Research Analyst - Acquisition Target Lists (Marketing/Advertising Agency Specialist)

Research Analyst - Acquisition Target Lists & Market Mapping (Marketing/Advertising Agency Specialist) About the role: We are a buy-side M&A and corporate development firm focused on the digital marketing, advertising, media, creative, design, PR/communications, and tech-enabled services sectors. We build and maintain detailed lists of potential acquisition targets, and we're looking for an experienced research specialist to own that process with us on an ongoing basis. This is detail-driven, judgment-heavy research work. You won't just be scraping names - you'll be identifying the right companies, confirming they fit the criteria for different mandates, and finding the specific person we need to reach. Accuracy and sound reasoning matter far more than volume. What you'll do: - Build targeted lists of companies within defined segments of the marketing, advertising, media, creative, and agency landscape (e.g., performance marketing agencies, branding/design studios, PR firms, digital product shops, marketing tech-enabled services providers). - Correctly classify agencies by type, service offering, and specialization - and know the difference between, say, a full-service agency, a media buying shop, a creative boutique, and a martech services provider. - Perform qualitative research to confirm key company details: services, positioning, approximate size/headcount, ownership status, and other fit indicators we'll define together. - Identify the founder, CEO, or the actual decision-maker for each target. - Find accurate, verified contact information for that person (email and, where relevant, LinkedIn/phone). - Conduct market mapping: organizing segments, surfacing adjacent players, and giving us a clear picture of a landscape and who the notable companies within it are. - Keep everything organized cleanly in spreadsheets (Google Sheets/Excel) or upload directly to HubSpot. You're a strong fit if you have: - Demonstrable experience with M&A/corporate development research, sales/lead-generation research, list-building, or competitive/market intelligence - this is not an entry-level posting. - A real understanding of the marketing and advertising agency world, or the ability to show you can quickly get up to speed on how these businesses are categorized and how they differ. - Sharp research instincts: you know how to triangulate details across sources and how to tell a reliable signal from noise. - Fluency with the tools of the trade - LinkedIn (Sales Navigator a plus), company databases, and email-finding/verification tools (e.g., Apollo, Hunter, Clay, ZoomInfo, or similar). - Excellent written English and meticulous attention to detail and data hygiene. - Reliability and clear communication; you flag uncertainty rather than guessing. Nice to have: - Prior experience researching within marketing, advertising, media, or professional/tech-enabled services specifically. - Experience supporting a deal team, corp dev function, or investment/advisory firm. - Comfort designing a repeatable research workflow we can scale over time. Engagement: This is intended to start as a project to ensure we work well together and then, ideally, become an ongoing role with steady, recurring work. We haven't fixed a rate yet - please propose your hourly rate based on your experience, and tell us your typical availability per week. Strong performers will have consistent, long-term work with us. To apply, please include: - A short note on your relevant experience building target/prospect lists or doing M&A/market research - ideally in or near the marketing/agency space specifically. - An example (anonymized is fine) of a list, market map, or research deliverable you've produced, and a brief description of your process for finding and verifying decision-maker contact info. - Which research and contact-finding tools you rely on and have access to. We review every application that follows these steps and will move quickly with candidates who are a strong fit.