Associate, Corporate Strategy

Kinder's•Walnut Creek, CA

2d•$105,000 - $115,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Kinder’s is seeking a team member to drive its corporate strategy capability. As the company scales toward becoming a billion-dollar business, this role will help build sophisticated strategic capabilities, operating disciplines, and decision-making processes while preserving the company's speed, agility, and entrepreneurial culture. The Associate, Corporate Strategy will identify, evaluate, and execute growth opportunities, working across strategic priorities such as new category and market evaluation, long-range planning, business transformation, operating model improvement, and corporate development. This role involves structuring and driving workstreams, conducting analyses, and translating findings into practical recommendations, with coaching from senior strategy team members. It reports to the Director of Corporate Strategy and offers exposure to senior leadership, including the VP of Strategy, senior functional leaders, and periodic opportunities to present to the CEO and executive team. The role provides flexible strategic capacity to create enterprise value.

Requirements

3-5 years of experience in management consulting, investment banking, private equity, corporate strategy, CPG brand management, or another highly analytical operating role
Bachelor’s degree
Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills, with the ability to build accurate, flexible analyses from incomplete or imperfect data
Strong PowerPoint skills and the ability to translate complex analyses into clear, concise recommendations; executive storytelling experience a plus
Excellent structured problem-solving skills, intellectual curiosity, attention to detail, and comfort working through ambiguous questions
Strong business and financial acumen, including market sizing, business case development, and interpretation of financial performance
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and independently drive workstreams in a fast-paced environment, while knowing when to seek guidance
Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the confidence to engage stakeholders across functions and levels

Nice To Haves

CPG or food industry experience a plus (but not required)
Experience with syndicated market data, consumer research, Tableau, Power BI, SQL, or similar analytical tools a plus

Responsibilities

Build and maintain a fact-based map of potential new categories, markets, and growth platforms for Kinder’s.
Analyze market size, growth, profitability, competitive dynamics, consumer needs, and strategic fit to prioritize opportunities.
Design and synthesize consumer research, including surveys, to assess Kinder’s brand fit, purchase interest, and key barriers.
Develop business cases and recommendations for priority opportunities, including potential paths to enter and win.
Support the development and evolution of our long-term strategic plan, collaborating closely with functional teams and leaders to outline growth ambitions, strategic priorities, and the initiatives required to achieve them.
Build analytical models, external benchmarks, and scenarios to evaluate strategic options and inform resource allocation.
Partner with cross-functional leaders to translate company strategy into clear priorities, milestones, and measures of success.
Partner with functional leaders to identify and quantify opportunities to improve growth, margins, operating efficiency, and organizational effectiveness.
Structure and drive discrete transformation workstreams spanning operating model, processes, ways of working, roles, decision rights, and enabling technology.
Develop practical implementation roadmaps, track progress against targets, and surface risks or decisions requiring leadership attention.
Conduct strategic and financial analyses of potential M&A, joint venture, and other investment opportunities.
Support market and target screening, valuation and financial modeling, due diligence, and preparation of investment recommendations.
Support transaction execution and post-close integration planning, coordinating with internal teams and external advisors as needed.
Independently manage discrete strategic initiatives from question definition through recommendation, with guidance and coaching from senior strategy team members.
Collaborate with stakeholders across functions and levels to structure ambiguous business questions, gather input and fact bases, resolve issues, and build alignment around recommendations.
Develop clear, concise presentations for senior leadership and other key stakeholders, including opportunities to present findings directly.