WHO WE ARE Lindblad Expeditions is a true pioneer in Expedition Travel. From taking the first citizen explorers to Antarctica in 1966, opening the Galapagos and Easter Island to tourism in 1967, leading the first tourist expedition through the Northwest Passage in 1984, and launching our innovative partnership with National Geographic in 2004, we're now taking almost 30,000 guests a year to some of the world’s most remote and pristine locations on our fleet of 20 ships, and are committed to ensuring our guests experience the “Exhilaration of Discovery”.

Role Summary

 

The Director, Corporate Development & M&A will partner with the SVP of Corporate Development & Strategy to identify, evaluate, negotiate, and execute acquisitions and strategic initiatives that strengthen Lindblad Expeditions' portfolio of experiential travel businesses. This role leads the end-to-end M&A process, develops acquisition strategy and pipeline, manages relationships with target companies and advisors, and serves as a key advisor to executive leadership on strategic investment opportunities.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

M&A Strategy & Transaction Leadership

• Lead acquisitions from sourcing through closing, including valuation, financial analysis, due diligence, transaction structuring, negotiation support, and integration planning.
• Direct cross-functional diligence teams while managing external advisors including investment bankers, legal counsel, tax, and accounting firms.
• Develop sophisticated financial models and investment analyses to support strategic decision making.
• Ensure transactions remain on schedule, within budget, and aligned with strategic objectives.

Pipeline Development & Relationship Management

• Own the acquisition pipeline by identifying strategic opportunities across expedition travel and adjacent markets.
• Develop and maintain relationships with target company executives, owners, investors, bankers, and industry partners to generate proprietary deal flow.
• Continuously evaluate market trends, competitive dynamics, and strategic adjacencies.

Executive & Board Communications

• Lead development of investment memos, Board presentations, Executive Leadership Team materials, and strategic recommendations.
• Present investment opportunities, financial analyses, risks, and recommendations to executive leadership.

Strategic Partnership & Integration

• Partner with Finance, Legal, Operations, Marine, Hotel, Sales, Marketing, and other business leaders throughout the transaction lifecycle.