Tech M&A Partner: Sell-Side Startup Exits, Merger Agreements & Venture Deals | Remote US (San Francisco Bay Area) | Up to $800K + Equity

"The only way to do great work is to love what you do." Steve Jobs

Lead the M&A practice at one of the most respected venture-focused boutique law firms in the US. This is a salaried partner role, fully remote, paying up to $800K plus equity, with no client book required.

Why this is a terrific opportunity

Picture this: an acquirer's term sheet lands, the clock starts ticking, and a founder picks up the phone to call you. You are the partner they trust with the biggest moment in their company's life. You run the deal, rally the team, sharpen every clause and get it over the line. Then you get to build the practice that does it again, bigger and better. It is fast, demanding, brilliant work, and it is a lot of fun.

Our client is a highly regarded, fast-growing venture-focused boutique and a fully remote firm with attorneys across the US. Now its clients are maturing, and more of them are being acquired. The firm wants a seasoned M&A partner to take the lead on those deals and build the practice around them.

Build the practice, not just staff it. You will set the playbooks, processes and standards for how the firm runs M&A. It is a rare chance to shape a practice from the ground up with the backing of an established platform.

Lead from day one. Lean deal teams mean you run transactions end to end, from term sheet to closing, as the primary contact for founders and in-house counsel.

Clients you will enjoy. Venture-backed technology companies from seed to growth stage, plus the investors who back them. These are the companies making headlines, and many are heading toward an exit.

No book required. There is a steady flow of existing client work waiting for the right partner. You are hired for your deal judgement, not your origination numbers.

Work hard, live well. Ambitious deals and real intensity when it counts, with a rhythm that leaves room for a life outside the inbox.

Fully remote, anywhere in the US. Work from wherever suits you, with the flexibility a remote firm is built around.

A team-first culture. Collaborative, low-ego and tech-forward. You will mentor talented ECVC attorneys who already know these clients well and want to grow their M&A skills.

The role

You will be the firm's lead M&A partner, owning sell-side technology transactions for its venture-backed clients and growing the team that delivers them.

Run sell-side tech M&A deals from LOI and diligence through signing and closing, as lead counsel rather than in a supporting seat

Draft and negotiate merger agreements, SPAs, APAs, LOIs and term sheets that protect founders, investors and the business

Build the firm's M&A practice: processes, precedent banks, playbooks and quality standards as clients scale

Staff, train and mentor M&A deal teams drawn from the firm's ECVC attorneys

Advise clients on financings and day-to-day corporate matters where needed, deepening long-term relationships

Act as a trusted adviser to founders, boards and in-house counsel through some of the biggest moments in their companies' lives

"If the law supposes that... the law is a ass." Charles Dickens, Oliver TwistHappily, the partners here are anything but. Sharp minds, good humour and great deals.

What you bring

Essential

10+ years as a corporate attorney at a top-tier firm, with at least six of those years focused on M&A

A practice centred on strategic M&A at a large, technology-focused firm, primarily on the sell side

A deal sheet showing $50M+ transactions you ran or co-ran, not just supported

The ability to independently draft and negotiate merger agreements, SPAs, APAs, LOIs and term sheets

An active US bar admission in good standing (any state)

US citizenship or a green card (sponsorship is not available)

Highly regarded

Meaningful ECVC experience alongside M&A: financings and general corporate counsel for venture-backed companies

Experience leading, training or mentoring a deal team

A tech-forward, curious approach to legal work rather than a cookie-cutter one

The right fit

The firm values loyalty and steady growth, so a career showing three to five years at each firm suits best. You will thrive here if you are an M&A specialist at heart, love teaching and rolling up your sleeves on a deal, and get your energy from building something great with a team.

Where you are likely coming from

The ideal partner has been trained in a top technology M&A practice. You are probably at, or have come from, one of these kinds of firms:

Am Law 20 firms with leading technology M&A practices, where you have led sell-side deals for tech companies

Technology and venture-focused firms with deep startup and emerging company M&A experience

Large national firms with strong tech transactions and growth-company groups, advising venture-backed businesses through financings and exits

If you are a senior counsel, income partner or non-equity partner at one of these firms and you are ready to lead rather than wait, this is the step up.

The package

Base salary: up to $800K, depending on experience and deal record

Equity: competitive equity

Structure: salaried partner, full-time, permanent

Location: fully remote, anywhere in the US

Setup: remote working setup provided

Work rights: US citizens and green card holders

A genuine partner title and partner-level pay, with your energy going where it matters most: great deals and a growing team.

How to apply

Apply through the form on this page. All applications are handled in strict confidence, and your details will not be shared with the firm without your permission.

About Big Wave Digital

Big Wave Digital is a specialist AI and technology recruitment firm working with fast-growing startups and the people who build them, from San Francisco to New York. Legal roles are not our usual territory, but this one has technology running right through it: venture-backed tech clients, software and AI company exits, and a firm that thinks like a startup. So here we are, and we are excited to find the partner who will lead it.