Job Details

American Public Education, Inc. (NASDAQ: APEI) is a leading education services provider that offers respected, innovative and affordable educational programs and services through its wholly owned subsidiaries: American Public University System (APUS), which encompasses American Public University and American Military University; and Hondros College of Nursing (HCN).
Online, on campus and in the workplace, we provide education and training to our country's heroes - military service members, veterans, nurses and motivated professionals who want to make a difference. APEI is a mission-driven provider of higher education to working adults with a proud history of serving the military, public service and nursing communities.
APEI has a vision of the increasingly inter-connected future of work and learning, and has created a plan to drive both organic growth within its existing portfolio and inorganic growth through acquisitions in both healthcare education (e.g. nursing schools) and skills-based education (e.g. training companies).

Synopsis of Role:
Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Chief Innovation Officer, the Associate Vice President, Corporate Development, will play a key role as American Public Education, Inc. (APEI) diversifies its operating portfolio, drives scale and positions itself for long-term, sustainable growth. In support of that effort, the AVP will also support strategy at both the parent company and business unit level.

Essential Functions:

• Identifies and evaluates investment targets:
  • Works with the SVP and others to develop, maintain and advance a pipeline of investment targets, sourced through diverse channels and relationships.
  • Leads research on investment targets.
  • Assesses comparable trading multiples, and recommend valuation and transaction structure, in consultation with APEI legal, banking and other advisors.
  • Works with APEI's operating units to understand how an acquisition would interact with, benefit, and complement the existing portfolio.
  • Prepares investment briefs for executive leadership.
• Plays a key role in due diligence efforts:
  • Leverages internal team members and external advisory services where appropriate.
  • Serves as a liaison between APEI, external advisors and the target company and their advisors (investment bank and/or legal counsel).
  • Ensures best practices and procedures are in place for investment due diligence and continue to refine and update any related documentation as necessary.
• Directs post-transaction integration activities:
  • Develops a high-level transition and integration strategy.
  • Plans and executes integration activities following a transaction.
  • Conducts post-transaction assessments and document lessons learned, ensuring such lessons learned get incorporated in the assessment of future acquisitions.
• Supports stewardship of existing investments:
  • Monitors performance of existing investments.
  • Makes recommendations for enhancing the value of these investments to APEI and its operating units.
• Contributes to strategic planning process:
  • Works effectively across the enterprise, engaging business unit leaders in the annual planning process.
  • Supports strategic planning at the parent company (APEI) level.
  • Provides analysis and direct research throughout the annual planning process.

• Work is primarily performed in an office environment in Manassas, VA, or Charles Town, WV.

• Team player who enjoys collaborating to accomplish an evolving agenda.
• Quick learner who can produce insightful, clearly written deliverables in a fast-paced environment.
• Unwavering ethical integrity, strong business acumen, inquisitive mind, and constant desire to challenge the status quo .
• High levels of organization and self-motivation.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, positive attitude, and constant desire to learn and grow.
• Ability to always interact positively across all levels of an organization and show strong mutual respect for all colleagues.
• Complete comfort with leading and motivating cross-functional teams as well as rolling up sleeves, making valuable contributions, and doing whatever is required to push things forward regardless of how mundane the task.
• Strong problem solving skills and ability to identify issues and risks and develop creative solutions to mitigate such issues and risks.
• Extremely strong oral and written presentation skills.

• A minimum of 5-10 years of relevant work experience
• Bachelor's degree required, master's degree preferred, preferably in finance, business, economics, or a related field
• Domain expertise in higher education, healthcare education, adult learning, workforce development, and educational technology a plus
• Prior experience in corporate development, investment banking, private equity, strategy consulting, or transaction advisory services a plus