Director, Office of Strategic Management

Director, Office of Strategic Management 

The Office of Strategic Management (OSM) works closely with the C-suite and with senior leaders in each of the businesses on the bank’s top strategic priorities, spanning the end-to-end lifecycle –from strategy development and solution prioritization all the way through to implementation. 

The OSM brings together the development and execution of BMO’s overall strategy by deeply integrating strategy and performance management within each business, enabled by strong connectivity of the team to the Operating Group Heads and their leadership teams, Finance, Technology & Operations, and Corporate Functions. 

In recent years, the team’s work has included:  cross-bank growth initiatives, client segment strategies, Digital and AI acceleration, M&A target evaluation, large-scale M&A integration, business portfolio reviews, new business entry and go-to-market strategies (e.g., climate finance), transformation initiatives, and enterprise cloud and data strategies. 

The OSM has a longstanding track record of placing team members in key roles across the organization and is recognized as a strong talent incubator for BMO.  As a Director, you will have unique exposure to executives and opportunities to build cross-bank relationships through working with line-of-business and corporate function leadership on developing and delivering the bank’s strategic priorities. 

Core accountabilities 

• Leads high-priority strategy engagements identified by the CEO and their direct reports, acting as a strategic thought partner to the business, drawing key implications from relevant analysis to develop actionable recommendations. 

• Leads the development and structuring of complex strategic projects into relevant work-streams using a hypothesis-driven approach. 

• Actively manages working team members to deliver on strategy project objectives. 

• Cultivates and supports a team culture that enables high performance, employee morale, integrity, teamwork, and work-life balance, through contributions to the development and coaching of team members and participation in team recruitment 

• Shapes relevant analyses into high-quality strategic recommendations; provides external perspectives / competitive insights where relevant. 

• Applies expertise and thinks creatively to address unique or ambiguous situations and to find solutions to problems that can be complex and non-routine. 

• Effectively communicates key messages and recommendations to executive audiences. 

• Leads on business performance management monitoring and action plan development, to ensure tight alignment between business KPIs (leading / lagging) and enterprise ambitions. 

• Serves as a trusted advisor to senior executives.  Manages stakeholders at various levels, including C-Suite and Operating Group executives. 

• Leads change management activities, ensuring cross business/group coordination and logistical support for the implementation of change. 

Strategy development accountabilities – detailed 

• Leverages a consultative approach to developing current state analysis (e.g., fact base, opportunity areas) and recommendations on strategic choices / trade-offs. 

• Recommends business priorities, advises on resource requirements and develops roadmaps for strategic execution. 

• Conducts analysis and research to provide context into the current state (e.g., industry trends, benchmarks) and inform future state priorities (e.g., financial modelling, best practices) 

• Develops business cases by identifying needs, analysing potential options and assessing expected return on investment. 

• Breaks down strategic problems, and analyses data and information to provide insights and recommendations. 

• Networks with industry contacts to gather and identify competitive insights and best practices. 

Delivery accountabilities – detailed 

• Leads implementation of strategic initiatives within group and across BMO by partnering with various internal & external stakeholders as required; complexity of initiatives may vary and usually involve multiple stakeholders across the enterprise. 

• Acts as a relationship manager on assigned projects / programs and ensures alignment to overall enterprise and group goals. 

• Leads the execution of operational programs; assesses and adapts as needed to ensure quality of execution. 

• Defines business requirements for analytics & reporting to ensure data insights inform business decision making. 

• Supports strategy execution by leading transformation roadmaps / programs to ensure disciplined delivery and successful change management. 

• Collaborates with internal & external stakeholders to provide business context in the design, develop and implementation of programs & solutions. 

Executive support / other 

• Supports C-Suite on other strategic priorities and ad hoc requests as necessary. 

• Operates at a group / enterprise-wide level and serves as a specialist resource to senior leaders and stakeholders. 

• Broader work or accountabilities may be assigned as needed. 

Qualifications: 

• Typically, 6-10 years of relevant experience (management consulting, financial services, strategy roles) and post-secondary degree in related field of study (e.g., MBA, CFA) or an equivalent combination of education and experience 

• Expertise in structuring, organizing and managing complex strategy projects with minimal supervision 

• Outstanding analytical skills with the ability to frame key analyses and tell a cohesive story required to address critical business issues 

• Seasoned professional with a combination of education, experience and industry knowledge 

• Demonstrated excellence in stakeholder management and organizational effectiveness in complex environments 

• Strong team management skills and proven leadership ability 

• Verbal & written communication skills - In-depth / Expert 

• Analytical and problem-solving skills - In-depth / Expert 

• Influence skills - In-depth / Expert 

• Collaboration & team skills; with a focus on cross-group collaboration - In-depth / Expert 

• Able to manage ambiguity 

• Data driven decision making - In-depth / Expert 

• Passion for the Financial Services industry and/or experience in relevant content areas