Senior Manager of Corporate Development ACE; WagWay Group

Access Executive Development Program Overview

Access is seeking exceptional individuals for the Access Creating Executives Program (“ACE Program”). ACE roles provide hands-on experience and exposure to key operational best practices and tactics of Access’ portfolio strategy execution.

Candidates ("ACEs") join the ACE Program as members of an Access portfolio company, directly supporting and reporting to executives in key functions including Lead Generation, Revenue Operations, Digital / Business Intelligence, Finance, M&A / Corporate Development, Strategy, and Marketing. ACEs are expected to improve, execute, and document best practices within the key roles, developing a meaningful operational skillset.

ACEs will attend and participate in Access networking events, training sessions, and summits with other executives and ACEs across the Access portfolio. ACEs will work with Access to build skillsets, report out to other ACEs, develop playbooks, and provide insights to executives where appropriate. They will leverage key learnings across the current and future portfolio, while also driving projects and new investment opportunities.

Top performers will have career path opportunities within their respective portfolio company and/or across other areas of the Access Holdings ecosystem.

Wag Way Group is a PE-backed pet clubs and wellness company with operating brands across the U.S. Wag Way was established to build a national, contemporary network of leading pet wellness providers in attractive markets. Wag Way pet centers offer daycare, boarding, grooming, training, and vet services under a comprehensive model. The Company aspires to set the standard for pet wellness through the combination of service excellence, innovation, and pet health monitoring.

The Senior Manager, Corporate Development, will be a key strategic partner to the CEO, responsible for driving growth through mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and new market expansion. This highly analytical and execution-oriented leader will identify, evaluate, and manage corporate development opportunities that align with Wag Way Group’s long-term strategic plan. This role combines strategic insight with hands on execution – ideal for a resourceful, data-driven leader eager to influence growth and value creation.

This role is part of the Access Holdings ACE Program.

• Identify, assess, and execute potential acquisitions, partnerships, and new market opportunities.
• Lead financial modeling, valuation analyses, due diligence coordination and deal execution.
• Prepare and review investment memos, letters of intent and report on investment pipeline activities
• Collaborate with appropriate stakeholders to develop post-merger integration plan.
• Support the CEO and executive team in shaping the Company’s multi-year growth strategy and business model evolution. Develop and track KPIs and growth metrics tied to strategic initiatives.
• Develop and manage a proactive deal origination strategy… build relationships with brokers, owners, and regional operators to identify high-quality acquisition opportunities aligned with growth priorities.
• Drive top-of-funnel activity… source, evaluate, and qualify new leads that convert to actionable acquisition targets, ensuring a strong and sustainable deal pipeline.
• Cultivate a network of industry contacts and referral sources
• Conduct market and competitive intelligence to inform decision-making and capital allocation.
• Build executive ready reports and dashboards highlighting growth performance, deal pipeline status, and ROI of strategic initiatives. Support the creation of board and investor materials for strategic updates.
• Partner with Finance, Operations and Marketing executive team to align value creation priorities. Lead special projects or task forces focused on strategic partnerships, operational improvements or expansion initiatives.
• Prepare and present strategic recommendations to executive leadership, Access Holdings and external partners. Ensure clarity and alignment across all key stakeholders during deal execution and integration.
• Collaborate with…