5 Years experience in IB/PE, what title should I target in Corp Strat/Dev?

Thanks for any insight in advance. Currently an Associate in MM PE looking to make the transition into Corp Dev/Strategy (open to early/late/mature stage companies primarily geared towards tech). As title states, have five years total experience in IB and PE including direct management experience of more junior resources/teams. When applying for jobs in corporate dev/strat, what title should I be targeting that is aligned with this level of experience?

I've received looks/interviews for everything from "Manager" to "Director" ranging from early stage businesses to F100 companies. Acknowledging that title/role varies heavily from place to place, but is there a particular hierarchical position I should be asking for that (i) doesn't undersell my experience and (ii) avoids underachieving expectations?

Any insight for those who have made a similar transition, or have helped onboard similar types of candidates, would be really appreciated!

10 Comments
 

If you switch careers you’ll probably have to come in as an analyst again. Best case scenario an “experienced” analyst. Best advice to you would be pursue a compliance/risk role if you want to taste that juicy Work/Life balance and still bring in a ~30% bonus

 

Thanks all really appreciate the responses. Sounds like Manager/Senior Manager is fair game here.

I know compensation varies widely but any sense what would be fair for this position at a F500 non-FAANG role in a high COL city? Have gotten reads all over the place (including on this forum), so any color would be very helpful here.

 

I've had two separate corporate development stints at publicly traded companies (I left at Director level and had no IBD or PE experience). 

Depending on the company, I think you should be looking at Director roles and I wouldn't hesitate to apply for VP level roles. 

Maybe a manager or Sr. Manager at a tech company that's very competitive (FAANG). 

 

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