Strategic Finance Initiatives Lead

IFS; Illinois; On-site; USD 175,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, & vision insurance

401K with company contribution

Flexible paid time off

Job summary

IFS is seeking a seasoned professional to join the Office of the CFO, leading cross-functional programs at the intersection of finance, data and operations. You will design operating models, build consensus, and shepherd end-to-end initiatives from framing to implementation, while coordinating with external consultants as needed.

You will report to the CFO and partner with senior leaders to shape planning, allocation and decision processes, ensuring AI-driven improvements are governance-backed

Qualifications

• Six or more years in management consulting, corporate strategy, finance transformation or business operations.
• Ownership of complex, multi-stakeholder work from diagnosis through implementation.
• Strong quantitative skills and financial literacy.
• Experience designing operating models, processes or organizational structures.
• Experience working with or inside professional services.

Responsibilities

• Lead initiatives end to end: frame the problem, build the plan, run analysis, drive to a decision with senior stakeholders and stay through implementation.
• Diagnose how the business actually runs through interviews, workshops and data to map real processes and where cost and effort sit.
• Design the future state: process, structure, roles, governance and a transition plan.
• Connect finance, data and operations: translate financial logic to operational reality and ensure data integrity.
• Improve evidence behind decisions: define metrics/models and ensure inspective assumptions.
• Scope and manage external consulting partners: write briefs, evaluate proposals, and integrate their output with internal work.
• Lead blended teams: manage internal, cross-functional and third-party teams with or without direct authority.
• Shape where AI belongs in this work: determine use cases and governance for AI-enabled finance processes.
• In the first six months, deliver a major cross-functional framing and alignment with a concrete implementation plan.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Quantitative skills

Executive communication

Operating models

Data analytics

Education

MBA or advanced degree

Tools

SQL

Python

R

BI tools

Job description

IFS is seeking a seasoned professional to join the Office of the CFO, leading cross-functional programs at the intersection of finance, data and operations. You will design operating models, build consensus, and shepherd end-to-end initiatives from framing to implementation, while coordinating with external consultants as needed.

You will report to the CFO and partner with senior leaders to shape planning, allocation and decision processes, ensuring AI-driven improvements are governance-backed