About Baton

We are a marketplace for buying and selling small businesses, and act as a trusted seller-side partner to help small business owners navigate the sale process with clarity and certainty, by reconciling financials and business data before listing. Buyers on the platform love the listing quality, the ability to underwrite a deal quickly, and move to negotiations. This enables us to out-perform the market by 10x.

We’re looking for people who take real pride in their work and are willing to stand up for customers, even when that means asking thoughtful questions or sharing constructive feedback. We value individuals who are curious, collaborative, and open-minded in their approach to data and decision-making, while also being bold enough to think creatively and aim high when opportunities arise.

We aim to build and maintain a team that reflects the diversity of the people who use our products. That’s why our hiring process takes into account the whole person—their potential, experiences, and unique perspectives—alongside the skills and expertise they bring to the table.

Baton is backed by Giant Ventures, Bloomberg Beta, Divergent Capital, WndrCo, Trust Fund and a syndicate of world-class investors.

About the Role

Baton is seeking a strategic and experienced Head of M&A to lead and support our growing team of M&A Advisors and M&A Operations professionals. In this critical role, you will oversee deal execution, directly manage transactions, and drive continuous improvements to our transaction processes in collaboration with our operations, product, and advisory teams.

This role requires a dynamic leader who can balance hands-on deal management with high-level strategy, ensuring that Baton delivers exceptional outcomes for both buyers and sellers. You’ll play a pivotal role in scaling our M&A function, optimizing workflows, and enhancing the tools, product, and processes that support our marketplace.

Main street and lower middle market sales are extremely emotional and human. While you must have top-tier financial and analytical chops, to be successful in this role, you also need to have world-class EQ.

On a Day-to-Day Basis You Will

• Set and own the strategy for transactions at Baton.

• Provide leadership, mentorship, and guidance to M&A Advisors and Operations team members to ensure success in all stages of the deal process.

• Manage deals directly alongside your team, fostering a deep understanding of owners, buyers, and product improvements, while providing guidance grounded in real experience.

• Collaborate with the Operations and Product teams to refine workflows, develop new tools, and streamline transaction processes for efficiency and scalability.

• Dive into complex operational processes to support the team and improve the transaction.

• Establish KPIs, monitor performance metrics, and provide actionable feedback to the M&A team to achieve operational excellence.

• Work closely with the Product team to enhance platform features that support transactions and with the Operations team to optimize back-end processes.

• Develop strategies to expand and improve Baton’s M&A capabilities, ensuring the team can handle increasing deal volume and complexity.

• Act as an advocate for both sellers and buyers, ensuring exceptional service and delivering value throughout the transaction process.

About You

• M&A Leadership Expertise: Proven experience managing M&A teams, overseeing complex deals, and delivering successful outcomes in a high-pressure environment at a VP, Director, or Partner Level. Preferably at a LMM sell-side firm.

• World-class Emotional Intelligence: You pride yourself on having the highest EQ out of all your friends. You are able to pick up on micro-emotions, navigate complex human situations, and get creative to make sure everyone ends up happy.

• Top-Tier Financials Understanding: Exceptional ability to analyze and interpret financial statements, valuations, and deal metrics, ensuring accurate assessments and strategic insights throughout the transaction process.

• Transaction Process Optimization: Deep understanding of deal workflows, with a track record of driving process improvements and operational efficiencies.

• Product Mindset: Experience working with or developing transaction-related tools and platforms, with a strong ability to provide product feedback and drive enhancements.