Most Important Skills For An M&A Integration Program Manager At Google
Brett, a Program Manager in M&A Integration at Google, emphasizes the importance of "willingness to learn new things" and influencing decisions without direct authority in their role. A deep understanding of M&A processes, technology business models, and cross-functional corporate operations—including "understanding the common pain points"—is also crucial for navigating the complexities of their position.
Project Management, Mergers and Acquisitions, Business Acumen, Influence and Persuasion, Adaptability and Learning
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Brett Rothberger
Program Manager, M&A Integration
University of Arizona
N/A
Business Management & Admin, Entrepreneurship
Technology
Cyber Security and IT
Scholarship Recipient, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. A willingness to learn new things and adapt to ambiguous situations is crucial. The role frequently involves tackling unfamiliar topics and requires proactive learning.
2. Strong influencing skills are essential, as program managers often need to guide decision-making without direct authority. Building consensus among peers is key to success.
3. A solid understanding of M&A processes, technology business models, and cross-functional business processes across departments like sales, marketing, and finance is vital. Empathy for the challenges faced by different teams is highly beneficial.
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
Multiple skills are important. I think willingness to learn new things is key. You'll always be in ambiguous situations where you're not the expert, and you need to put in the time to learn new topics. That would be one.
Two, as a program manager, it's really important to be able to influence decisions without the authority to make them. When you're program managing, your job is to build consensus amongst your peers. The more you can work on influencing folks to make decisions you can't make yourself, the more effective you'll be.
Third, because I'm in M&A, you've got to understand how M&A works, the M&A lifecycle, and the different stages and nuances with mergers and acquisitions.
Another one, being in technology, it's really important to understand the different business models within technology and how that impacts how the company operates. You always need to know how your company makes money and what operations are required to make that happen. That's a critical skill that's really learned over time.
Additionally, as an extension of understanding the associate operations, it's really important to be able to understand different business processes across corporate functions, whether that's sales, marketing, or finance. That way, you can understand the common pain points across those functions. When meeting with people as a program manager, you can empathize with different issues they might be having and help them navigate different situations.
Advizer Personal Links
linkedin.com/in/brettrothberger