Director Corporate Strategy

Ameritas•Cincinnati, OH

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Partner with enterprise leadership to inform, shape, and drive the corporate strategy by defining long-term strategic priorities and evaluating growth opportunities. Lead large, cross-functional strategic initiatives that accelerate performance and innovation. Establish and refine strategic planning processes. Develop insight and research capabilities. Develop advanced insight and research capabilities to support decision making. Lead the identification and evaluation of strategic options using synthesized market and competitive intelligence. Develop business cases that influence resource allocation, operating model evolution, and enterprise transformation. This is a hybrid role working partially in-office (Lincoln, NE or Cincinnati, OH) and partially from home. What you do: Lead analysis and content development supporting the ongoing refresh of enterprise strategy, including short-term to mid-term priorities, growth pathways, and enterprise-level objectives. Partner with senior leadership and business unit leaders to identify and prioritize strategic opportunities (new markets, products, capabilities, partnerships, and operational improvements) that support enterprise goals. Drive the enterprise strategic planning process, including annual strategy cycles, multi-year planning, portfolio reviews, and development of enterprise OKRs/KPIs. Conduct market, competitive, and industry analysis to identify emerging trends, disruptions, risks, and whitespace opportunities informing strategic decision-making. Lead development of strategic business cases, including financial modeling, strategic rationale, scenario planning, and return-on-investment assessments. Collaborate across Strategy, Finance, Operations, Technology, HR, and other teams to develop integrated strategic options and ensure alignment across the enterprise. Lead enterprise portfolio analysis and prioritization efforts by applying strategic frameworks and analytical expertise to evaluate initiatives, assess sequencing and resourcing options, and provide insight on progress and value realization. Facilitate executive-level strategy discussions, synthesizing complex information into clear insights, recommendations, and roadmaps for senior leaders and the Board. Develop investment theses and capability roadmaps to inform decisions around new capabilities, operating model modernization, or new business opportunities. Partner closely with Finance to ensure alignment on investment priorities, capital allocation, financial implications, and expected returns. Support enterprise transformation efforts, including operating model design, capability building, digital modernization, and change management. Build strong relationships with internal and external partners (industry experts, consultants, research firms) to enhance the quality and speed of strategic insight generation. Ensure strategic initiatives have clear success measures, and support post-initiative evaluation to determine realized value and lessons learned. Mentor and develop strategy analysts and associates, fostering advanced strategic thinking, analytical capability, and communication skills.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, economics, strategy, or a similar related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience required.
8–10 years’ experience in corporate strategy, management consulting, strategic planning, or enterprise transformation required.
Demonstrated experience leading enterprise strategy processes, evaluating strategic options, and developing executive-ready recommendations required.
Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving, and structured analysis skills required, with the ability to synthesize complex and ambiguous issues into actionable insights.
Advanced financial and quantitative skills, including financial modeling, ROI analyses, scenario planning, and business case development required.
Ability to work independently with strong planning, prioritization, and organizational skills required. Must be comfortable operating in ambiguity and driving clarity.
Collaboration and strong relationship-building skills required, to influence senior leaders and cross-functional partners.
Strong communication and presentation capabilities required, with the ability to distill complex topics into clear, compelling messages for executives and stakeholders.
Ability to manage and facilitate enterprise-level workstreams (cross-functional teams, strategic planning routines) required.
Expert-level proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel required.
Familiarity and comfort with analytics tools, research platforms, and strategic modeling frameworks required.
Ability to travel up to 30% required.
Demonstrated ability to develop talent, foster collaboration, and build a high-performance team culture required.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree (MBA or similar) strongly preferred.
Experience in the insurance, financial services, or related industries valuable but not required. Experience across multiple industries welcomed.
Familiarity with enterprise transformation, operating model redesign, digital strategy, or innovation frameworks beneficial and desired.

Responsibilities

Lead analysis and content development supporting the ongoing refresh of enterprise strategy, including short-term to mid-term priorities, growth pathways, and enterprise-level objectives.
Partner with senior leadership and business unit leaders to identify and prioritize strategic opportunities (new markets, products, capabilities, partnerships, and operational improvements) that support enterprise goals.
Drive the enterprise strategic planning process, including annual strategy cycles, multi-year planning, portfolio reviews, and development of enterprise OKRs/KPIs.
Conduct market, competitive, and industry analysis to identify emerging trends, disruptions, risks, and whitespace opportunities informing strategic decision-making.
Lead development of strategic business cases, including financial modeling, strategic rationale, scenario planning, and return-on-investment assessments.
Collaborate across Strategy, Finance, Operations, Technology, HR, and other teams to develop integrated strategic options and ensure alignment across the enterprise.
Lead enterprise portfolio analysis and prioritization efforts by applying strategic frameworks and analytical expertise to evaluate initiatives, assess sequencing and resourcing options, and provide insight on progress and value realization.
Facilitate executive-level strategy discussions, synthesizing complex information into clear insights, recommendations, and roadmaps for senior leaders and the Board.
Develop investment theses and capability roadmaps to inform decisions around new capabilities, operating model modernization, or new business opportunities.
Partner closely with Finance to ensure alignment on investment priorities, capital allocation, financial implications, and expected returns.
Support enterprise transformation efforts, including operating model design, capability building, digital modernization, and change management.
Build strong relationships with internal and external partners (industry experts, consultants, research firms) to enhance the quality and speed of strategic insight generation.
Ensure strategic initiatives have clear success measures, and support post-initiative evaluation to determine realized value and lessons learned.
Mentor and develop strategy analysts and associates, fostering advanced strategic thinking, analytical capability, and communication skills.