Buy-Side Research Analyst (Market Mapping & Acquisition Targeting)

SIR. is an integrated buy-side advisory firm helping founders and investors navigate acquisitions from readiness through diligence, negotiation, and integration. We operate across SaaS, consumer tech, professional services, CPG, and health/wellness, partnering with licensed attorneys, CFAs, and operators to deliver full-funnel M&A support to lower mid-market clients. We’re now looking for an exceptional Research Analyst to support our deal origination and market diligence efforts, someone who loves building acquisition maps, connecting dots, and finding needle-in-a-haystack opportunities before anyone else does.

The Role As a Buy-Side Research Analyst, you’ll work directly with our strategy, finance, and legal teams to identify acquisition targets, collect market intelligence, and maintain our proprietary deal pipeline database. Your insights and diligence will shape our clients’ acquisition strategy and provide the foundation for outreach and financial analysis. Key Responsibilities Market & Target Research • Build and maintain detailed market maps within key industries (CPG, SaaS, professional services, health, etc.) • Conduct top-down and bottom-up research to identify potential acquisition targets that meet specific revenue, profit, and ownership criteria • Source data from tools such as Crunchbase, CapitalIQ, PitchBook, ZoomInfo, LinkedIn, IBISWorld, and company registries Acquisition Pipeline Management • Maintain and update the deal sourcing CRM (HubSpot / Airtable / Notion / Clickup) • Score and prioritize leads using both quantitative and qualitative metrics • Track outreach status, responses, and key relationship data Market Diligence Support • Compile competitive landscape analyses, sector trends, and comparable transaction data • Support CFAs and Financial Analysts with qualitative input (customer base, leadership, operational risks, key differentiators) • Summarize findings into clear reports and presentations for internal briefings and client deliverables Cross-Team Collaboration • Work with M&A counsel and financial analysts to coordinate due diligence data requests • Provide ongoing support to our buy-side sourcing team during negotiations and LOI prep • Manage internal research templates, frameworks, and SOPs for data collection and market validation What We’re Looking For • 2–5 years’ experience in investment banking, private equity, venture research, corporate development, or consulting • Proven ability to source and qualify target companies using both public and private data • Strong understanding of M&A process flow and transaction lifecycle • Excellent analytical and written communication skills • Highly proficient in Excel or Google Sheets (comfortable building comparison tables, financial summaries, and filters) • Familiarity with CRM tools (Clickup, HubSpot, Airtable, Notion) • Detail-oriented, organized, and intellectually curious Bonus Skills • Experience building ICP (ideal company profiles) and target outreach frameworks • Basic understanding of financial statements and valuation drivers • Prior exposure to lower mid-market buy-side work or founder-led businesses • Comfortable preparing decks or briefs for client presentations

Remote

Why Join SIR. • Work at the intersection of strategy, finance, and entrepreneurship • Collaborate directly with elite M&A attorneys and CFAs across the U.S. and Australia • Flexible, remote-first environment, output matters more than hours • Opportunity to shape our firm’s data infrastructure and intelligence systems from the ground up

Demonstrate work product and experience