SVP, Corporate Development

SVP, Corporate Development

FDH Aero is a trusted global supply chain solutions partner for aerospace and defense companies, helping to shape the industry by simplifying the supply chain. With over 60 years serving as a leading independent industry partner, FDH specializes in hardware, electrical, consumables and expendables, licensed products, and value-added services for global OEM and aftermarket customers. FDH is headquartered in Commerce, California, and has operations across the Americas, EMEA and APAC. FDH Aero named a Best Places to Work in Aviation in 2024 has locations in 14 countries across the globe, with more than 1,500 best-in-industry employees and over 650,000 square feet of inventory space.

At FDH Aero, we understand that the strength of our brand comes from our people.

We invest in driven, diverse and experienced professionals who are naturally curious, courageous and motivated towards action. We value tempering confidence with humility, and a mission that always starts with service-first.

Our values guide everything we do:

We Are Service First - We act with agility and intelligence to solve our partner's most pressing needs. We safeguard our trusted relationships by communicating with clarity and unmatched follow through.

We Are Respectful - We behave with dignity, fairness, and acceptance. We thrive by prioritizing empathy, humility, and connection to our collective community.

We are Amplifiers - We invest in driven, diverse and experienced professionals, businesses and partners. We fuel the entrepreneurial spirit by providing autonomy, authority and a clear mission.

We Are Open-Minded - We communicate with intention, curiosity, and diversity of thought. By actively contributing with courage and candor, we challenge the status quo and innovate together.

We Are Accountable - We own responsibility for our outcomes. We set expectations, embrace critique, and empower every employee to take immediate actions on challenges they encounter.

We Value Our People - That's why we offer competitive benefits, including medical, dental, vision, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), 401k matching, and wellness programs. We invest in training, mentorship, and career development to empower our employees to reach their full potential. Our commitment to culture and excellence has earned us recognition as one of Aviation Business News' Best Places to Work in Aviation.

As a team member at FDH Aero you are trusted to deliver, to innovate, and to drive next-generation solutions for tomorrow's supply chain demands. Ready to make an impact? We proudly pursue top talent with a diverse and global set of experiences and backgrounds.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR

An experienced and strategic SVP, Corporate Development to build and lead our M&A capability and accelerate growth within the aerospace and defense distribution market. This leader will own the M&A process end-to-end, from developing the pipeline and building relationships with potential acquisition targets to executing transactions and establishing strong governance throughout the process.

This is a hands-on leadership role within a lean, sponsor-backed environment. The ideal candidate will serve as FDH Aero's deal quarterback, managing multiple transactions, developing strong relationships with business owners and key stakeholders, and partnering closely with Business Unit leaders while allowing them to remain focused on running their businesses.

Over time, this leader will help establish a scalable and disciplined M&A program and position FDH Aero as an acquirer of choice within the industry.

What you'll Do (Responsibilities)

M&A Strategy & Pipeline Development

• Build and operate a programmatic M&A engine covering the Electronics and Hardware businesses, related adjacencies, and the broader enterprise.
• Develop and maintain a disciplined, well-sequenced acquisition pipeline aligned to the company's strategic priorities and capital plan.
• Define target criteria, screening filters, and prioritization logic; maintain a live view of the addressable universe in a fragmented market.
• Form and advance a point of view on where to take the platform across products, geographies, and adjacencies.

Deal Sourcing & Origination

• Complement the office of the CEO and executive team on sourcing by converting relationship-driven, often bilateral, owner and founder conversations into actionable opportunities.
• Cultivate and maintain direct relationships with owners, operators, intermediaries, bankers, and industry participants to generate proprietary and off-market flow.
• Manage inbound opportunities from advisors and sponsors, triaging quickly against target criteria.
• Maintain pipeline CRM discipline so every relationship, touchpoint, and next step is tracked and current.

Deal Execution

• Own deal execution front-to-back across screening, valuation, LOI, diligence, and negotiation through close.
• Run multiple simultaneous transactions with tight cadence and clear ownership of every workstream.
• Lead negotiation of LOIs, purchase agreements, and related transaction documents in partnership with Legal and outside counsel.
• Direct due diligence across financial, commercial, operational, legal, HR, IT, and regulatory workstreams, managing internal resources and third-party advisors.
• Make and defend recommendations to proceed, restructure, or walk away.
• Coordinate a clean handoff to integration leadership, including transition planning and Day 1 readiness.

Valuation & Financial Analysis

• Build and own valuation, returns, and synergy models with defensible, well-documented assumptions.
• Establish and defend a view on what to buy, what to pay, and where value creation is realistic versus aspirational.
• Partner with Finance on purchase accounting considerations, quality of earnings scope, and post-close performance tracking against underwriting.

Governance & Executive / Board Reporting

• Institutionalize pipeline governance through KPI-driven reporting that carries credibility with the executive team, Board, and sponsors.
• Establish and manage the M&A Committee cadence covering deal strategy, diligence review, and valuation decisions.
• Prepare and present materials for Board, committee, and sponsor meetings, including deal approvals, pipeline updates, and post-close performance reviews.
• Build and maintain M&A playbooks, diligence checklists, approval thresholds, and integration handoff protocols.

Capital Markets & Funding

• Engage with capital markets and the Board regarding funding strategy for the acquisition program.
• Support high-yield and other financing processes, including lender and investor materials, diligence support, and rating agency interface as required.
• Coordinate with Finance and sponsors on capital allocation sequencing across the pipeline.

Education and Experience:

• 10+ years of deal experience across investment banking, private equity, and/or in-house corporate development, ideally in a programmatic tuck-in context
• Demonstrated track record originating and closing deals, including proprietary, bilateral, and off-market transactions; not solely advised processes
• M&A infrastructure builder who has stood up pipeline CRM, playbooks, diligence checklists, and integration handoffs in lean environments
• Experience, connectivity, and credibility in aerospace and defense, including an existing network of industry participants
• Capital markets experience, including high-yield financing and interfacing with investors
• Cross-border experience (EU / Asia) a plus
• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or CFA preferred

Key Competencies:

• Deal execution excellence: owns the full deal lifecycle through diligence, negotiation, and close
• Process rigor: drives multiple simultaneous workstreams with tight cadence and no dropped balls
• Analytical horsepower: command of valuation, returns, and synergy underwriting with defensible assumptions
• Strong commercial judgment: sound instincts on what to buy, what to pay, and which deals to walk away from
• Executive gravitas: plays up and down; equally credible in the boardroom and in the data room
• Cross-functional quarterback: mobilizes finance, legal, operations, HR, advisors, and sponsors through close

Work Schedule, Location, and Travel

• In-office role based at FDH Aero's Las Colinas, TX office.
• Core hours of 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Central, with flexibility to support Pacific and international coverage as deal cadence requires.
• Travel of approximately 40 to 50 percent, domestic and international, including target and owner meetings, diligence sessions, management presentations, financing meetings, and board and off