For more information about who we are, what we do, and where we're headed, check out our latest Annual Report.
ABOUT THE STRATEGY TEAM
What will it be like to work on our team
You will be working alongside a small team of strategy & corporate development professionals, executives, and business leaders representing various business units from around the world to help solve some of the most critical and complex challenges in the organization. You will also be leading the direction of the organization by developing and measuring progress on the Association's strategic plan
You will typically be leading or supporting one core engagement at a time, while contributing to ad hoc requests and ongoing efforts to improve our strategy & corporate development capabilities. All-the-while, you will be expanding your personal knowledge base, broadening your exposure to business challenges, and becoming a trusted resource for the organization.
The challenges you will be tackling will change roughly every 3-6 months as you engage on new projects. Considering the global nature of our business coupled with the critical nature of the projects you will be working on, it will be necessary to have a highly flexible schedule and/or work extended hours from time to time. We aim to keep the hours within an 8:00 am to 6:00 pm range, but that will vary day-to-day based on the requirements of each engagement.
WHAT YOU'LL DO (ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES)
Work with leadership to shape strategic direction for the organization, working on some of the highest impact and most visible projects in the organization targeted at helping the organization achieve its aim
Lead and support various work streams within projects, while working on internal consulting teams, including collaborating with other internal teams to identify key strategic opportunities, act upon competitive and market forces, and seize new business opportunities to drive growth and eminence.
Engage with key internal leaders, members of the Association, and third parties to understand the market risks and opportunities, develop strategic conclusions, identify key initiatives, and drive alignment to the overall strategy
Work on recurring strategic planning & reporting related activities about 25-35% of the time and internal strategy consulting engagements about 65-75% of the time.
Build and maintain relationships with business unit leaders and their teams to help develop the strategies
2 days in the life (a hypothetical example)
Day 1
You log-in to your computer around 9:00 am and spend your morning researching the latest trends affecting the profession, understanding how ESG and sustainability reporting might change the future role of accounting & finance professionals, and how generational changes in the workforce are creating a shift in corporate training schemes.
You build out a summary of the trends and insights from your research and draft a few slides to share with relevant teams.
At mid-afternoon, you take a couple of hours to prepare for an upcoming online focus group of young professionals, during which you will be gathering deeper insights on their career needs.
You close out your day responding to various email requests from business units to help them prepare for their annual strategic planning sessions, as they align their tactics to the broader business's strategic priorities.
Day 2
Your day starts early with a 6:00 am video conference from your home office with the head of marketing based out of London, U.K., to understand a recent shift in customer needs.
After the call, you take a break for a morning walk. When you log back-in, you spend most of your day developing a customer segmentation model, incorporating the insights you gained from the morning's call.
You log-off around 4:00 pm
ABOUT YOU
Character
We have come to find that team members who are most successful in this role share a few key characteristics:
Willing to challenge the status quo
Naturally curious and open to new ideas
Confident, not egotistical
Adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity
Knowledge, skills, and abilities required
As a consultant and generalist, you must possess a strong set of core skills to quickly engage and add value to the business. You don't have to be expertly skilled in every area; however, you should be strong in most of them.
Make sense of the complex
Proven ability to structure ambiguous business problems through sound logic, critical thinking, and the use of strategy and consulting frameworks
Superior ability to dissect problems into manageable pieces and develop framing questions for how to solve them.
Proven ability to develop and test hypotheses using qualitative and quantitative research and analysis
Superior ability to perform primary and secondary research, identify relevant information, and distill insights from large sets of unstructured data
Ability to develop and analyze financial and risk models
Ability to translate logic and insights into actionable recommendations
Communicate Effectively
Strong oral and written communication skills, including the visual depiction of complex ideas
Ability to craft and present purposeful, engaging, and compelling stories
Ability to work with, and present to, all levels within the organization, including C-level executives, virtually and in-person.
Ability to create scripts and record presentations for on-demand consumption
Manage projects and relationships
Ability to manage a project from kick-off to completion
Ability to develop and maintain effective relationships with colleagues, teams, members, and staff at all levels of the organization
Ability to work with and manage cross-functional and cross-cultural teams
Technology Skills
Advanced level skills in MS PowerPoint
Advanced level skills in MS Excel, including vlookup, pivot tables, and charting (data visualization skills preferred)
Strong skills in MS Outlook to manage schedules and email communications
Strong skills in MS Teams, video-conferencing and other virtual collaboration tools
Other
Ability to handle confidential information
High degree of professionalism
Ability to work cross-culturally and on international assignments
Willingness to travel and work extended hours as business requires
EXPERIENCE / EDUCATION REQUIRED
Bachelor's degree in business or related field
At least 5 years of progressive business experience demonstrating the above knowledge, skills, and abilities
EXPERIENCE / EDUCATION PREFERRED
Master's degree in business administration (MBA)
5+ years of experience in corporate strategy and/or top tier consulting firm
Understanding of membership organizations, business-to-business (B2B) environments, and professional services
TRAVEL
Less than 10%
WHY WORK FOR US?
The Strategy team offers the challenge, excitement, and diverse experiences of the career in strategy consulting, without the hectic travel schedule, and with the thrill of seeing your recommendations through to execution. Work for us and you?ll get to help shape the strategy of the organization, lead and support the most important initiatives, and engage with senior leaders - all while challenging yourself to continuously adapt and learn.
The Association offers a competitive benefits plan, flexible work schedules and an environment that is focused on driving a positive culture for our employees and members. Our aim is to transform the global accounting and finance profession by empowering the world?s most highly-skilled accountants and driving a dynamic accounting profession. See what we are all about @ www.aicpa-cima.com
