Business Strategy and Initiatives Manager

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Position Summary

The Business Strategy and Initiatives Manager is a high-trust advisor and strategic integrator who provides support to business unit executives by maintaining momentum towards accomplishing strategic and operational goals. Expected to coordinate delivery of a high volume of projects and initiatives within the assigned Line of Business and provide visibility into the health of the business unit’s portfolio. This position coordinates change management and communications and also disseminates information to ensure swift decision-making and resolution of obstacles while fostering a collaborative and empowering culture.

This individual operates across organizational boundaries, connecting strategy, execution, communication, and governance. The role provides candid counsel, synthesizes complex information, coordinates enterprise initiatives, and addresses high priority matters that do not fit neatly within a single business or functional area.

Success requires judgment, discretion, executive presence, and the ability to influence without relying on formal authority.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the executive on strategic, operational, organizational, financial, and leadership matters.

• Provide candid, independent perspectives and constructively challenge assumptions when appropriate.

• Anticipate the executive’s needs, identify emerging priorities, and proactively address issues before they require direct executive intervention.

• Support the executive in maintaining focus on the highest-value business, customer, operational, talent, and risk priorities.

• Support strategic planning and operational initiatives by facilitating communication between assigned business unit executive and various partners and stakeholders. Maintains master schedule of projects and initiatives owned by the business unit and continually monitors and updates for the most accurate information.

• Coordinates strategic initiatives that span the enterprise and maintains visibility into the overall portfolio of executive-sponsored initiatives, including progress, dependencies, resource constraints, and execution risks.

• Enables swift decision-making and problem resolution by ensuring information flows efficiently and effectively across the organization, often providing quick triage and resolution of business issues by engaging the right parties, routing critical information, and following the issue through to closure.

• Leads preparation for executive, management, operating, and board meetings, including agendas, briefing materials, presentations, talking points, decision requests, and follow-up actions.

• Strengthens leadership team effectiveness through serving as an organizational integrator by connecting leaders, reducing silos, and improving the flow of information across the executive’s span of responsibility.

• Keeps staff and stakeholders apprised of key information by maintaining a communication plan to include updates, follow ups, and holding accountability for ongoing business unit activities and project deliverables.

• Responsible for leading Vendor Management due diligence, onboarding process, and ongoing relationship

• Ensure continuity of project management by utilizing the Enterprise Project Management Standards and Procedures, where appropriate

• Ensures all departmental activities are performed in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures as applicable to this position, including completion of required compliance training.

• Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Skills

• Significant experience in banking or financial services, corporate strategy, finance, operations, risk management, or a comparable complex and regulated environment.

• Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives from issue identification through execution.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-support capabilities.

• Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one situations and small groups.

• Strong understanding of financial performance, operating metrics, governance, and risk-management concepts.

• Demonstrated discretion in handling confidential, sensitive, and high-stakes matters.

• Ability to influence senior stakeholders without relying on direct reporting authority.

• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• Collaborative mind-set with strong interpersonal skills.

Education and/or Experience

• BS/BA Degree in Business, Finance, or a related field preferred, and

• 6-8 years of related experience

Computer Skills

• MS Office programs

• PowerPoint Presentation

• Smartsheet or other project management software

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

• Project Management Professional or higher strongly desired

Other

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Activities, duties and responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice.

Skills Training:

• Communication, Time Management, Presentation Skills, Decision Making

Equal Employment Opportunity Information: Simmons First National Corporation and its subsidiaries are committed to a policy of equal employment with respect to a person's race, color, religion, sex, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, covered veterans, military status, physical or mental disability or any other legally protected classifications.