Strategy Manager

Ford Ford · Auto · Allen Park, MI +2 · Marketing & Sales

Ford is seeking a Strategy Manager for their Marketing, Sales & Service organization, focusing on transforming the future of vehicles and mobility services. The role involves thought partnership, stakeholder collaboration, and influencing to deliver the Ford Racing Strategy. Responsibilities include hypothesis generation, problem structuring and solving, conducting high-quality analyses, synthesizing complex information, effective communication, and acting as a player-coach. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree, a strong interest in motorsports, demonstrated thought leadership, comfort with ambiguity, experience leading cross-functional projects, analytical skills, and a fundamental understanding of the automotive industry. Advanced proficiency in PowerPoint, Excel, and Word is required. A Master's degree or MBA and prior experience in strategy projects or professional services are preferred.

What you'd actually do

  1. Hypotheses generation: Rigorously and logically identify issues covering entire problem in the assigned work stream(s), working with strategy leadership, general management of the business and/or stakeholders
  2. Structuring and solving the problem: Determine most efficient and effective approach to solving complex problems, taking advantage of the organization's existing knowledge, beyond immediate connections. This includes leveraging one’s networks of deep expertise
  3. Conducting analyses: Ensures high quality and accurate analysis; Selects the most effective analytical approaches and guides team (either directly or indirectly) in applying leading edge techniques; Ensures team develops robust fact base, creatively addressing data constraints as appropriate. Always tests first principles of business
  4. Synthesis and generating recommendations: Develop compelling insights from complex analysis. Synthesize complex analysis with an ability to draw out and prioritize key conclusions and independently develop sound recommendations
  5. Effective communication and persuasion: Demonstrate strong influencing skills by effectively communicating findings, conclusions, and recommendations both verbally and written. A comfort writing and delivery persuasive recommendations to the Ford Performance leadership and the Steering Team is critical

Skills

Required

  • Bachelors Degree
  • Strong interest in motorsports and performance vehicles, a deep passion for all things auto
  • A leader within Ford with demonstrated thought leadership and subject matter expertise in problem solving
  • A comfort with ambiguity and a desire to build (organizations, develop people, etc.)
  • Proven experience leading high impact cross-functional projects at a global scale, working with various levels of the organization
  • Inherently curious, analytically inclined and love solving problems
  • Understand the fundamentals of the automotive industry dynamics, trends, company operations, and managerial accounting is a must
  • Track record of challenging the status quo and bringing creative solutions to complex issues
  • Love teaching and mentoring colleagues
  • Advanced proficiency in PowerPoint (written presentations for a senior audience), Excel (mathematical modeling of large data sets), Word (white papers) is a must

Nice to have

  • Masters Degree or MBA from a top institution
  • Prior experience leading strategy projects or large-scale programs/projects
  • Prior experience in a professional services firm is a plus but not required
  • Technical background with advanced analytics

What the JD emphasized

  • Advanced proficiency in PowerPoint (written presentations for a senior audience), Excel (mathematical modeling of large data sets), Word (white papers) is a must
  • Understand the fundamentals of the automotive industry dynamics, trends, company operations, and managerial accounting is a must
  • A comfort with ambiguity and a desire to build (organizations, develop people, etc.)
  • Proven experience leading high impact cross-functional projects at a global scale, working with various levels of the organization