Acquisition Integration Lead

Acquisition Lead, Consulting Services

Reports to: President, Consulting Services | Full-time | Hybrid / Flexible | Senior Leadership

Position Overview

We are a $300M consultancy portfolio at a pivotal stage in our growth journey and with an aggressive growth mandate. The Acquisition Lead serves as a strategic partner and operational force multiplier to the President of Consulting Services. This role sits at the center of the business - translating executive vision into action and driving organizational inorganic growth priorities. The right candidate is entrepreneurial and capable of developing and executing a strategic M&A playbook, identifying, evaluating, and integrating acquisitions, and achieving an investment thesis. This role requires a technically credible, operationally excellent leader who thrives in ambiguous environments and will help drive integration of previously acquired assets as well as tenaciously focus on inorganic growth and help identify and seamlessly integrate future acquisitions.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Execution

•    Develop and execute a plan on integration of previously acquired consulting assets

•    Partner with the President to define and drive the annual strategic agenda for M&A within the Consulting Services division

•    Support inorganic growth in all phases of the transaction lifecycle

•      Author an M&A playbook

•      Refine identification and assessment of targets

•      Perform in-depth analysis of potential targets

•      Serve as integration lead for acquired entities

•      Ensure achievement of investment thesis

Leadership Operations

•    Serve as a trusted sounding board and advisor to the President on inorganic growth opportunities

•    Own and present the analysis of potential targets

•    Manage a team of direct reports as the function grows

•    Provide relevant updates on inorganic growth performance to consulting leadership

Business Performance & Analytics

•    Develop a clear and concise methodology to consistently measure acquisition performance

•    Partner with President to drive planning, budgeting, and operational execution of the M&A playbook

•    Synthesize data from multiple sources into clear narratives on inorganic growth performance for leadership and board consumption

Internal Communications & Culture

•    Shape and steward a consistent organizational narrative across the consulting portfolio, partnering with the President to build alignment, manage change communications, and reinforce a unified culture across business units

•    Preserve the positive critical elements of culture upon integration of existing and future consulting assets

•    Partner with People Operations to support talent and workforce planning initiatives

•    Champion a cohesive team culture across a geographically distributed consulting organization

Qualifications

Required

✓ 10+ years of experience in technology consulting, business operations, or strategy roles

✓ Experience supporting all phases of the transaction lifecycle, with a focus on post-merger integration

✓ Demonstrated track record working directly with or in support of C-suite or senior executives

✓ Exceptional written and verbal communication; executive-ready presentation skills

✓ Strong analytical fluency, comfortable turning data into strategic narrative

✓ High degree of discretion and sound judgment in sensitive situations

✓ A genuine AI adopter who actively uses AI tools to do their own work better, and brings curiosity and initiative to identifying how these tools can transform

Preferred

★ MBA or advanced degree in a relevant field

★ Prior experience in a professional services or consulting firm environment

★ Experience with workforce analytics and HR systems

★ In-depth familiarity with change management methodologies

★ Proficiency with Microsoft 365 suite and Claude

★ Prior experience leading through organizational transformation or business unit integration

What Success Looks Like in Year One

•    A detailed M&A playbook for consulting services

•    Repeatable framework for CIM analysis and synergy calculation

•    Stakeholders across the organization view the Acquisition Integration Lead as a trusted, high-integrity resource

•    Any acquisitions considered an early success

Compensation

Chicago Metro

Component

Chicago Metro

 

Base Salary

$200,000 – $280,000

Posting range

Annual Bonus

20% – 35%

% of base

Total Comp (Est.)

$240,000 – $380,000

Base + bonus

Compensation is determined by relevant experience, market data, and internal equity. Final offers may include additional elements such as long-term incentive participation, professional development funding, and comprehensive benefits. Ranges reflect 2026 market data for senior Chief of Staff roles in professional services.

Role Details

Travel Expectation

Direct Reports

Work Location

Up to 25%

0–2 to start

Hybrid