Strategic Planning Manager

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:  

Responsibilities for Strategic Planning 

• Lead Strategic Planning Process: Take charge of developing and managing our strategic planning process and framework, defining clear objectives, key results, and actionable plans to achieve desired outcomes. 

• Develop Metric Framework and Monitor Performance: Collaborate with Client Analytics & Measurement Reporting to refine and expand our metric framework, ensuring robust tracking of progress and performance metrics aligned with strategic objectives. Monitor metric framework performance, providing insights and narratives for senior leaders. 

• Cross-Functional Team Leadership: Manage cross-functional teams, including product teams, to ensure alignment and collaboration towards strategic priorities. 

• Dashboard Management: Create and manage dashboards and reporting systems to evaluate performance and track progress against strategic goals. 

• Priority Alignment and Strategy Workshops: Collaborate with senior leaders and key stakeholders to prioritize roadmaps aligned with enterprise priorities, fostering a cohesive strategic direction, and lead strategy workshops to translate overarching strategy into actionable roadmaps, driving tangible progress and results. 

• Collaborative Enterprise Planning: Partner with divisions across the organization to plan and execute joint priorities in support of shared enterprise goals. 

• Market Analysis Integration: Utilize market, consumer, and competitive research and analyses to inform initial strategies and ongoing adjustments, collaborating closely with Client Insights and Strategy teams. 

• Stakeholder Engagement: Engage and influence senior leaders as a trusted advisor and thought leader to drive strategic decision-making, alignment, and development of best practices through regular performance reviews, deep dive sessions, and quarterly reviews to track progress and identify insights. 

• Strategic Opportunity Support: Provide guidance and support to senior leaders on strategic opportunity development and advancement, supporting ad-hoc decision-making and opportunity reviews. 

• Risk Management: Identify and track risks and opportunities within the strategic plan, collaborating with the Strategic Planning team to develop enterprise risk management reports and course-correct as needed. 

• Narrative Development: Collaboratively author the narrative of the strategic plan in partnership with the strategic governance team, ensuring alignment with the voice of senior leaders. 

Additional Responsibilities 

• Recruits, develops, and sustains a high-performing team while promoting a culture of shared accountability, operational excellence, and partnership across the organization. 

• Models Thrivent’s leadership competencies – Model the Way, Rally the Team, and Deliver Outcomes. ​ 

• Supports and/or develops an environment in which Thrivent employees and colleagues are focused on continuous improvement, exceptional employee engagement, and an unwavering commitment to our clients. Shapes and/or supports a culture that represents the Thrivent purpose, promise and values, ensuring that Thrivent’s trust and reputation remain strong with its clients.   

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS:  

 Required: 

• 5-7+ years strategic planning and management experience or related experience with a broad understanding of all areas of strategy.  

• College degree in business, strategy, or related field; masters a plus but not required.  

• Possesses strong analytical skills and ability to think strategically. 

• Demonstrated experience using/analyzing data, insights and metrics to drive strategy development and deliver outcomes. 

• Excellent communication, collaboration and relationship building skills. 

• Experience working collaboratively and influentially with senior management, cross functional teams, and individuals from across the organization. 

• Business acumen and the ability to work across the enterprise. 

• Ability to work independently and effectively to manage multiple projects simultaneously in the face of ambiguity, shifting priorities and rapid change. 

• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, and ability to effectively articulate and represent a complex strategy in a simple and understandable manner. 

Preferred:  

• Strategy consulting experience.  

• Team leadership & management.  

• Experience working with product operating model.  

• Knowledge of internal and external business, technology, financial services, and marketing trends and developments. 

• Smartsheet, Jira, and/or other project planning software a plus.