Senior Director of Finance - M&A

Job Description: We believe in bold ideas, diverse perspectives, and the drive to transform knowledge into impact. Here, your curiosity fuels progress, your voice shapes innovation, and your ambition helps redefine what’s possible within science and learning. We are a culture that obsesses over impact, challenges, and drives what’s next to power infinite possibilities for our customers, colleagues and society at large. About the Role: Wiley is executing a focused portfolio transformation through M&A to accelerate its evolution as a research and learning company. The Director, Finance M&A is a newly created role within FP&A, to give that agenda the dedicated capacity and business partnership it requires. The role partners closely with commercial and operational leaders to align on revenue assumptions, growth drivers, and synergy commitments, translating these discussions into robust, financially sound transaction analyses. It requires credibility and influence across Corporate Development, the business units, and the operational teams ultimately responsible for delivering synergies. This is a high‑visibility, execution‑focused role with direct exposure to the CFO, CEO, ELT, and external stakeholders, offering a clear development path toward senior leadership within FP&A or Corporate Development. The role reports to the SVP of FP&A. Job Responsibilities: Transaction Analysis & Business Partnering Lead the financial evaluation and execution support of acquisitions & divestitures. Develop investment cases, business valuations, and transaction recommendations to support capital allocation decisions. Present financial analyses, transaction recommendations, and investment cases to executive leadership and key stakeholders. Own the Finance workstream during due diligence: quality of earnings, working capital, synergy modeling, and integration/separation cost estimation Partner with business and operational leaders to develop and pressure-test revenue assumptions, growth drivers, and synergy targets ensuring financial models reflect proper valuation Collaborate closely with Corporate Development, bringing FP&A's proximity to internal data, business context, and financial planning processes to improve deal evaluation FP&A M&A Integration Own hypothetical M&A scenario planning end-to-end, relieving capacity pressure on the broader FP&A team Translate active and pending transactions into the operating financial plan: carve-outs, integration budgets, stranded cost analysis, and pro forma modeling Maintain a live deal pipeline tracker with financial context, updated for leadership review on a regular cadence Post-Close Financial Integration Own post-close financial integration, working within FP&A to establish reporting structures, chart of accounts alignment, and financial process setup for newly acquired or divested businesses Oversee all traditional post close activities including but not limited to synergy realization and integration cost commitments Serve as the financial integration lead across Finance, Accounting, Treasury, and Tax during the post-close period Capital Allocation & Reporting Develop financial frameworks to evaluate portfolio composition, ROIC, and capital deployment across inorganic activity ·         Support CFO, FP&A, and Investor Relations with M&A related financial narrative for earnings, Board materials, and management presentations Contribute to Finance Transformation objectives building a repeatable, disciplined M&A finan ce playbook that institutionalizes best practices across the team Team & Resource Management Manage contingent and/or offshore analyst support to flex capacity with deal activity Build and advance due diligence templates, integration checklists, and scenario planning frameworks that make the broader FP&A team more effective over time Required Qualifications: Proven experience in investment banking, corporate development, FP&A, or a dedicated M&A finance function Demonstrated experience contributing to financial due diligence on buy-side and/or sell-side transactions, with particular emphasis on business partnering and assumption development alongside modeling Experience working across commercial and operational functions to align on synergy targets and integration plans is strongly valued Post-close financial integration experience is a plus but not required Industry background in publishing, technology, information services, data/analytics, or SaaS preferred but not required Strong financial modeling and valuation skills: DCF, accretion/dilution, synergy builds, working capital and quality of earnings analysis. Fluency in separation accounting, carve-out financials, and stranded cost modeling Exceptional business partnering skills able to engage credibly with commercial and operational leaders and translate qualitative business insight into financial assumptions Clear, direct communicator who can synthesize complex analysis for the CFO, CEO, and ELT  Preferred Qualifications: 12+ years in investment banking, corporate development, FP&A, or a dedicated M&A finance function.  We power infinite possibilities. For more than 200 years, we've transformed knowledge into discoveries that shape the world. Today, our global team of innovators, creators, and experts is driving what's next in science, education, and publishing—creating impact that reaches everywhere.  We're not just observers of progress. We're the ones accelerating scientific breakthroughs, advancing learning, and sparking innovation that redefines entire fields and improves lives.  Here, your talent matters. Your ideas have room to grow. And your work creates breakthroughs that can change everything.  Wiley is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. We evaluate all qualified applicants and treat all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexua