvement (thus where the decks came in). Large transformational acquisitions, of which there weren't many, were handled by the associates and VPs at the PE firm. Outside of that, we were sort of just excel jockeys that helped out/took over for other departments when they were struggling. That is very limited in traditional "corp dev" work when comparing to a non-PE backed private or public company where your role is much more active with M&A/Strategy. That means the role includes a lot more modeling of both small and large deals (probably like 50%+ of your time if it's a relatively acquisitive company) and a much stronger position in terms of driving strategy because of your closeness with the CEO and board. Especially as a junior, I would expect an active role in modeling and target research versus "corralling the troops."
Side tangent: Was your last firm a roll up?
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