Corporate Development & Strategy Director

We’re on a mission to deliver riveting storytelling for all of America. At The Washington Post, you’ll help reinvent news. Our work is driven by a deep investigative spirit and enhanced by innovation to bring audiences closer to the stories that matter most.

The Washington Post is powered by the passion and talent of our people. It takes all of us to reinvent news. Beyond our award-winning News and Opinions teams, we work across many departments, including Brand & Events, Communications, Customer Care, Engineering & Product, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Marketing & Advertising, Print Operations, and Sales.

This first-of-its-kind role will build and scale The Washington Post’s corporate development capability, creating a disciplined approach to partnerships, acquisitions, joint ventures, and other inorganic growth opportunities. The Director will help translate enterprise strategy into actionable investment theses and transactions that expand audiences, accelerate innovation, create new capabilities, and strengthen long-term business performance. Reporting to the Head of Partnerships, this role will bring together leaders across Partnerships, Strategy, Finance, Legal, Product, Technology, and other functions to evaluate and advance complex growth opportunities.Through rigorous analysis, trusted relationships, and disciplined execution, this role will help leadership make informed decisions about where and how The Post invests for future growth.

• You are inspired by The Washington Post’s mission and the opportunity to advance independent journalism through innovation and strategic growth.
• You enjoy identifying transformative opportunities and turning ambitious ideas into actionable business strategies and transactions.
• You thrive in ambiguous environments and bring structure, judgment, and momentum to complex initiatives.
• You are equally comfortable developing investment theses, analyzing financial returns, negotiating transaction terms, and coordinating execution.
• You build credibility with senior executives and external partners by combining strategic perspective, financial discipline, and practical business judgment.
• You value collaboration and enjoy aligning stakeholders with different priorities around a shared business objective.

How You’ll Support the Mission

• Develop and implement a comprehensive corporate development strategy aligned with The Post’s enterprise priorities, establishing a focused roadmap for inorganic growth.
• Build investment theses across priority markets, capabilities, and business models, enabling leadership to identify and pursue the opportunities with the greatest strategic and financial potential.
• Lead the identification and evaluation of acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic investments, partnerships, and related opportunities, creating a qualified and actionable transaction pipeline.
• Establish consistent sourcing, screening, valuation, diligence, and decision-making processes, strengthening the effectiveness and scalability of the corporate development function.
• Direct strategic and financial analyses, including valuation models, business-case development, return scenarios, and risk assessments, providing leadership with clear recommendations.
• Lead cross-functional due diligence in partnership with Finance, Legal, Strategy, Product, Technology, and operational stakeholders, ensuring opportunities are evaluated comprehensively and efficiently.
• Structure and negotiate transactions in coordination with Legal, Finance, and executive sponsors, achieving terms that appropriately balance strategic value, financial return, and organizational risk.
• Advise senior executives on transaction alternatives, market developments, and competitive dynamics, enabling well-informed decisions about The Post’s growth priorities.
• Cultivate relationships with target-company executives, founders, investors, investment bankers, advisers, and prospective partners, expanding The Post’s access to high-value opportunities.
• Coordinate transaction transition and integration planning with accountable business leaders, ensuring approved deals move from execution to measurable business value.
• Represent The Post at relevant industry events and in strategic external discussions, strengthening the company’s profile and corporate development network.

Minimum Qualifications

• At least 10 years of relevant experience in corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, private equity, corporate strategy, strategic partnerships, or a related field.
• A bachelor’s degree in business, finance, economics, strategy, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Demonstrated experience evaluating and executing complex acquisitions, joint ventures, investments, partnerships, or comparable strategic transactions.
• Advanced financial modeling, valuation, business-case development, and due diligence capabilities.
• Strong understanding of transaction strategy, structuring, negotiation, approval, and execution processes.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex cross-functional initiatives involving senior stakeholders with different priorities and perspectives.
• Sound judgment and the ability to make clear recommendations when information is incomplete, risks are significant, or outcomes are uncertain.
• Executive-level communication and presentation skills, including the ability to translate complex financial and strategic information into concise, actionable recommendations.
• Strong negotiation and relationship-management skills, with the credibility to engage senior executives and sophisticated external stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple sensitive and time-critical opportunities while maintaining discretion, accuracy, and attention to detail.

Preferred Qualifications

• An MBA or another relevant advanced degree.
• Experience in media, digital content, consumer technology, subscriptions, advertising, marketplaces, or other adjacent industries.
• Experience building or scaling a corporate development function, operating model, or transaction pipeline.
• Experience with post-transaction integration planning, partnership activation, or value-realization programs.
• An established network among founders, investors, advisers, bankers, and strategic partners relevant to The Post’s growth priorities.

Wherever you are in your life or career, The Washington Post offers comprehensive and inclusive benefits for every step of your journey:

• Competitive medical, dental and vision coverage

• Company-paid pension and 401(k) match

• Three weeks of vacation and up to three weeks of paid sick leave

• Nine paid holidays and two personal days

• 20 weeks paid parental leave for any new parent

• Robust mental health resources

• Backup care and caregiver concierge services

• Gender affirming services

• Pet insurance

• Free Post digital subscription

• Leadership and career development programs

Benefits may vary based on the job, full-time or part-time schedule, location, and collectively bargained status.

The salary range for this position is:

The actual salary within this range will depend on individual skills, experience, and qualifications as they relate to specific job requirements. This position may be eligible for a bonus or incentive program, and a member of the Talent Acquisition team will discuss bonus payment terms and conditions during the interview process.