Manager, Strategy & Operations, Global Business Development

Sotheby's; New York (NY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

Benefits package

Job summary

Sotheby’s in New York is seeking a Transformation Lead to drive tech enablement and cross-department collaboration as part of Global Business Development.

You will own intake across workstreams, run pilots, and build dashboards while leveraging AI tools to accelerate research and reporting.

Ideal candidates bring 6+ years in consulting or ops, strong data skills, and a degree; the role offers a discretionary bonus and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in consulting, project or business operations.
• Strong data analysis skills with data pulls, dashboards, and surveys.
• Fluent with AI tools (Claude) and able to build lightweight scripts or workflows.
• Experience preparing materials for senior executives.
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or equivalent is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Shape how a transformation function operates as it scales.
• Maintain project plans, timelines, risk/issue logs.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams across departments.
• Design surveys and gather input to inform recommendations.
• Prepare executive briefing materials and updates.

Skills

Project management

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

AI tools literacy

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or equivalent

Tools

Snowflake

Tableau

Qualtrics

PowerPoint

Excel

Confluence

Monday.com

Smartsheet

Job description

About Sotheby's

Established in 1744, Sotheby’s promotes access and ownership of exceptional art and luxury objects through auctions, private sales and retail. Our deep expertise across 70 selling categories is supported by a leading technology platform and a global network of specialists spanning 40 countries. Selling categories include Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, Jewelry, Watches, Wine and Spirits and Design, as well as collectible cars and real estate through RM Sotheby’s and Concierge. Sotheby’s Financial Services is a leading art lender and provides capital solutions for collectors around the world, having originated more than $12 billion in loans since its inception. Sotheby’s new global headquarters is now open at the iconic Breuer building at 945 Madison Avenue in New York City.

THE ROLE

Sotheby's is in the middle of a major transformation in how it builds and grows client relationships — modernizing the technology and data behind client coverage, standing up new functions, and running strategic projects that cut across client-facing teams and departments, including Product & Technology (P&T), Client Strategy, Valuations, Marketing, Operations, and more. This role sits inside Global Business Development, the team leading that transformation.

You’ll sit at the center of three pillars: (i) Tech Enablement, (ii) Function Optimization, and (iii) Cross-Departmental Partnership — working across the business to enable the transformation and identify new growth opportunities. That means scoping the tech enablement each initiative needs, partnering on the training that brings new ways of working to life, running project management end to end, gathering input through surveys and structured check-ins, and using data to make the case for change.

Responsibilities

• Project & Program Management
  • Help shape how a newly built transformation function operates as it scales. Own intake, prioritization, and progress tracking across concurrent workstreams — the Tech Enablement roadmap, Function Optimization pilots, and the Cross-Org Initiatives pipeline.
  • Maintain project plans, timelines, and risk/issue logs, and flag dependencies or blockers before they slow a workstream down.
• Cross-Functional Coordination
  • Work 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 keep initiatives moving.
  • Design and run surveys and structured check-ins to gather input across departments, and turn the results into clear, actionable recommendations.
  • Prepare executive-ready briefing materials, decks, and updates for leadership audiences.
  • Support change management as new tools and ways of working roll out, including training materials and adoption communications.
• Data Analysis
  • Pull and structure the data behind pilot evaluations and KPI tracking — the evidence base every resourcing decision runs on.
  • Run cohort and pattern analysis supporting segmentation, coverage, and function-optimization work.
  • Build and maintain dashboards and reporting cadences that give leadership ongoing visibility into program health.
  • Use AI tools — including Claude and custom agents or workflows — to accelerate research, synthesis, drafting, and analysis, and to automate recurring manual work.
• Strategic Support
  • Absorb the coordination and analytical layer of work so senior leadership time is freed for the highest-impact strategic decisions.
  • Help build the business case — KPIs, expected outcomes, and resourcing needs — behind future hiring and investment decisions.
  • Document processes and playbooks that let successful pilots scale into standard practice across the function.
  • Flex into ad hoc strategic work as it emerges, including initiatives beyond the current portfolio.

Ideal Experience & Competencies

• 6+ years of experience in consulting, project/program management, or business operations, ideally within a fast-paced, matrixed, or transformation-focused environment.
• Strong data analysis skills — comfortable with data pulls and structuring (Snowflake), cohort-style analysis and dashboards (Tableau), and survey design and automation (Qualtrics).
• Fluent with AI tools as part of daily workflow — using Claude and similar LLM-based tools, agents, and prompt-based automation to accelerate research, synthesis, drafting, and analysis. Comfortable building lightweight scripts, workflows, or agents that remove manual steps from recurring processes, and curious about where new AI capabilities can responsibly speed up the team's work.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including experience preparing materials for senior executives.
• A track record of managing multiple concurrent workstreams across different stakeholders and levels of maturity.
• A problem-solver who’s comfortable operating with ambiguity — much of this function is being defined as it's built.
• High discretion and independent judgment; able to build trust and influence outcomes across departments without direct authority.
• Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools (e.g., Monday.com, Smartsheet, Confluence) and strong PowerPoint/Excel skills for executive-level storytelling.
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or equivalent experience is a plus.
• Experience in luxury, art, retail, or another client-facing industry is a plus, but not required.

The proposed base salary for this position ranges from $140,000-$170,000. In addition to base salary successful candidates are eligible to receive a discretionary bonus, as well as a competitive benefits package. Salary offers are based on a wide range of factors including relevant skills, training, experience, education, and, where applicable, licensure or certifications obtained. Market and organizational factors are also considered.

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The Company is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applicants for employment without regard to race (including, without limitation, traits historically associated with race, such as natural hair, hair texture, and protective and treated or untreated hairstyles), color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership/union status, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, genetic predisposition, genetic information, reproductive health decision, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, alienage or citizenship status, domestic violence victim status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/province or local law. The Company complies with applicable state and local laws prohibiting discrimination in employment in every jurisdiction in which it operates.