Corporate Strategy & Development Manager

American Electric Power•Columbus, OH

1d•Onsite

About The Position

AEP’s Corporate Strategy & Development team is looking for a Manager to Managing Director who thrives on execution, collaboration, and growth. This high-visibility role will be a leader within the team supporting enterprise strategy, M&A, partnerships, and capital allocation across one of the nation’s largest utilities. You’ll be trusted to lead transactions and strategy development: overseeing the development of financial models, managing diligence processes, and preparing board-level recommendations that directly shape company strategy. At the same time, you’ll bring humility, eagerness, and a can-do mindset—partnering with teammates, senior leaders, and external advisors to make an impact. This role is designed for an experienced professional that is ready to combine strong technical skills with curiosity, teamwork, and a drive to keep learning.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business, or economics.
A minimum of 7 years of financial modeling, business valuation and utility industry experience.
Meaningful experience in corporate development, project development, FP&A, investment banking, private equity, or strategy consulting.
Energy/utilities background is preferred.
MBA or graduate degree in finance/economics.
CFA and/or CPA is preferred
Strong business acumen with advanced financial modeling and valuation skills.
Clear, confident communicator—capable of simplifying complexity for executives.
Humble, team-oriented, and collaborative; thrives on shared success.
Eager, resilient, and resourceful—able to navigate ambiguity with a can-do attitude.
Tech-savvy and comfortable learning new tools and systems quickly.
High attention to detail, ownership of results, and follow-through.

Responsibilities

Manage and oversee due diligence across financial, regulatory, and operational areas with accountability for quality and timeliness.
Arrange due diligence meetings with all support departments and work with individual departments to identify and resolve due diligence issues.
Prioritize competing opportunities and maintain a pipeline of potential deals so that internal stakeholders can understand the status of activities.
Build concise, compelling presentations for executives and the Board that cut through complexity.
Monitor, research and socialize threats and opportunities in the marketplace and provide recommendations to senior leaders regarding strategies and commercial structures that AEP should consider pursuing.
Lead financial modeling, valuation, and analysis to support strategic initiatives, transactions, and investments.
Partner with colleagues across finance, operations, regulatory, and external advisors; contribute to a high-trust, high-performance culture.
Guide junior analysts while also seeking feedback, asking questions, and stretching into new responsibilities.
Create a culture of transacting within the strategy and development team with projects that adequately mitigate risks while capturing upside.
Lead by example in the search, review, negotiation, and closing of transactions.
Use tools, data, and technology (Excel, PowerPoint, Macabacus, financial platforms, visualization tools) to improve accuracy, insights, and efficiency.