HR M&A Lead
Own the people workstream across Payward’s M&A lifecycle, leading HR diligence, deal mechanics, executive risk recommendations, and post-close integration. The role requires 8+ years of relevant experience, strong compensation and equity modeling skills, cross-border deal expertise, and judgment in ambiguous, confidential transactions.
About the job
Responsibilities
- Own the people workstream for Payward’s M&A activity from first-pass diligence through close and integration.
- Build and manage the People Experience (PX) due diligence questionnaire, including data requests, follow-ups, and target workshops.
- Review high-volume data rooms covering employment contracts, organizational data, compensation and equity files, policies, and claims history using AI and automation.
- Translate findings into prioritized risk flags scored against Payward’s risk tolerance, with clear recommendations.
- Draft people-side deal mechanics, including compensation modeling, equity treatment, retention and earn-out structures, and deal-specific terms.
- Partner with corporate development, legal, finance, and PX leadership; defend recommendations with data and escalate decisions to executives.
- Manage PX integration activities, including organization design, leveling, compensation harmonization, retention execution, and Day 1 readiness.
- Develop reusable diligence and integration infrastructure, including playbooks, DDQ templates, risk scoring, and automation.
Requirements
- 8+ years of experience across M&A people or HR diligence, integration, total rewards, or corporate development.
- Hands-on ownership of the people workstream on completed deals.
- Experience managing multiple diligence processes concurrently under hard deadlines.
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to model compensation, equity, dilution, retention costs, and integration spend.
- Global or cross-border deal experience involving multiple jurisdictions and/or regulatory change-of-control employment considerations.
- Demonstrated use of AI and automation to review large document volumes, with sound judgment about model limitations.
- Ability to make and communicate risk decisions using incomplete information and clearly state positions to executive stakeholders.
- Experience negotiating compensation, equity, and retention structures with founders.
- Strong confidentiality judgment and comfort working on live, undisclosed transactions.
- High agency and adaptability in ambiguous, shifting deal environments.
Nice to Have
- Crypto, fintech, or regulated financial services acquisition experience.
- Experience integrating founder-led or early-stage teams into a larger platform.
- Experience building a diligence or integration playbook from scratch.
Skills
M&A Due Diligence, Hr Integration, Total Rewards, Compensation Modeling, Equity Compensation, Retention Planning, Earn-Out Structures, AI Automation, Data Room Review, Risk Assessment, Organizational Design, Cross-Border Transactions, Change Of Control, Corporate Development, Compensation Harmonization
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