Director, Legal - Mergers & Acquisitions
Posted 20 days ago
Banyan Software is the best permanent home for software businesses that serve specialized industries, their employees, and their customers. We are on a mission to acquire, build, and grow great companies worldwide, helping them modernize through shared AI expertise and operational discipline. The Banyan Software Foundation, endowed with $100 million in Banyan stock, leverages technology to build a greener and more equitable world. Banyan is Great Place to Work Certified, a five-time Inc. 5000 honoree, and a top 10 company on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Atlanta, Banyan operates more than 100 portfolio companies across North America, the UK, EU, and APAC.
Director, Legal - Mergers & Acquisitions
Location: Toronto, ON (Hybrid)
Reports to: General Counsel
The Opportunity
Banyan's Legal team is growing to support a high-volume M&A practice and an expanding portfolio of vertical-market software companies. We are looking for a Director, Legal to join our Toronto team and take ownership of deal execution across the full acquisition lifecycle. You will work alongside our M&A Directors, Operating Partners, and portfolio company leaders to close transactions and support operational legal needs across the business.
Initially, approximately 80% of your time will focus on deal work: due diligence, purchase agreement negotiation, closing mechanics, and post-close integration support. Over time, as Banyan's verticalized legal structure matures, you will step into a portfolio-level leadership role, effectively becoming the dedicated legal lead for an operating portfolio. This is the path to becoming a "Portfolio General Counsel," owning the full legal function for a group of software companies while remaining connected to a collaborative legal guild at corporate headquarters.
What You Will Own
M&A Execution
- Lead legal due diligence on acquisitions, identifying and escalating risks across corporate, IP, employment, and regulatory dimensions.
- Draft, review, and negotiate purchase agreements, disclosure schedules, and ancillary deal documents from LOI through closing.
- Manage external counsel relationships and coordinate specialist advice when required by deal complexity or jurisdiction.
- Partner directly with M&A Directors (Jesse, Sam) and Operating Partners to ensure transactions close on time and within risk tolerance.
Portfolio Legal Support
- Provide day-to-day legal support to portfolio companies on commercial contracts, NDAs, vendor agreements, and general corporate matters.
- Cover portfolio legal responsibilities during team transitions, including maternity leave coverage, ensuring continuity across the team.
- Advise portfolio company leadership on operational legal questions, acting as a trusted business partner to CEOs and operating leaders.
Growth into Portfolio Legal Lead
- Transition into the dedicated legal lead for one of Banyan's operating portfolios as the verticalized structure scales.
- Build and own the legal playbook for your portfolio: deal support, commercial contracting, compliance, and corporate governance.
- Participate in the Banyan Legal Guild, contributing to cross-portfolio knowledge sharing and best practices with the broader legal team.
What We Are Looking For
The ideal candidate is a 5th to 7th year lawyer with strong M&A fundamentals from a mid to large law firm, combined with a genuine interest in technology companies and a willingness to roll up their sleeves in a high-volume deal environment.
- 5 to 7 years of legal experience, including meaningful M&A transactional work at a mid-size or large law firm.
- Direct experience leading or supporting buy-side due diligence and purchase agreement negotiations.
- Familiarity with technology company legal issues: IP ownership, SaaS licensing, data privacy, and software-specific commercial terms.
- In-house experience at a technology company is a strong asset, even if gained informally (e.g., acting as outside de facto counsel for technology clients on commercial and corporate matters).
- Licensed to practice in Ontario (Law Society of Ontario member in good standing) or eligible for prompt admission.
- Canadian or US M&A experience; cross-border deal exposure is a plus.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills. You can translate complex legal concepts into clear guidance for non-legal stakeholders.
- Comfortable working independently with minimal supervision while staying connected to a collaborative legal team.
The expected base salary for this position is: CAD $160,000 - $190,000 excluding annual bonus and equity (when applicable). Salary is based on a number of factors including market conditions, location and may vary depending on job-related skills and experience.
Annual bonus target: 15% of base salary. Equity component included.
This position is for an existing vacancy.
In this role you will be working in a hybrid capacity, visiting our Headquarters team located in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Eastern Standard Time Zone).
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Equal Employment Opportunity at Banyan: Banyan affirms that inequality is detrimental to our Global Teams, associates, our Operating Companies, and the communities we serve. As a collective, our goal is to impact lasting change through our actions. Together, we unite for equality and equity. Banyan is committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of any protected characteristic, including race, color, genetic information, creed, national origin, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, lawful alien status, ancestry, age, marital status, or protected veteran status and will not discriminate against anyone on the basis of a disability. We support an inclusive workplace where associates excel based on personal merit, qualifications, experience, ability, and job performance.
Beware of Recruitment Scams
We have been made aware of individuals fraudulently posing as members of our Talent Acquisition team and extending fake job offers. These scams may involve requests for personal information or payment for equipment.
Protect yourself by following these steps:
- Verify that all communications from our recruiting team come from an @banyansoftware.com email address.
- Remember, employers will never request payment or banking information during the hiring process.
- If you receive a suspicious message, do not respond — instead, forward it to [email protected] and/or report it to the platform where you received it.
Your safety and security are important to us. Thank you for staying vigilant.
Other open roles at Banyan Software(6)
Banyan Software is a buy and hold for life acquirer of vertical market software businesses. Founded in 2016 by David Berkal, Banyan was created to offer software owners a third option beyond selling to a competitor focused on cutting costs or a traditional investment firm that would resell the business a few years later. As a private company with no fund timeline and no exit pressure, Banyan holds and grows its businesses for life. Unlike private equity firms, Banyan preserves the culture, brand, and autonomy of each business rather than consolidating or cutting costs to maximize short-term returns. Every acquired company keeps its management team, brand identity, and customer relationships intact. Banyan works closely with each owner to find the right path forward, whether they want to stay at the helm, transition to an advisory role, or make a graceful exit. Many owners choose to retire or move on, either at closing or within a year or two. In those cases, Banyan partners with the outgoing owner to recruit a new CEO who is the right fit for the team and culture. Every Banyan company is paired with a dedicated Operating Leader who provides strategic guidance and support. Companies also gain access to the Banyan Business Community, which includes CEO Summits, functional Guilds, an online portal, and peer networks. Growth Enablement resources are available across finance, technology, sales and marketing, HR, legal, and talent. Banyan also invests in AI capabilities across its portfolio to help modernize products and accelerate growth. Banyan acquires profitable, market-leading enterprise software businesses with annual revenues generally greater than $2M, a high proportion of recurring revenue, strong customer retention, and engaged employees. The portfolio spans vertical markets including education, government, financial services, healthcare, media and entertainment, and transportation, with businesses across North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia and New Zealand
Key team members
Adam Cole
Michael Giske
Lisa Cowan
Alex Jarzebowicz
Jobr aggregates jobs directly from company career portals — no middlemen. Our team applies on your behalf with AI-tailored resumes, reviewed by a human before submission.