Head of Corporate Development

About Plaid

Plaid is dedicated to revolutionizing how people engage with their finances by providing essential tools and experiences used by thousands of developers to create innovative financial products. Serving millions of users, Plaid enables easy connection of financial accounts to various apps and services. The company's extensive network includes 12,000 financial institutions in the US, Canada, UK, and Europe. Founded in 2013, Plaid is headquartered in San Francisco, with additional offices in New York, Washington D.C., London, and Amsterdam.

Finance plays a critical role at Plaid by transforming insights into actionable strategies, capital into growth momentum, and fostering disciplined, sustainable expansion.

Role Overview

As the Head of Corporate Development, you will lead Plaid's inorganic growth strategy by overseeing mergers, acquisitions, and investment initiatives that enhance the company’s product portfolio, technology, and market influence. Reporting directly to the CFO, you will be the chief architect behind build-vs-buy decisions. Your role involves collaborating closely with executive leadership and multiple departments—including Product, Engineering, Legal, and Corporate Finance—to identify, evaluate, and execute deals that align with Plaid's strategic goals.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a strategic pipeline of acquisition and investment opportunities aligned with Plaid’s priorities, staying vigilant of the competitive and startup landscape to identify potential targets proactively.
• Establish and nurture relationships with founders, executives, and investors in fintech and related sectors to source unique deal opportunities.
• Conduct thorough research to produce insightful perspectives on market adjacent categories and competitors, guiding Plaid’s strategic and investment decisions.
• Lead the full lifecycle of deal execution, including valuation, financial modeling, coordination of due diligence, negotiation, and deal structuring in partnership with cross-functional teams.
• Coordinate post-acquisition integration efforts with Finance, Legal, HR, and business leaders by establishing clear milestones, performance indicators, and tracking outcomes against original expectations.
• Engage collaboratively with Product, Engineering, and Go-to-Market teams to refine opportunity assessments and clarify strategic interests.
• Prepare comprehensive presentations and reports for the Executive team and Board, covering market analyses, deal pipelines, evaluations, and integration outcomes.

Required Expertise and Qualifications

• A minimum of 12 years' experience in Investment Banking, Private Equity, Corporate Development, or Management Consulting focused on private equity due diligence.
• Proven capability to independently manage and execute end-to-end deals including sourcing, valuation, modeling, diligence, negotiation, and closing.
• Demonstrated success managing multiple complex transactions simultaneously from concept through post-close integration.
• Strong analytical skills paired with sound business judgment to balance detailed scrutiny and timely decision-making.
• Ability to create scalable frameworks and processes, transforming ambiguous situations into consistent operational motions.
• Exceptional communication skills with executive presence, adept at engaging senior and Board-level stakeholders both verbally and in writing.
• Prior experience within the Technology sector is essential; familiarity with Product and Engineering collaboration is advantageous; fintech or financial services background is a plus.

Additional Information

Plaid’s mission centers on unlocking financial freedom for all by building a diverse workforce committed to equitable financial ecosystems. The company encourages applications from candidates whose experiences may not fully align but who offer unique contributions.

Plaid champions equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination based on protected characteristics, while also accommodating candidates with disabilities during recruitment processes.

Compensation consists of a salary range from $199,200 to $355,200, complemented by equity and/or commission depending on the role. Comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, vision coverage, and a 401(k) plan. Salary and benefits are influenced by the position's scope, candidate qualifications, and location, and are subject to adjustment.

Location

This role is based in the San Francisco Bay Area as an onsite full-time position.