Head of M&A, PE-backed Business Services Company, Düsseldorf / Berlin, Germany

Reference: 15774 New
Head of M&A, PE-backed Business Services Company, Düsseldorf / Berlin, Germany
Our client is a leading pan-European business services company in an infrastructure-adjacent business services sector. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the business operates across several core European markets.

Head of M&A, PE-backed Business Services Company, Düsseldorf / Berlin, Germany

Corporate Development / M&A

Germany

5 - 10 years

About our client

The company has built an outstanding track record of consistent organic growth complemented by an active, highly successful buy-and-build strategy, with clear ambitions to become the next-generation market leader in Europe. Buy-and-build across Europe is central to its next phase of growth, with Germany established as one of the primary expansion market. The business is known for a genuinely entrepreneurial, can-do culture that combines a hands-on, blue-collar operating mindset with the rigour and ambition of a fast-growing, private-equity-backed platform. To support this ambitious growth agenda, our client is looking for a Head of M&A to build out and lead M&A activity in Europe with a particular focus on Germany and the UK, working closely with the founder-led leadership team.

What the job involves

• Own the full M&A process end-to-end: front-end origination and proactive sourcing, founder and owner outreach, negotiation, due diligence and transaction execution
• Build genuine, trust-based relationships with the founders and owners of family-run businesses, acting as a credible and engaging counterpart throughout the process
• Drive origination across Europe with a particular focus on Germany, the company’s primary buy-and-build market, while also contributing to the pipeline of opportunities in adjacent geographies
• Work closely with the leadership team on a smooth handover from deal close into integration, which remains a leadership responsibility
• Lead M&A activity and work in close coordination with the headquarters in the Netherlands
• Help shape and professionalize the M&A function as it grows

Who we are looking for

• An ambitious M&A professional with meaningful, hands-on transaction experience
• A background in another private-equity-backed, buy-and-build environment is ideal; experience in an adjacent sector is helpful, and exposure to infrastructure or blue-collar industries is a strong plus
• A native-level German speaker with fluent English, able to move comfortably between founder conversations and international stakeholders; additional European languages, e.g. Dutch or French are welcome additions
• A proactive, entrepreneurial and hands-on personality, equally comfortable in rigorous deal execution and in building genuine rapport with founders
• Empathy and a real appreciation for a hands-on, blue-collar operating culture, and the ability to represent that culture credibly to the outside world
• Willingness to travel internationally on a regular basis, including frequent visits to the headquarters in the Netherlands