Senior Strategic Initiatives Specialist

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Missouri.

📋 Description

• Take ownership of individual workstreams within the AI Strategy Program and various cross-functional initiatives — organize the work, drive decisions, and ensure timely delivery of outputs.

• Develop and sustain the operational infrastructure for complex projects: including project trackers, decision logs, risk registers, governance frameworks, and meeting schedules.

• Assess incoming requests and competing priorities across the team’s portfolio; maintain focus on the most impactful work for the team.

• Create financial models, business cases, and ROI frameworks to aid in strategic decision-making — ensuring they are clean, accurate, and designed for practical use rather than mere documentation.

• Perform competitive intelligence and market research; distill findings into executive-ready summaries and actionable recommendations.

• Assist in tracking initiatives and creating KPI dashboards that link strategic priorities to measurable outcomes.

• Compile board materials, executive presentations, and deliverables for governance committees; ensure the quality of both narrative and numerical data.

• Act as a representative of the Strategic Initiatives team in cross-functional meetings; ensure stakeholders remain aligned and accountable without relying on positional authority.

• Simplify complex, ambiguous situations into clear problem statements and structured options for senior decision-makers.

• Aid in implementing Focus’s enterprise AI strategy, including vendor assessments, the use case intake process, governance committee operations, and pilot program management.

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of the AI program’s knowledge base, intake forms, risk frameworks, and operating rhythms.

• Serve as a credible, hands-on user of AI tools; provide practical insights into how AI generates value at Focus.

⛳️ Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, economics, or a related field is required; an MBA or CFA in progress or completed is preferred.

• Over 3 years of experience in investment banking, private equity, management consulting, or corporate strategy within a financial services firm.

• Proven ability to create and manage structured work products — models, memos, slide decks — independently and under tight deadlines.

• Experience thriving in fast-paced environments with multiple simultaneous priorities and exposure to senior stakeholders.

• Exceptional financial modeling and Excel capabilities — adept at building from the ground up rather than relying on templates.

• Strong structured communication skills: capable of producing a one-pager, creating a five-slide deck, or leading a working session with equal proficiency.

• Intellectually curious and at ease with ambiguity; proactive in finding answers without needing explicit direction.

• High level of personal accountability — takes ownership of their work, rectifies mistakes, and ensures nothing is overlooked.

• Naturally collaborative but also comfortable working independently; able to function with minimal supervision on defined workstreams.

• Familiarity with AI productivity tools (Claude, Notion AI, Copilot, etc.) and a readiness to adopt new technologies. Experience in AI development is advantageous but not mandatory.

🏝️ Benefits

• Medical

• Dental

• Vision

• Life insurance

• 401(k)