Business Development Manager (Mergers and Acquisitions)
About the Role
We're looking for a driven, resourceful Business Development (M&A) Associate / Manager to fuel growth in the hospitality space. This is a hands-on, generalist role at the heart of our sourcing engine — you'll take full ownership of a geography, running outreach, keeping your pipeline clean, mapping the market, and partnering closely with Operations to identify and advance acquisition targets.
We're looking for someone with a true ownership mentality — someone who treats their market like their own business, knows it inside and out, and drives results without waiting to be told what's next. Prior M&A experience is a big plus. If you love variety, move fast, and want to make a visible impact on a growing business, you'll thrive here.
You'll work across outreach, marketing, events, and data, wearing multiple hats and partnering closely with Operations and key leadership on M&A sourcing. We're especially excited about candidates who bring an experimentation mindset — including using AI tools to work smarter and scale your impact.
Key Responsibilities
Business Development & Deal Sourcing
- Take responsibility for developing your assigned territory, from identifying potential targets to cultivating relationships and advancing qualified opportunities through the pipeline.
- Build and maintain relationships with property owners, sellers, operators, brokers, and other relevant industry contacts.
- Conduct high-volume outbound prospecting through phone, email, and other creative channels to initiate conversations and uncover potential transactions.
- Use AI-driven tools, including platforms such as Claude, to research prospects, customize messaging, improve outreach efficiency, and scale sourcing efforts.
- Assist with targeted prospecting campaigns, lead-generation initiatives, and other projects supporting the M&A pipeline.
Market Development & Research
- Work alongside Operations and regional leadership to understand target markets, identify attractive properties or businesses, and develop market-specific sourcing strategies.
- Analyze competitive activity, industry trends, ownership patterns, and market developments to identify potential acquisition opportunities.
- Become a subject-matter resource for your assigned territory, developing the market knowledge needed to recognize attractive opportunities before others do.
- Continuously evaluate and prioritize prospects based on strategic fit, market potential, and acquisition likelihood.
CRM & Business Development Analytics
- Keep CRM records accurate, complete, and current, including contact information, prospect status, activity history, and pipeline stages.
- Build and organize targeted databases of prospective sellers, owners, operators, and other relevant contacts.
- Consistently document calls, emails, meetings, and other prospecting activity.
- Monitor sourcing activity and pipeline performance and provide regular reporting on relevant business development metrics.
- Maintain strong data-quality standards to ensure the CRM serves as a reliable source of market and pipeline intelligence.
Marketing & Outreach Initiatives
- Develop and coordinate marketing materials used in management presentations, prospect communications, and acquisition campaigns.
- Assist with the creation and execution of direct-mail and other targeted outreach programs.
- Manage marketing initiatives from initial concept and preparation through distribution and follow-up.
- Explore new and creative approaches to reaching prospective acquisition targets and generating meaningful conversations.
Conferences & Relationship Development
- Support acquisition meetings, conferences, trade shows, networking events, and other industry activities.
- Coordinate schedules, meeting preparation, presentation materials, logistics, and post-event follow-up.
- Help facilitate productive interactions with prospective sellers, operators, industry professionals, and other strategic contacts.
- Represent the organization professionally in both formal and informal industry settings.
Cross-Functional & Special Projects
- Provide support across the broader M&A and Business Development organization as priorities change.
- Take ownership of special assignments, research projects, sourcing initiatives, and other strategic priorities.
- Work effectively across teams and contribute wherever needed to advance acquisition objectives.
Candidate Profile
We are looking for a proactive, commercially minded professional who enjoys creating opportunities rather than waiting for them to appear.
Core Qualifications
- Ownership & accountability: You take full responsibility for your territory and pipeline, establish your own priorities, and consistently push opportunities forward.
- Business development experience: Demonstrated success with outbound prospecting, cold calling, relationship development, or other forms of direct business development.
- CRM proficiency: Experience working with Salesforce, HubSpot, DealCloud, or another comparable CRM platform.
- Technology & AI skills: Comfortable incorporating AI tools into research, prospecting, communication, workflow automation, and productivity.
- Hospitality expertise: Familiarity with hospitality, lodging, property management, commercial real estate, or related industries.
- Relationship-building ability: Confident communicating with property owners, executives, operators, brokers, and other senior stakeholders.
- Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to communicate clearly, professionally, and persuasively.
- Organization: Highly detail-oriented with the ability to manage large amounts of prospect information, maintain accurate records, and keep multiple initiatives moving.
- Collaboration: Comfortable working with senior leadership, regional operators, and cross-functional teams to execute market and acquisition strategies.
- Adaptability: Able to operate effectively in an entrepreneurial environment where priorities can change quickly and responsibilities may extend beyond a defined job description.
- Education: College degree preferred, although equivalent professional experience will be considered.
Preferred Experience
Candidates with the following backgrounds will receive additional consideration:
- Experience in M&A, private equity, investment banking, deal sourcing, transaction advisory, or corporate development.
- Understanding of business valuation, transaction structures, financial statements, and M&A fundamentals.
- Experience sourcing opportunities for a PE-backed or acquisitive organization.
- Background with multi-property, multi-unit, or geographically dispersed businesses.
- Experience presenting, networking, or representing an organization at industry conferences, podcasts, trade shows, or other public forums.
- Recent experience in hospitality, lodging, property management, or related real estate sectors.
- Demonstrated ability to combine data analysis, technology, creative prospecting, and persistent outreach to generate new relationships and acquisition opportunities.
