Corporate Strategic Planning, Director

General Team Description

Corporate Strategic Planning sits within Finance and supports enterprise-level strategy and corporate development efforts, including selective strategic transactions and other complex, non-routine initiatives. The team partners closely with Finance, Treasury, Legal, Risk, Tax, Operations, Technology, and business stakeholders, and works with external advisors as needed.

Role Description

The Director, Corporate Strategic Planning is a senior initiative leadership role responsible for leading complex strategy and corporate development initiatives, transactions, and enterprise-level special situations. The Director acts as a trusted execution partner to senior Corporate Strategic Planning leadership, independently leading high-impact workstreams and coordinating across senior stakeholders to advance strategic priorities. The role requires a combination of strategic thinking, transaction execution capability, stakeholder management, and sound judgment. The Director is expected to operate with significant autonomy, identify opportunities proactively, resolve issues before escalation becomes necessary, and serve as a thought partner to senior leadership on strategic and execution-related matters.

Reporting Line & Growth

The role reports to the Executive Director, Corporate Strategic Planning. Provides sustained exposure to enterprise-level decision-making and long-term corporate development and business development leadership opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead evaluation and execution of strategic opportunities, including acquisitions, divestitures, partnerships, minority investments, restructurings, and other special situations.
• Develop strategic recommendations and option frameworks for senior management consideration.
• Assess market opportunities, competitive dynamics, and capability gaps to support enterprise growth objectives.
• Proactively identify strategic opportunities and emerging issues that may impact the firm’s long-term positioning.
• Lead transaction execution across the full lifecycle, including evaluation, diligence, structuring, negotiation support, governance approvals, closing, and implementation.
• Cross-functional Leadership:
  • Serve as primary coordination point for complex initiatives involving multiple functions and business lines.
  • Build strong relationships across Finance, Treasury, Risk, Legal, Tax, Operations, Technology, and business leadership.
  • Drive alignment among stakeholders with differing perspectives and priorities.

Qualifications And Skills Required

• Experience 8+ years of experience in management consulting, investment banking, corporate development, strategic finance, private equity, or related fields.
• Meaningful experience within financial services, banking, capital markets, asset management, fintech, or other regulated financial institutions.
• Demonstrated leadership of complex transactions and enterprise-level strategic initiatives.
• Strong financial analysis, valuation, and transaction structuring, and strategic problem-solving capabilities.
• Prominent ability to lead through influence in matrixed organizations.

Preferred Qualifications / Differentiators

• Combination of management consulting and financial services experience strongly preferred.
• MBA preferred.
• Experience presenting to executive leadership and governance committees.
• Experience operating within regulated financial institutions.

What Differentiates a Strong Candidate

• Operates as an owner rather than a task manager.
• Anticipates issues before they become problems.
• Distinguishes critical decisions from noise.
• Supportive collaborators who have a "can do" attitude and share a team-first mindset.
• Comfortable making recommendations with imperfect information.
• Bridges strategic insight and original thinking, not just execution.
• Able to independently lead complex initiatives while maintaining alignment with leadership objectives.
• Develops people and elevates team performance.

Benefits

SMBC provides a competitive portfolio of benefits to its employees, including:

• Hybrid workforce model that provides employees with an opportunity to work from home, as well as, from an SMBC office.
• Reasonable accommodations during candidacy for applicants with disabilities consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law.

Hybrid work may not be permitted for certain roles, including, for example, certain FINRA-registered roles for which in-office attendance for the entire workweek is required.