Manager, Strategy & Operations, Global Business Development

Sotheby's•New York, NY

5h•$140,000 - $170,000

About The Position

Sotheby's is undergoing a significant transformation in how it builds and grows client relationships. This involves modernizing client coverage technology and data, establishing new functions, and executing strategic projects across client-facing teams and departments such as Product & Technology (P&T), Client Strategy, Valuations, Marketing, and Operations. This role is within Global Business Development, the team spearheading this transformation. The position focuses on three core areas: Tech Enablement, Function Optimization, and Cross-Departmental Partnership. The responsibilities include scoping technology needs for initiatives, collaborating on training for new working methods, managing projects end-to-end, gathering input through surveys and check-ins, and utilizing data to advocate for change.

Requirements

6+ years of experience in consulting, project/program management, or business operations, preferably in a fast-paced, matrixed, or transformation-focused environment.
Strong data analysis skills, including experience with data pulls and structuring (Snowflake), cohort analysis and dashboards (Tableau), and survey design and automation (Qualtrics).
Proficiency with AI tools in daily workflow, including LLM-based tools (Claude), agents, and prompt-based automation for research, synthesis, drafting, and analysis.
Ability to build lightweight scripts, workflows, or agents to automate recurring manual processes.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience preparing materials for senior executives.
Proven track record of managing multiple concurrent workstreams across diverse stakeholders and maturity levels.
Problem-solving skills and comfort operating in ambiguous environments.
High discretion and independent judgment, with the ability to build trust and influence outcomes without direct authority.
Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools (e.g., Monday.com, Smartsheet, Confluence).
Strong PowerPoint and Excel skills for executive-level storytelling.
Bachelor's degree required.

Nice To Haves

MBA or equivalent experience.
Experience in luxury, art, retail, or another client-facing industry.

Responsibilities

Help shape the operational framework of a newly established transformation function as it scales. Manage intake, prioritization, and progress tracking across concurrent workstreams, including the Tech Enablement roadmap, Function Optimization pilots, and the Cross-Org Initiatives pipeline.
Maintain project plans, timelines, and risk/issue logs, proactively identifying dependencies or blockers.
Coordinate directly with stakeholders across Business Development functions (Client Strategy, Valuations, etc.), client-facing teams (Global Fine Art, Luxury), and other departments (P&T, Operations, Marketing) to ensure initiative progress.
Design and conduct surveys and structured check-ins to gather cross-departmental input, translating results into actionable recommendations.
Prepare executive-level briefing materials, presentations, and updates for leadership.
Support change management efforts for new tools and ways of working, including developing training materials and adoption communications.
Extract and structure data for pilot evaluations and KPI tracking to support resourcing decisions.
Perform cohort and pattern analysis to support segmentation, coverage, and function-optimization initiatives.
Develop and maintain dashboards and reporting cadences for ongoing program health visibility for leadership.
Utilize AI tools (e.g., Claude, custom agents) to enhance research, synthesis, drafting, and analysis, and to automate repetitive manual tasks.
Absorb coordination and analytical tasks to free up senior leadership time for strategic decision-making.
Assist in building business cases, including KPIs, expected outcomes, and resourcing needs, for future hiring and investment decisions.
Document processes and playbooks to facilitate the scaling of successful pilots into standard practices.
Adapt to ad hoc strategic work as it arises, including initiatives outside the current portfolio.