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Director - Strategy
Ann Inc.
Manhattan, NY, United States
Job Details - this job has expired, please see similar jobs below
Description
The Director of Strategy will work collaboratively across all brands and key functions (i.e. marketing, merchandising, finance, technology, and procurement) to craft strategic and operational decisions through strategic and analytical thinking. They will manage and drive operational directives, research and analyze business opportunities, and support strategic and operational initiatives. This is a highly visible role within the corporate function and brands. This person will also participate in business reviews and strategy sessions with our new business partners as the representative of brand objectives and long-term strategic goals. This position will have direct reports and will be responsible for people management leading a small highly capable team
Roles and Responsibilities:
Combine creative and strategic thinking, a command of analytical methods and communication, and a sophisticated understanding of business to:
• Be a thought partner to the Leadership Team – formulate and facilitate brand strategies across all functions (product, merchandising, marketing, supply chain, ecommerce, stores) and ensure strategies are aligned to CEO’s Strategic Priorities and objectives
• Drive and continuously improve the strategic planning process for the organization, establishing and maintaining high quality output, as well as efficient processes and systems
• Lead creation and facilitation of all content related to corporate strategy, used in presentations to the Board of Directors and investors, in collaboration with all members of the leadership team as needed. Ensure leadership team is set up for success going into these discussions (e.g., guide speaker notes prep, own process etc.)
• As a trusted advisor to the leaders of the organization, work closely with team members on a variety of projects. These projects are likely to be analytical in nature and will be tactical components of the overall strategic plan.
• Source ideas for growth for the brands across functions and channels through active engagement with broader retail community through conferences, talks, and broader engagement. Identify, develop and support initiatives that advance enterprise strategic objectives to enhance the customer experience, achieve process improvements, enter new markets, and grow the business.
• Evaluate new business opportunities by modeling performance reflecting plausible scenarios or illustrating the limits of tolerable risks. These business opportunities could include new business models, initiatives, investments or deals within existing business models.
• Maintain a broad and deep understanding of industry dynamics, including competitors, disruptions and trends and synthesize thinking for the Leadership Team
• Bring outsider and cross-functional critical thinking and problem-solving to Strategic Initiatives
• Lead and mentor junior team members to ensure the stability and reliability of the data sources and processes they draw on, the accuracy of reports, analytical soundness, and timely delivery of work product. Help prioritize work based on strategic importance, maintenance and ongoing improvement of financial and business performance metrics, and team members' individual development against current responsibilities and career objectives.
• Be a nimble project manager with ability to engage and partner with broad range of cross-functional teams to test and learn different growth concepts quickly
• Know how to build collaborative relationships and to foster trust by involving others in idea generation, plans and decision-making
• Identify external and internal opportunities for Best Practice sharing, and learning for the leadership team across brands and through experts
Qualifications
• MBA from top business school preferred
• 7+ years of relevant experience (i.e. in management/strategic consulting, corporate development, etc.) and a demonstrated record of accomplishment. Top tier management consulting firm experience preferred
• Strong leadership skills and knows how to build collaborative relationship and to foster trust by insight, credibility and executive presence
• Experience leading a team including coaching and mentoring
• Self-starter with ability to work both independently and with cross-functional teams
• Quick learner and has experience handling multiple challenging priorities and driving different types of projects to timely completion
• Highly experienced at structuring ambiguous problems, leading analytical work streams, applying sound business discernment
• Communication and presentation skills to effectively deliver complex, data-driven insights to senior business leaders
• Strong strategic and creative thinking
• Understanding of consumer-facing and retail businesses