Associate, Corporate Development

Job Description

Job Overview:

Harris’ Frontline portfolio is looking for a Corporate Development Associate responsible for proactively researching, engaging and developing potential acquisition targets for a high-velocity M&A organization.

In this newly created role, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to join a prolific acquirer and learn from the highly successful acquisition culture of Constellation Software.

Location: Preference for Toronto, but open to remote candidates (within North America)
Reports to: Director, Corporate Development

Key Responsibilities

Market mapping and research


* Conduct detailed research on competitors, potential add-on offerings, new geographies, and adjacent markets.


* Segment assigned markets and continuously refresh target lists using public and proprietary sources.


* Research industry dynamics to identify acquisition/investment news, competitive tenders, leaderships changes, etc.

Lead generation and outreach


* Design and execute multi‑channel outreach campaigns (cold calling, email, LinkedIn, trade shows) to open conversations with founders and executives.


* Attend conferences and regional events to network and build our acquisition pipeline.

Relationship management


* Build trust with CEOs, entrepreneurs, advisors and intermediaries; act as the long‑term account manager for acquisition prospects in public safety market.


* Maintain regular communication to keep prospects engaged and ensure prospects progress through the deal sourcing pipeline.

Qualification and pipeline management


* Evaluate opportunities against strategic and financial criteria, including company life‑cycle stage, product fit and ownership dynamics.


* Manage a disciplined pipeline in Salesforce or similar CRM; log outreach activities, track deal stages, forecast pipeline health and prepare reports for senior management.

Transaction support


* Organize management meetings, site visits and prospecting trips; coordinate due‑diligence requests and information flow.


* Work closely with the M&A team throughout the process to ensure a smooth hand‑off once opportunities progress.

Qualifications and Skills


* Experience: direct experience in M&A origination, business development, enterprise software sales or high‑ticket B2B sales.

Experience in M&A/VC/PE, investment banking or management consulting is an asset.


* Commercial “hunter” mentality: demonstrable success in cold outreach, lead generation and relationship management.

Comfortable navigating conversations and building rapport at the C‑suite level.


* Communication and interpersonal skills: articulate communicator with excellent writing and presentation skills, capable of clearly conveying our investment philosophy and value proposition.


* Financial literacy and analytical ability: ability to interpret financial statements and discuss basic valuation drivers is an asset.


* Org...