Strategic Initiatives Lead

Focus Financial Partners•New York, NY

1d•$85,000 - $150,000

About The Position

The Strategic Initiatives Lead is a high-impact, high-visibility role on Focus Financial Partners’ Strategic Initiatives team, a small senior team that functions as an internal strategy and transformation group. The role takes on analytical and presentation work so the Director can focus on strategic decisions, stakeholder management, and team direction. It is suited to a candidate with a traditional finance skillset who wants to support broad, high-priority initiatives, work directly with executive leadership, and help move complex cross-functional decisions forward. The Lead owns workstreams within the AI Strategy Program and other cross-functional initiatives, establishes project infrastructure, and manages competing requests and priorities. The role develops financial models and business cases, conducts market and competitive research, tracks KPIs, and prepares board, executive, and governance materials. It also supports execution of Focus’s enterprise AI strategy, including vendor evaluation, use case intake, governance operations, and pilot management, while applying practical familiarity with AI tools. The position is exempt. The annualized base pay range is stated as $85,000–$150,0000; actual base pay may vary based on factors including experience, subject matter expertise, work location, and skill set. Compensation may also include an annual cash bonus and benefits. The job title may change based on the selected candidate’s experience and education.

Requirements

At least 2 years of experience in investment banking, private equity, management consulting, or corporate strategy at a financial services firm.
Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, economics, or a related discipline.
Experience with M&A, strategy and growth, and AI.
Ability to independently build and own structured work products such as models, memos, and slide decks under time pressure.
Experience in fast-paced environments with multiple concurrent priorities and exposure to senior stakeholders.
Exceptional financial modeling and Excel skills, including building models from scratch rather than relying on templates.
Strong structured communication skills, including writing a one-pager, building a five-slide deck, or leading a working session.
Intellectual curiosity and comfort operating in ambiguity without waiting to be told what the answer should be.
High personal accountability, including ownership of output, correction of mistakes, and follow-through.
Collaborative approach and ability to work independently with minimal supervision on defined workstreams.
Familiarity with AI productivity tools such as Claude, Notion AI, or Copilot, and willingness to be an early adopter.

Nice To Haves

MBA or CFA in progress or completed.
Experience building with AI.

Responsibilities

Own individual workstreams within the AI Strategy Program and other cross-functional initiatives, structuring the work, driving decisions, and delivering outputs on time.
Build and maintain project infrastructure, including trackers, decision logs, risk registers, governance frameworks, and meeting rhythms.
Triage requests and competing priorities across the team’s portfolio and focus attention on high-leverage work.
Build financial models, business cases, and ROI frameworks to support strategic decisions.
Conduct competitive intelligence and market research and synthesize findings into executive-ready summaries and recommendations.
Support initiative tracking and KPI dashboards that connect strategic priorities to measurable outcomes.
Prepare board materials, executive presentations, and governance committee deliverables, ensuring quality of narrative and numbers.
Represent the Strategic Initiatives team in cross-functional meetings and keep stakeholders aligned and accountable without positional authority.
Translate complex, ambiguous situations into clear problem statements and structured options for senior decision-makers.
Support execution of Focus’s enterprise AI strategy, including vendor evaluations, use case intake, governance committee operations, and pilot program management.
Develop and maintain the AI program’s knowledge base, intake forms, risk frameworks, and operating cadences.
Use AI tools hands-on and contribute practical experience to discussions about where and how AI creates value at Focus.