Strategy & Operational Excellence Senior Manager

Purpose Statement

The Strategy & Operational Excellence Senior Manager is a strategic leader responsible for driving enterprise-wide alignment, prioritization, and performance tracking across high-impact initiatives. This role leads dynamic planning processes and robust governance frameworks that enable executive visibility, informed decision-making, and value realization. The Senior Manager partners closely with senior leadership, including the executive team, to ensure seamless coordination, strategic focus, and operational excellence. The ideal candidate demonstrates advanced financial acumen, executive presence, and exceptional communication skills to influence at the highest levels of the organization.

Key Accountabilities and Outcomes

Strategic Planning
•    Lead the development, execution, and continuous improvement of enterprise planning cycles, integrating financial, operational, and strategic objectives. 
•    Partner with Finance and other enabling functions to ensure strategic plans are tightly aligned with financial targets and resource allocation. 
•    Oversee the creation and refinement of planning templates, standards, and tools to drive consistency and clarity across all functions. 
•    Set and communicate planning expectations, ensuring accountability and alignment throughout the organization. 
•    Manage the annual planning calendar, coordinating key milestones, deliverables, and executive reviews. 
•    Facilitate feedback loops with stakeholders, incorporating learnings to enhance future planning cycles. 
•    Design and deliver training sessions to build planning capabilities and drive adoption of best practices. 
•    Provide expert support for plan development, acting as a trusted advisor to business leaders.

Operational Excellence
•    Continuously improve governance frameworks that promote transparency, accountability, and strategic alignment across all functions. 
•    Coordinate input and materials for forums, including E-Team meetings, as needed. 
•    Lead the preparation and synthesis of executive dashboards, reports, and presentations for E-Team and board-level forums. 
•    Proactively identify and escalate misalignments in timing, resources, or strategic direction, recommending corrective actions to executive stakeholders. 
•    Partner with Director of Planning & Governance for executive team (E-Team) governance, including agenda setting, preparation of briefing materials, and follow-up on action items. 
•    Partner with Director of Planning & Governance to ensure E-Team meetings are productive, outcomes are tracked, and decisions are communicated effectively across the enterprise

Stakeholder Engagement & Influence
•    Build peer relationships with leaders and cross-functional teams.
•    Influence without authority across global teams, contributing to performance management feedback for matrixed resources.
•    Communicate effectively across all levels of the organization, fostering collaboration and clarity in the strategy process.

Leadership & Change Enablement
•    Drive change management efforts related to planning and governance processes, ensuring adoption and sustainability across the enterprise.
•    Champion planning maturity by identifying capability gaps and recommending solutions to elevate enterprise-wide planning effectiveness.

Performance Monitoring & Insights
•    Track, analyze, and report on planning and governance effectiveness, including KPIs and success metrics tied to strategic initiatives. 
•    Provide actionable insights and recommendations to senior leadership based on planning outcomes, trends, and performance data. 
•    Lead post-mortem reviews and lessons learned sessions to drive continuous improvement.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

•    Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, or related field; MBA preferred. 
•    7+ years of experience in enterprise planning, governance, or strategic operations, with at least 3 years in a senior or leadership role. 
•    Demonstrated financial acumen with the ability to interpret and communicate complex financial data to executive audiences. 
•    Proven executive presence with strong communication, presentation, and influencing skills. 
•    Experience with portfolio management tools, dynamic planning platforms, and executive reporting. 
•    Advanced analytical and problem-solving capabilities. 
•    Ability to navigate ambiguity and drive clarity in complex, fast-paced environments.