Director, Strategic Planning & Business Operations
Location: Dallas, TX
Work Arrangement: Hybrid
Employment Type: Direct Hire
Reports to: Chief Operating Officer
Compensation: Base salary + performance bonus
Benefits: 100% company-paid benefits for employees and their families
Relocation: Offered for non-local candidates
Position Overview
Our client, a rapidly growing organization, is seeking a Director of Strategic Planning & Business Operations with practical experience defining enterprise strategy and leading it through execution.
Reporting to the COO, this leader will partner with the CEO, CFO, and functional executives to evaluate business opportunities, establish strategic priorities, and translate them into operating plans, resource decisions, measurable goals, and accountable workstreams. The successful candidate will bring demonstrated ownership of the full strategy lifecycle, from initial analysis and strategic decisions through implementation, performance measurement, and course correction.
Clear executive communication is central to this role. The Director must present concise, structured, data-backed narratives that explain the business context, strategic rationale, actions taken, results, and recommended next steps.
This individual will lead an experienced Strategy & Operations team and own the company’s three-year strategic plan, Annual Operating Plan, Monthly Business Reviews, OKR framework, and board and investor preparation.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy Development & Execution
- Lead development and ongoing refinement of the company’s three-year strategic plan.
- Assess business opportunities, performance drivers, resource needs, and financial and operational tradeoffs.
- Translate strategic priorities into actionable initiatives with defined ownership, milestones, budgets, and success measures.
- Drive cross-functional execution, resolve dependencies, and hold teams accountable for results.
- Track outcomes against strategic objectives and lead adjustments when performance or business conditions change.
Business Planning & Performance
- Own the Annual Operating Plan process, including planning calendars, target setting, and alignment across business functions.
- Partner with Finance and FP&A to connect strategic priorities with financial models, forecasts, and resource allocation.
- Develop dashboards and scorecards that provide visibility into business performance, risks, and opportunities.
- Support scenario planning and analysis of the key drivers affecting growth, profitability, and operational performance.
- Translate enterprise objectives into functional and team-level OKRs and operating metrics.
Executive Communication & Business Reviews
- Lead Monthly Business Reviews and establish effective weekly, quarterly, and annual operating rhythms.
- Synthesize financial and operational data into concise, decision-ready insights.
- Communicate the complete business story, connecting the starting point, strategic choices, execution progress, and results.
- Present clear recommendations, tradeoffs, and decisions required from leadership.
- Track leadership commitments and ensure timely follow-through.
Board & Investor Preparation
- Lead preparation of board presentations, pre-reads, briefing materials, and supporting analysis.
- Coordinate strategic, financial, and operational content with executive leadership and Finance.
- Challenge assumptions, identify information gaps, and prepare executives for board and investor discussions.
- Ensure consistency between internal performance reporting and external leadership communications.
Team Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness
- Lead, coach, and develop experienced Strategy & Operations professionals.
- Establish priorities and delegate meaningful ownership of planning, analysis, and execution workstreams.
- Manage hiring, performance, professional development, and succession planning.
- Build scalable planning, reporting, and governance processes that improve organizational effectiveness.
- Maintain core business process documentation and promote cross-functional alignment.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Engineering, or a related field.
- 8+ years of progressive experience in corporate strategy, business operations, strategic finance, FP&A, management consulting, investment banking, or a comparable function.
- Demonstrated experience defining strategy from the outset and leading it through implementation and measurable business results.
- Direct experience developing multi-year strategic plans and annual operating plans.
- Strong financial and analytical judgment, including opportunity assessment, investment prioritization, and evaluation of business tradeoffs.
- Experience translating strategic priorities into operating plans, resource requirements, milestones, and performance measures.
- Concise, structured written and verbal communication, with the ability to explain complex business issues through clear, data-backed narratives.
- Experience preparing executive, board, or investor-level materials.
- Experience implementing or managing OKRs or enterprise performance-management frameworks.
- Demonstrated success leading experienced professionals and influencing cross-functional teams.
- Strong executive presence, sound judgment, and the ability to manage multiple high-priority initiatives.
Preferred Qualifications
- MBA or another relevant advanced degree.
- Experience in high-growth technology, cloud, infrastructure, or data center environments.
- Experience building strategy, planning, and business review processes within a scaling organization.
- Background in management consulting, corporate development, investment banking, or strategic finance.
- Experience with scenario modeling, forecasting, and business value-driver analysis.
- Experience within an investment-backed organization.
Compensation & Benefits
- Base salary plus performance bonus.
- 100% company-paid benefits for employees and their families.
- Relocation assistance for non-local candidates.
- Opportunity to shape enterprise strategy and work directly with executive leadership.
- Leadership responsibility within a growing organization.
Ideal Candidate
The strongest candidate can clearly explain a strategy they personally helped define, the analysis and decisions behind it, how they led execution, and the measurable results achieved. They combine strategic judgment with operational follow-through and communicate the full story in a concise, logical, and data-supported manner.
