Director, Strategy, Innovation

Nike Inc; Beaverton (OR); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

NIKE, Inc. is seeking an Innovation Strategy Director to lead strategic planning, craft future growth directions, and partner with senior leaders across the IDP Strategy team. You will shape choices, drive alignment, and catalyze action within a global, matrixed organization.

You will personally lead critical strategy work as a player-coach, guiding a direct report and collaborating with the Chief Innovation Officer to push high-impact initiatives forward.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, innovation, or related field; MBA preferred but not required.
• 9+ years in management consulting, corporate, or business-unit strategy, or strategic planning.
• Experience leading complex strategy work from problem framing to executive decision-making and action.

Responsibilities

• Develop future strategies by integrating internal and external perspectives and setting direction.
• Build integrated growth plans aligning priorities, actions, and investments.
• Activate strategy by clarifying ownership, enabling decisions, and mobilizing cross-functional teams.
• Assess impact by defining KPIs, tracking progress, and translating insights into next steps.

Skills

Strategy leadership

Executive influencing

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

MBA (preferred)

Job description

Every successful team at NIKE, Inc. needs a brilliant game plan. Strategy teams shape and drive the company’s long-term growth agenda, setting direction on the opportunities that matter most, aligning senior leadership, and accelerating impact across a complex, global organization. Within Innovation, Strategy helps NIKE, Inc. navigate future-facing questions and turn emerging possibilities into bold strategic choices that create advantage and fuel growth.

WHO YOU WILL WORK WITH:

You will be part of the Innovation, Design, and Product (IDP) Strategy team, collaborating across the Innovation Creation Division at NIKE, Inc. You will partner closely with the Chief Innovation Officer and Innovation Leadership Team, strategy leaders, and cross-functional partners to tackle key Innovation questions,shape strategic choices, and set clear direction.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

We are seeking an accomplished leader with strong strategy craft and a track record of turning complex questions into clear strategic direction. You bring analytical rigor to frame challenging business questions, creativity to see multiple paths forward, and influence to shape choices and catalyze action with senior leaders. You create structure from ambiguity and use constraints to sharpen possibilities, synthesizing diverse inputs, connecting across strategic priorities, and developing clear options and recommendations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Applied Science, Innovation, or related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience and training.
• 9+ years of relevant experience in management consulting, corporate or business-unit strategy, or strategic planning
• Demonstrated experience leading complex strategy work from problem framing through executive decision-making and action.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or equivalent advanced degree
• Experience in complex, global, matrixed organizations
• Experience working at the intersection of strategy and creation
• Experience building strategic frameworks that drive decisions and action
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and build alignment
• Exceptional communication, facilitation, and executive storytelling skills

WHAT YOU WILL WORK ON:

As the Innovation Strategy Director, you will lead strategic planning, author strategies and plans, and serve as a critical thought partner to senior and executive leaders on complex innovation opportunities. As a player-coach, you will personally lead critical strategy work while managing and growing a direct report. Your work will span four core areas:

• Develop Future Strategies: Bring internal, external, and future-oriented perspectives together to identify possibilities, shape strategic choices, and set direction.
• Build Integrated Growth Plans: Translate strategy into integrated plans that align priorities, actions, and investments.
• Activate Strategy: Partner with leaders and teams to clarify ownership, enable decisions, and mobilize action against the strategy.
• Assess Impact: Define the KPIs that matter, assess progress, and translate insights into what comes next.

We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.