Vice President, Corporate Development

Mission Lane is combining the power of data, technology, and exceptional service to pave a clear way forward for millions of people on the path to financial success. By attracting top talent and leveraging cutting-edge technology, we’re enabling people to unlock real financial progress.

We’re looking for a Vice President, Corporate Development to shape our M&A and partnership strategy, as well as ensure that Mission Lane is poised to take advantage of potential exit paths including potential acquisitions and / or IPO. This position reports to the Chief Strategy Officer.

The impact you’ll make:

Mission Lane is focused on providing consumers with lower cost access to credit. Continuing to do this for an increasing number of customers and in a more impactful way requires capital, strategic bets, and disciplined execution. This role impacts all three: leading public market readiness efforts, developing the company’s narrative and strategic positioning for external stakeholders, building an M&A and partnerships strategy, and advising our card business.

What You’ll Own:

• M&A and partnership strategy: Lead Mission Lane’s M&A and partnership strategy. Continually assess the market to decide which businesses are worth acquiring, partnering with, or building in-house, direct the outside advisors and bankers who support that work, and lead execution end to end when an opportunity moves forward, from diligence through negotiation.
• Exit readiness and coordination: Support Mission Lane’s path toward a potential exit, which may include an IPO, an acquisition, or another outcome, by acting as the internal aggregator across partners engaged in that work, keeping efforts coordinated and nothing duplicated.
• Card business advisory: Serve as a senior advisor to parts of the core credit card business, helping identify gaps and opportunities, shape long-term strategy, and support the team directly when needed.
• Readiness to step into a leadership role over any new product, business line, or acquisition that grows out of this work, bringing the operating credibility of someone who has actually run a credit business.
• Executive and Board communication: prepare the materials and recommendations senior leadership relies on for major strategic decisions.

You’ll thrive in this role if:

• You’ve spent time inside a PE firm, strategy firm, investment bank, or financial markets role, and you’re just as comfortable directing an outside advisor as you are doing the analysis yourself.
• You can walk into a room with the Board or the executive team and leave them with more clarity than they walked in with.
• You get results in a matrixed organization of consultants and stakeholders who don’t report to you.
• You get energized by an open-ended problem that doesn’t come with an existing playbook.
• You’ve built a track record of landing in unfamiliar situations, ramping up fast, and shipping real outcomes.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in strategy consulting, investment banking, or financial markets.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to present to and inspire confidence among senior leaders and Boards of Directors.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and deliver results through influence in a matrixed organization, without direct authority over every stakeholder.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively amid ambiguity and structure open-ended, white-space problems.
• A track record of stepping into unfamiliar situations, ramping up quickly, and driving measurable impact.
• Experience directing the work of outside consultants and advisors.
• A demonstrated willingness to execute directly, taking initiatives through to implementation rather than stopping at a recommendation.
• Based remotely, with the flexibility to travel ~6-8+ times per year for high-quality in-person collaboration with the executive team, Board, and outside advisors.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Leadership experience in a credit or lending business, especially one serving a subprime or near-prime customer base.
• Experience working within a private equity firm, including preparing portfolio companies for exit.
• Direct experience supporting a company through IPO readiness or another public-offering process.
• Experience leading or directly executing M&A transactions from origination through post-close integration in a lending or financial services business.
• Established relationships across the credit card, consumer lending, or broader fintech industry.
• Experience operating in a regulated financial services environment.