Mergers & Acquisitions Project Manager

At Core States Group, the work you do matters to the clients we serve, the communities we support, and the teams who rely on one another to deliver with excellence. Our Cause is powerful: to create a world where all environments improve everyday life.

Why Professionals Choose Core States Group

Here's what you can expect:

• COMPENSATION - Competitive wages and bonus programs
• RETIREMENT - We offer a great 401(k) match to help you invest in your future and grow your retirement savings with confidence.
• HEALTHCARE - Excellent health benefits, life insurance options, and supplemental benefit options, giving you the flexibility to choose the coverage that best fits your needs and lifestyle.
• VACATION - Generous PTO time to help you recharge, relax, and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
• PERKS - Team wellness challenges, Costco membership reimbursement, half-day Fridays during summer months + much more!
• WORK-LIFE BALANCE - A flexible work environment that supports a healthy work-life balance, whether you're in the office, working remotely, or somewhere in between.
• PAID PARENTAL LEAVE - Four weeks of fully paid parental leave to give you time to bond with your new addition and support your growing family.
• TUITION REIMBURSEMENT - Advance your education with support! We offer tuition reimbursement to support your learning journey.

Summary of Position

As the Mergers & Acquisitions Project Manager, you will support the company's acquisition strategy and integration activities. Reporting to the Vice President of Strategic Growth & Integration, this position will support the full acquisition lifecycle-from pipeline development and initial target evaluation through due diligence, closing, and post-acquisition integration.

This is a hands-on project management role responsible for establishing and maintaining the work plans, schedules, meeting cadences, trackers, and cross-functional coordination necessary to keep acquisition and integration activities organized, accountable, and moving toward key milestones.

The successful candidate will be highly organized, responsive, and comfortable managing multiple priorities and confidential information in a fast-paced environment. This role will work closely with senior leadership, acquisition targets, external advisors, and functional leaders across Core States to support a consistent and scalable acquisition program.

Responsibilities

• Acquisition Pipeline Development and Target Evaluation

• Research and identify potential acquisition targets that align with Core States' strategic priorities.

• Maintain and update the acquisition pipeline, including target information, contact history, opportunity status, next steps, and follow-up dates.

• Support outreach efforts and respond promptly and professionally to warm leads, inbound opportunities, business owners, brokers, and other referral sources.

• Review confidential information memoranda, financial statements, management presentations, organizational information, and other materials provided by prospective acquisition targets.

• Develop an informed understanding of each target firm, including its services, clients, markets, geographies, leadership, workforce, financial performance, and strategic fit with Core States.

• Identify key opportunities, risks, trends, information gaps, and follow-up questions arising from the review of target company materials.

• Prepare target company summaries, presentation materials, and decision-support materials for senior leadership and other internal stakeholders to advance the acquisition process.

• Track acquisition activity, pipeline metrics, and progress against corporate development goals.

• Transaction & Due Diligence Project Managment

• Coordinate acquisition diligence and review across multiple workflows, including finance, legal, human resources, information technology, operations, insurance, and other functional areas.

• Organize and review information received from acquisition targets and ensure that outstanding requests and follow-up items are addressed.

• Develop and maintain diligence request lists, data rooms, document trackers, issue logs, decision logs, and closing checklists.

• Coordinate calendars and meeting schedules, prepare agendas and materials, document action items, monitor completion of assigned tasks, and follow up with responsible parties.

• Assist in preparing internal acquisition approval materials and presentations for senior leadership and the Board of Directors.

• Ensure material diligence findings, decisions, and potential integration implications are clearly documented and incorporated into transaction and integration planning.

• Integration Project Management and Program Development

• Coordinate the development and execution of acquisition integration plans.

• Maintain integration work plans, milestone schedules, risk logs, and action-item trackers.

• Coordinate with functional workstream leaders to monitor progress, identify dependencies, and escalate potential delays or risks.

• Facilitate recurring integration meetings, document decisions and action items, and follow up with responsible parties to maintain progress and accountability.

• Assist with the coordination of communications related to acquisitions and integrations.

• Track integration goals, commitments, synergies, and other measures of transaction success.

• Continuously improve Core States' acquisition and integration playbooks, templates, tools, processes, and reporting cadence.

• Prepare recurring reports and dashboards covering acquisition pipeline activity, transaction status, integration progress, key risks, and value-creation initiative.

• Contribute to the continued development of a consistent and scalable corporate development and integration function.

• Participate in integration meetings and travel to acquired company locations as needed.

Qualifications

We're looking for talented professionals who are eager to grow their skills and contribute to high-quality, meaningful work. If you're driven, collaborative, and ready to take the next step in your career, we want to hear from you. The following qualifications will help you succeed in this role:

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, project management, finance, economics, or a related field.
• 3-5 years of experience coordinating complex, cross-functional projects in business operations, project management, corporate development, integration, consulting, professional services, private equity, transaction advisory, or a related business environment is preferred.
• Working knowledge of financial statements and business performance metrics, with the ability to identify questions, synthesize key findings, and coordinate follow-ups with advisors.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams, along with demonstrated ability to use AI-enabled productivity tools; experience with project-management platforms is preferred.
• Strong organizational and follow-through skills, with careful attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams, deadlines, and confidential matters simultaneously.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convert complex discussions into clear decisions, responsibilities, and next steps.
• Sound judgment and the ability to interact professionally with business owners, senior executives, external advisors, and employees at all levels.
• Willingness and ability to travel as required.

Preferred Attributes

• Interest in acquisitions, business strategy, and organizational integration.
• A proactive and responsive working style.
• Ability to synthesize complex information into clear findings and recommended next steps.
• Comfort working in an environment where priorities shift as acquisition opportunities progress.
• High level of discretion when handling confidential and sensitive information.
• Interest in the architecture, engineering, construction, or professional-services industries.

Work Location

This is a hybrid position based out of our Tampa, FL office. It is expected that you will work out of the office a few days a week.

Company Overview

Core States Group is an industry-leading architecture, engineering, and construction (A/E/C) firm trusted by many of the world's most notable brands. With 26 offices across the United States and Canada, the firm delivers speed to market, cost certainty, and compelling design for national multisite programs and projects.

Established in 1999, Core States Group drives innovation and improves everyday life for countless people across several markets, including Convenience, Distributed Generation, Financial, Grocery, Housing, Industrial, Restaurants, Retail, Semiconductor, Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Infrastructure, and more.

A Note to Candidates

Please do not be concerned if you do not meet every requirement. At Core States we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

This position will remain open until it is filled.