Description
We are looking for a Corporate Development Manager to be a key player in our mission to enable secure identity for any technology. As the world accelerates towards an AI-driven, hyper-connected landscape, our mission to enable secure identity for any technology has never been more critical. Our Corporate Development team is the strategic engine that will power Okta's inorganic growth, ensuring we stay ahead of the curve.
In this role, you will move beyond traditional M&A execution. You will be a market expert, developing investment theses on emerging landscapes like AI-driven security, decentralized identity, and machine-to-machine trust. You will work with Okta's senior leadership to not only buy companies but to buy capabilities that expand our platform, accelerate our roadmap, and solidify our position as the world's identity standard.
Key responsibilities include:
- Developing data-driven market research and investment theses on new growth areas, presenting your recommendations to product and executive leadership to influence Okta’s long-term strategy.
- Sourcing high-potential startups for acquisition, investment, or partnership, and building a strong presence across the founder and VC ecosystem.
- Driving the entire M&A lifecycle for strategic acquisitions, from sourcing and initial evaluation to valuation, due diligence, and deal execution, in partnership with senior team members.
- Partnering with Product and Engineering leaders to evaluate build/buy/partner opportunities aligned with Okta and Auth0 roadmaps.
- Collaborating on integration planning with cross-functional partners after acquisitions or strategic deals.
- Using new technologies/AI to hunt for signals in the noise: from founders, funds, internal teams, and the broader market; and translating it into action.
Requirements include:
- 5+ years of experience in corporate development, investment banking (TMT focus), strategy consulting, or other relevant roles with a strong track record of deal execution.
- A strong foundation in financial analysis, valuation, and modeling, with a deep, intuitive understanding of SaaS business models and metrics.
- Proven experience working on complex M&A or strategic investment projects, ideally within the enterprise software, cloud, or security sectors.
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with a natural ability to distill complex topics and build consensus among executives and cross-functional teams.
- Intellectual curiosity and a passion for technology, with the ability to think strategically about product-market fit, technical challenges, and competitive moats.
- Comfort navigating ambiguity with a bias toward building structured execution and always seeking opportunities for continuous improvement.
- Familiarity with generative AI models (ChatGPT, Anthropic, Gemini, etc.) and prompt development.
- Experience/familiarity with Slack, Apple MacOS and GSuite.