Director, Mergers & Acquisitions
Position Overview
The Director of Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) reports to the Chief Revenue Officer and owns Keller Williams’ inorganic growth engine: assisting/leading the acquisition of independent brokerages and teams into existing Market Centers or as new Market Centers in geographic whitespace. This position carries each deal from sourcing through close, then supports a clean transition to the teams that operate the acquired offices.
Year-One Objective
Establish a repeatable acquisition function that reliably sources, qualifies, and closes deals each year, adding agents and profitability to existing Market Centers and launching new offices in whitespace, with post-close agent retention at or above underwriting metrics.
Location(s)
US Remote-US999About Us
Austin, Texas-based Keller Williams Realty, LLC is the world's largest real estate franchise by agent count with a global network of offices and affiliated agents. The franchise is No. 1 in units and sales volume in the U.S. Since 1983, the company has cultivated an agent-centric, technology-driven, and education-based culture that rewards affiliated agents. If you're ready to join an award-winning team that champions bold innovation, puts people and service at the heart of business, and empowers you to make a real impact, then Keller Williams is where you belong. Our latest recognition:- 2026 & 2025 Best Places to Work (Glassdoor)
- 2026 & 2025 Best Place for Working Parents® (Best Place for Working Parents®)
- 2025 America's Most Admired Workplaces (Newsweek)
- 2025 Top Franchises for Women (Franchise Business Review)
- 2025 Best-Led Companies (Glassdoor)
Responsibilities
Pipeline & Sourcing
- Own a live, ranked pipeline with documented conversion stages from initial conversation to LOI to close, sized to the annual deal target.
- Direct and quality-control the third-party M&A partner's sourcing.
- Prioritize targets by geography using the whitespace map, tying each prospect to a tuck-in or a new Market Center launch.
Valuation & Diligence
- Own the valuation rubric and pricing discipline for target brokerages and teams, holding every deal to defined acquisition thresholds.
- Underwrite agent retention segmented by selling broker-owner, top producers, and roster tail; model economics with the CFO's office and pressure-test returns.
- Validate reported production and headcount against independent data and third-party benchmarking; diligence roster overlap and market cannibalization against receiving and neighboring Market Centers.
- Rank production, volume, and other dynamics in-market to understand scale and addressable universe.
Structuring & Financing
- Structure earnouts, seller and top-producer retention, transition terms, and integration timelines.
- Negotiate agent-retention mechanics including retention bonuses, production-based earnout triggers, and non-solicits.
- Coordinate KW-led acquisition financing; model and negotiate closing terms and advisor fees.
Approval & Close
- Package numbers first decision memos for executive approval.
- Move quickly on tuck-ins under defined authority; reserve board and/or senior management review for new Market Center launches and larger transactions.
- Drive LOI through diligence, legal, and close.
Transition Support
- Support the transition from signed deal to the operating team, sharing the deal thesis, retention plan, and key terms with the receiving Divisional Lead (Growth & Attraction), the Operating Principal, and the Team Leader.
- Stay available through early transition as the deal's point of reference. Brand conversion, office consolidation, and systems migration are executed by the operations and field teams.
- Feed retention outcomes and deal performance back into the valuation rubric and deal models.
Playbook & Reporting
- Own and refine the codified acquisition playbook: target criteria, vetting checklists, the valuation rubric, LOI and structuring templates, and the deal-to-transition checklist.
- Report pipeline conversion, time-to-close, deals closed, agents and production added, and 12-month retention.
- Support development of marketing materials to help sell the KW opportunity to independent brokerages.
Year-One Success Measures
Year-one progress is measured by
- A documented, repeatable diligence-to-approval process with defined cycle times.
- A live, ranked pipeline with committed agent count and dollar value per target.
- Deals closed that add agents and profitability to existing Market Centers, plus at least one new Market Center launched in whitespace.
- Agent and revenue retention at 12 months at or above underwriting.
- A complete transition package delivered for each closed deal, so the operating team inherits the thesis, terms, and retention plan.
Qualifications
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Marketing, Real Estate, or a related field
- Minimum of five or more years of progressive M&A leadership experience
- Proven dealmaker: Successful M&A experience leading deals from sourcing through close, in corporate development, transaction advisory, or investment banking.
- Modeler: Command of valuation and deal modeling, including earnouts, retention structures, and returns.
- PE / roll-up experience: Track record in PE-backed or roll-up platform environments with repeatable bolt-on acquisitions. This is a build role inside an institutionally owned franchisor, and the right person has operated in that context.
- Brokerage-literate: Residential or commercial brokerage, team, or franchise experience, with command of the economics that drive brokerage value (production, commission splits, producer retention), or a demonstrable ability to underwrite the asset class.
- Advisor management: Track record managing external advisors and running a structured, metrics-driven pipeline.
- Communicator: Clear, numbers first written communication.
Preferred Requirements
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) or equivalent
- Familiarity with the Keller Williams model
Location & Travel
- Location: Austin, TX or Remote (travel required)
- Travel: Regular travel to target markets and Market Centers for sourcing, diligence, and deal execution.
EEO Statement
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.Physical Requirements
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a team member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act As Amended to perform the essential functions.- Sitting
- Keyboarding
- Viewing computer monitor
Work Environment
Work is performed in a business office environment. Ability to work extended hours, as required, in support of the company's business needs.Bachelor's degree and 5+ years of progressive M&A leadership experience. Requires deal execution, valuation and modeling, PE or roll-up experience, brokerage knowledge, advisor management, and strong written communication.
Key Responsibilities
- sourcing acquisitions
- underwriting valuations
- negotiating transactions
Job Details
- Category: Finance and Accounting
- Seniority: Senior Level
- Commitment: Full Time
- Workplace: Remote — United States or Austin
- Languages: English
About Keller Williams Realty, LLC
A global real estate franchise with a technology-driven, education-based culture and network of affiliated offices and agents. — Industry: Real Estate