Director, Technical M&A

Novacap is a leading North American private equity investor and one of Canada’s most experienced private equity firms. Founded in 1981 to partner with visionary entrepreneurs, Novacap focuses on middle market companies in four core sectors, Technologies, Industries, Financial Services and Digital Infrastructure.

Novacap combines deep sector specific expertise and strategic and operational excellence to partner with entrepreneurs and management teams. Since its inception, the firm has made primary and add-on investments in more than 250 companies. Novacap has over C$15 billion of assets under management and more than 120 employees, including 65-plus investment professionals, across offices in Montreal, Toronto and New York.

Job description

The Director plays a pivotal role in supporting Novacap’s investment teams throughout the entire deal lifecycle. This leader provides deep technical insight across software, infrastructure, cybersecurity, data, and AI, while also coordinating and managing external technical diligence partners to ensure comprehensive, timely, and actionable assessments.

Operating in a fast-paced M&A environment, the Director must combine strong technical depth with exceptional project management, urgency, and strategic judgment. This role directly influences investment decisions, valuation considerations, and post-close value creation.

Key responsibilities

Lead and Project-Manage Technical Due Diligence (TDD):

• Serve as the internal lead and project manager for all technical due-diligence workstreams.
• Coordinate and manage external TDD vendors, ensuring they deliver on scope, depth, and timelines.
• Maintain tight control over schedules, deliverables, communication flows, and documentation.
• Act proactively to keep diligence ahead of deal timelines, escalating issues early.
• Drive alignment between deal teams, management teams, and external technical advisors.

Deep Technical Evaluation (Software, Infrastructure, Security, Data):

• Conduct in-depth assessments of:
• • Software architecture, codebase quality, cloud architecture, scalability
  • Infrastructure & DevOps, hosting, SLAs, redundancy, cost models
  • Cybersecurity posture, identity management, vulnerabilities, compliance maturity
  • ERP & enterprise systems (WMS, CRM, finance systems & integrations)
  • Technical debt, modernization needs, and long-term scalability risks
• Identify architecture gaps, operational deficiencies, and strategic improvement areas.

Strategic Technical Advisory to Deal Teams:

• Provide early positioning on technology moat, defensibility, and AI-related disruption.
• Evaluate technical and product roadmaps, engineering maturity, resourcing, and velocity.
• Support partners during IOI, LOI, confirmatory diligence and prepare findings for Investment Committee.
• Assist in transaction structuring related to carve-outs, TSAs, IP ownership, licensing, cybersecurity obligations, etc.

Data Strategy & AI Evaluation:

•  Assess data architecture, data quality, governance, and readiness for advanced analytics/AI.

• Evaluate the long-term value and defensibility of data assets.
• Recommend AI strategy and implementation pathways post-close.
•   Identify opportunities to accelerate automation, data integration, and predictive insights.

Post-Close Value Creation & Portfolio Company Support:

• Develop actionable 100-day technical execution plans for new portfolio companies.
• Advise portfolio technology leaders on:
• • Cloud modernization
  • Cybersecurity enhancements and compliance
  • ERP upgrades or re-platforming
  • Data and AI enrichment roadmaps
  • Remediation plans for identified technical debt
• Monitor progress on integration and transformation initiatives.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Communication:

• Act as a key liaison between deal teams, portfolio leadership, and external technical firms.

• Communicate complex technical findings clearly and concisely to non-technical stakeholders.
• Ensure decision-makers receive concise, prioritized, and time-sensitive insights.
•  Represent Novacap as a technology expert during management presentations and diligence sessions.

Required Skills & Profile

• 15+ years of experience in engineering leadership, architecture, infrastructure, cybersecurity, or senior technical management.
• 5+ years experience in M&A, technical due diligence, integrations, or carve-outs.
• Proven ability to work effectively in fast-paced M&A cycles, with strong judgment and urgency.
• Demonstrated experience managing and coordinating external vendors/consultants in technical contexts.
• Strong expertise in:
• • Cloud and software architecture
  • DevOps, CI/CD, and modern infrastructure
  • Cybersecurity frameworks and identity management
  • Enterprise systems and ERP strategy
  • Data governance, data platforms, and AI/ML use cases
  • Technical debt evaluation and modernization strategies