Associate Director, Strategy & Operations

Grant Thornton•Chicago, IL

About The Position

The Associate Director, Strategy & Operations is a senior member of the Office of the COO, responsible for independently leading strategic priorities, business performance initiatives, and cross-functional execution across the firm and Americas member firms. Reporting to the Head of Strategy & Operations, the role translates senior leadership priorities into decisions, executable plans, and measurable results. It operates with substantial autonomy as a day-to-day thought partner to senior executives, structuring ambiguous business problems, developing fact-based points of view, identifying implications and tradeoffs, and recommending actions. Success requires strong business judgment, professional services acumen, executive presence, and the ability to influence across service lines, corporate functions, geographies, and member firms without relying on formal authority. The role emphasizes independent problem ownership, executive advisory, insight generation, cross-functional influence, and end-to-end accountability. It leads strategic and operational initiatives from problem definition through implementation and benefits realization; interprets business and operational performance to identify drivers, trends, gaps, risks, and opportunities; and turns analysis into management insights and actions. The Associate Director supports executive reviews and decision-making, advises senior leaders, and serves as a strategic liaison to Americas member firm leaders. The position also leads or advises on organizational effectiveness, governance, operating models, decision rights, and ways of working. It manages multiple high-priority workstreams, establishes initiative governance and operating cadence, drives accountability, and coaches contributors on problem solving, analysis, executive communication, and delivery quality. Other duties may be assigned.

Requirements

8–12+ years of progressively responsible experience in management consulting, corporate strategy, business operations, transformation, finance, or a comparable environment.
Demonstrated experience independently leading complex, cross-functional strategic or operational initiatives from problem definition through implementation.
Demonstrated ability to convert complex analysis into business insight, management implications, and actionable recommendations.
Experience regularly engaging and influencing senior executives, including facilitating discussions and presenting recommendations.
Strong business and financial acumen, including the ability to understand performance drivers and connect operational activity to business outcomes.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including advanced capability in executive presentations, business storytelling, and decision-support materials.
Advanced PowerPoint and Excel capabilities.
Proficiency using data, productivity, and collaboration tools to accelerate high-quality work.
Ability to operate with limited direction, establish structure in ambiguous situations, manage competing priorities, and exercise sound judgment.
Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, economics, accounting, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.

Nice To Haves

Professional services experience or demonstrated knowledge of professional services economics, operating models, and performance drivers.
Experience working across international, multi-country, or member-firm structures.
Experience in organizational design, governance, operating model development, enterprise transformation, M&A integration, or performance management.
MBA or other relevant advanced degree.

Responsibilities

Lead strategic and operational initiatives sponsored by the Office of the COO from problem definition and workplan design through recommendations, decisions, implementation, and benefits realization.
Structure complex and ambiguous business questions, establish hypotheses and analytical approaches, and identify required information and stakeholder input.
Develop strategic options, business cases, and decision frameworks that explain business implications, tradeoffs, risks, and recommended actions.
Translate enterprise priorities into executable plans with outcomes, owners, milestones, dependencies, performance measures, and governance.
Anticipate execution barriers and emerging issues, resolve them where possible, and escalate focused decisions when executive intervention is needed.
Analyze and interpret business and operational performance to identify underlying drivers, trends, gaps, risks, and opportunities.
Translate quantitative and qualitative analysis into management insights, implications, and recommended actions.
Shape and drive leadership operating reviews by identifying critical management questions, developing an objective fact base and point of view, and enabling executive discussion and decisions.
Develop executive-ready performance narratives connecting financial and operational results, key performance indicators, strategic priorities, and organizational execution.
Partner with business and functional leaders to diagnose performance issues, evaluate interventions, and establish follow-through accountability.
Monitor strategic priorities, leadership commitments, and outcomes; identify execution deviations and recommend corrective action.
Advise senior leaders as a trusted day-to-day thought partner on strategic, operational, and organizational priorities.
Prepare and deliver executive briefings, recommendations, presentations, and decision-support materials tailored to the audience and decision.
Lead and facilitate executive and cross-functional discussions, reconcile perspectives, and drive decisions and accountable next steps.
Communicate complex or sensitive issues with clarity, discretion, and sound judgment.
Represent the Office of the COO in senior-level working sessions and advance matters within agreed decision rights.
Serve as a strategic liaison and thought partner to Americas member firm leaders on priorities requiring Office of the COO engagement.
Diagnose member firm operational challenges, develop recommendations, and mobilize stakeholders and resources to resolve them.
Lead implementation of regional and global priorities across member firms, adapting execution to local circumstances while maintaining strategic intent and outcomes.
Identify leading practices and transferable insights across member firms and recommend broader organizational action.
Build trusted relationships across geographies and influence timely decisions and execution without direct authority.
Lead or advise on organizational design, governance, operating model, decision-rights, and ways-of-working initiatives.
Assess organizational structures, processes, forums, and accountabilities and recommend and implement practical improvements.
Design scalable management mechanisms that improve prioritization, transparency, decision velocity, accountability, and organizational alignment.
Clarify roles, responsibilities, decision rights, and escalation paths across cross-functional initiatives.
Facilitate working sessions that turn differing stakeholder perspectives into aligned decisions and implementable solutions.
Lead multiple high-priority workstreams simultaneously while balancing pace, rigor, and practical delivery.
Establish operating cadence for complex initiatives, including governance, stakeholder engagement, risk management, decision tracking, and performance reporting.
Drive accountability across workstream owners, address stalled execution, and ensure leadership decisions produce measurable action.
Coach project contributors and guide problem solving, analysis, executive communication, and delivery quality, whether or not they report to the role.
Perform other duties as assigned.