Director, Business Planning and Innovation

Graybar•Chesterfield, MO

2d•$125,000 - $150,000

About The Position

The Director, Business Planning and Innovation advances strategic priorities and innovation across an executive’s area of responsibility. The role translates priorities and ideas into action, aligns leaders, strengthens decision-making, and delivers measurable business results while increasing executive effectiveness. It leads the evaluation, testing, and implementation of new approaches. The position leads strategic and cross-functional initiatives from planning through implementation, functional innovation from concept through pilot and implementation, and process improvements intended to simplify work, strengthen decision-making, and accelerate execution. It also supports executive planning, communications, decisions, performance analysis, and organizational follow-through. The role may lead other functional areas within a department, as assigned.

Requirements

7–10 years of experience in strategy, operations, project/program management, or related leadership roles.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

Nice To Haves

PMP, Lean, Six Sigma, or related certification.
Advanced degree.
Experience supporting a senior executive or leadership team.
Broad exposure across multiple business functions.
Experience leading innovation or business change involving new technology, services, or operating models.
Experience with enterprise systems, reporting tools, and project management tools.

Responsibilities

Translate executive priorities into action plans with clear owners, timelines, and measures; anticipate risks, address execution gaps, and oversee project management.
Identify and evaluate opportunities for new ways of working, services, and business approaches; develop business cases assessing expected value, feasibility, resource needs, and risks.
Develop executive communications and organizational messaging that translate complex information into clear insights, recommendations, and actions; collaborate with corporate communications, human resources, and change management to ensure consistency.
Design and lead functional planning and review processes, including staff meetings, business reviews, and planning sessions, with focused agendas and pre-reads that align priorities, assess results, and support timely decisions.
Establish accountability and follow-through by clarifying ownership, documenting decisions, tracking commitments through implementation, and escalating unresolved issues.
Guide executive decisions by evaluating options, assessing risks and trade-offs, and recommending action; clarify decision ownership, authority levels, and escalation paths.
Represent the executive in designated forums, advancing priorities and exercising judgment within delegated authority.
Analyze functional performance against strategic priorities, identify emerging trends and risks, and recommend actions to address gaps and improve results.
Lead strategic and cross-functional initiatives from planning through implementation, aligning business units and corporate functions, resolving competing priorities and dependencies, managing risks, and delivering measurable results.
Lead functional innovation efforts from concept through pilot and implementation within approved scope and resources; establish success measures, test assumptions, and recommend whether to expand, refine, or stop based on results.
Partner with pilot owners to support adoption and assess sustained business value.
Identify and lead process improvements that simplify work, strengthen decision-making, and accelerate execution; assess results against intended outcomes.
Build trusted relationships across the organization to gain perspective, address critical or sensitive issues, and advance shared priorities with discretion and sound judgment.
May lead other functional areas within a department, as assigned.