Director of Strategy

Innovate Alabama; Birmingham (AL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Innovate Alabama in Birmingham seeks a Director of Strategy to align the organization’s long-term vision with daily operations, working closely with the CEO and Board to develop and implement plans across mission pillars. You will analyze complex data, forecast impact, and guide market research while coordinating with executives to seize opportunities and mitigate risks.

This role demands strategic thinking, leadership, and a proven track record of delivering results.

Qualifications

• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to translate technical data into easy-to-understand concepts for stakeholders.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with passion for building and growing businesses.
• Proven ability to exceed goals through strategic planning and execution.
• Strong decision-making with analysis, wisdom, and judgment.
• Experience collaborating with CEO and senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Develop long-term and short-term strategic plans in alignment with the CEO and Board.
• Lead strategic planning and coordinate cross-functional initiatives.
• Conduct market research and analyze data to inform decisions.
• Identify KPIs and report progress to senior leadership.
• Collaborate with consultants when needed and manage risk strategies.
• Translate complex data into clear insights for stakeholders.

Skills

Strategic planning

Leadership

Data interpretation

Risk management

Business acumen

Communication

Education

Undergraduate degree in business administration, management, economics, or related field

Job description

Summary

The Innovate Alabama Director of Strategy plays an integral role in connecting Innovate Alabama's long-term vision, as determined by the CEO and/or the Board of Directors, with daily operations by developing long-term and short-term plans, guiding appropriate market research and collaborating with the team across all mission pillars to meet mission goals and objectives while securing a competitive advantage. Gathers, analyzes, and interprets complex data to help inform financial, business, or strategic decisions. This role will work closely with the CEO in the development and execution of the organization's strategy.

Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Planning

• Works closely with the CEO and other executives in the definition and refinement of Innovate Alabama’s mission and vision by ensuring the proper communication of where Innovate Alabama stands today and in the messaging of the future it wants to create.
• Provides input on strategies supporting entrepreneurship, talent development, outdoor recreation, and policy/advocacy.
• Works in partnership with the CEO, to create the strategic five-year plan and implement new processes and approaches to achieve it.
• Evaluates internal organizational strengths and weaknesses alongside the development of external opportunities and threats, typically referred to as a SWAT analysis.
• Focuses energy on a select few high-impact objectives that span a typical timeframe of one to three years.
• Breaks long-term goals into short-term, measurable tasks with assigned owners and deadlines.

Research Analysis

• Analyzes the innovation ecosystem for emerging trends, shifts and activity.
• Applies statistical tools, financial models, or mathematical methods to identify trends, patterns, and variances to support the impact of the current programs of Innovate Alabama. May also forecast potential impact of proposed programs.
• Converts findings into clear charts, graphs and comprehensive written reports.
• Identifies and tracks key performance indicators (KPI’s) and report strategic progress to senior leadership.
• Recommends efficient resource allocation of time, talent and capital investments, as needed.
• Works with consultants (e.g. legal, financial, PR) to supplement expertise when necessary.
• Identifies and mitigate potential risks to the business, including developing and implementing risk management strategies.

Experience, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent and demonstrated leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to think strategically and adapt to changing business environments.
• Ability to translate technical data into easy-to-understand concepts for all stakeholders.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and passion for building and growing businesses.
• Results-proven track record of exceeding goals.
• Ability to consistently make good decisions through a combination of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement.
• Ability to think strategically, anticipate future consequences and trends, and incorporate them into the organizational plan.
• Strong problem-solving skills to test hypotheses and assess operational efficiency.
• Action oriented mindset with the ability to act and react as necessary, even if limited information is available; can overcome resistance to leadership and take unpopular stands when necessary.

Education and Professional Experience Qualifications

• An undergraduate degree in business administration, management, economics, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of professional related experience.