Division President

President, Testing, Inspection & Certification (TIC) Platform

Company: Safari Investment Capital

Location: To be determined — we're flexible on home base for the right candidate; expect significant travel to targets and acquired businesses, roughly [30–50]%Reports to: Managing PartnersType: Full-time, exemptCompensation: competitive base, plus performance bonus tied to deployment and EBITDA growth and meaningful equity / carried interest in the platformAbout Safari Investment CapitalSafari Investment Capital acquires and operates established, profitable businesses with a multi-generational perspective.

We are launching a new platform dedicated to acquiring and operating businesses in the testing, inspection, and certification sector.TIC is a sector we believe in: recurring, compliance-driven revenue, fragmented ownership, strong customer retention, and a generation of founder-owners approaching transition. We have committed capital and we're hiring the person who will build this platform from the first deal forward.The RoleThis is a founder-level seat. You will be accountable for the entire arc of the platform: building the acquisition pipeline, leading diligence and negotiation, closing transactions, and then owning the performance of what you buy.In the early phase, expect to spend the majority of your time sourcing and closing. As the platform grows, the balance shifts toward operating, integrating, and building a leadership team beneath you. We are looking for someone who genuinely wants both halves of that job.What You'll DoFind and acquire· Build and own a proprietary pipeline of TIC acquisition targets — direct outreach to founder-owners, broker and intermediary relationships, industry conferences, and sector mapping· Develop the investment thesis for each sub-segment: which accreditations, end markets, and service lines are most attractive and why· Lead diligence end to end — commercial, operational, financial, accreditation and regulatory (e.g., [ISO/IEC 17025, 17020, 17065], [A2LA / ANAB / relevant scheme] scope), customer concentration, technician retention· Structure, negotiate, and close transactions alongside our investment committee / capital partners and outside counsel· Present recommendations and pass decisions with clear reasoning to the investment committee / boardOwn and operate· Carry full P&L responsibility for acquired businesses, individually and as a portfolio· Retain and motivate the teams you inherit — technicians, lab managers, and founders who often stay post-close· Protect what makes each business work while professionalizing what doesn't: pricing, sales coverage, capacity utilization, turnaround times, quality systems, and reporting· Identify and capture cross-portfolio value — shared accreditation and QA capability, cross-selling, procurement, lab capacity, back-office consolidation· Build the platform's organizational structure and hire the leaders who will eventually run individual businessesWhat Success Looks Like· First 90 days: A mapped sector landscape, a live target list of 50+ companies, an active outreach engine, and a clear articulation of the platform's acquisition criteria.· First 12 months: 1–2 platform acquisitions closed at disciplined valuations, with a credible integration and growth plan for each and key leadership retained.· Years 2–3: A portfolio of $150M of revenue and $30M EBITDA, add-on acquisitions in motion, and an operating rhythm and management bench that make the platform scalable without you in every detail.What You'll BringRequired· 10+ years spanning both deal work and operating leadership — for example, M&A or private equity experience plus P&L ownership, or a general manager who has bought and integrated businesses· Demonstrated P&L responsibility for a $20M+ business, with measurable revenue and margin improvement· Hands-on experience leading or closing acquisitions: sourcing, valuation, diligence, negotiation, and post-close integration· Strong financial fluency — you can build and defend a model, and you know which diligence findings actually change the price· Credibility with founder-owners and the judgment to run a relationship-driven, often multi-year courtship with sellers· Comfort with ambiguity and a bias toward action; this platform has no infrastructure yet, and you will build much of it yourself· Willingness to travel extensively, particularly in the first 18–24 monthsPreferred· Direct experience in testing, inspection, certification, calibration, or accredited laboratory services· Familiarity with accreditation and regulatory frameworks relevant to TIC ([ISO/IEC 17025, 17020, 17065])· Experience executing a buy-and-build or roll-up strategy in a fragmented services sector· Multi-site services operating experience, especially with field technicians or skilled labor· MBA, CFA, or equivalent — though track record matters far more to usWhy This Role· You are building a business, not inheriting one — with the mandate, capital, and autonomy to do it· Meaningful ownership: you participate directly in the value you create· Direct partnership with decision-makers; no committee layers between you and a deal· A sector with durable, compliance-driven demand and a long runway of acquisition targetsHow to ApplySend your resume and a short note to david@safariic.com. In place of a cover letter, we'd rather read a page on a deal you sourced or a business you turned around — what you did, what it produced, and what you'd do differently. Confidential conversations welcome.Safari Investment Company is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.