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Associate Director, Strategy & Operations at Grant Thornton, Chicago, IL

Associate Director, Strategy & Operations at Grant Thornton in Chicago, IL. $184,000 to $276,000 a year. Apply with swipeandhired.

Grant Thornton is seeking an Associate Director, Strategy & Operations to join the team. Approved office locations can be found below.

Position Summary:
The Associate Director, Strategy & Operations is a senior member of the Office of the COO responsible for independently leading strategic priorities, business performance initiatives, and cross-functional execution across the firm and the Americas member firms. Reporting to the Head of Strategy & Operations, this role converts senior leadership priorities into decisions, executable plans, and measurable results.
The Associate Director operates with substantial autonomy and serves as a day-to-day thought partner to senior executives. The individual will structure ambiguous business problems, develop fact-based points of view, identify implications and tradeoffs, and recommend actions. Success requires the ability to move fluidly from analysis to insight to management discussion, and from leadership decision to sustained execution.
The role requires strong business judgment, professional services acumen, executive presence, and the ability to influence across service lines, corporate functions, geographies, and member firms without relying on formal authority.
Role emphasis: independent problem ownership, executive advisory, insight generation, cross-functional influence, and end-to-end accountability.
Key Responsibilities & Essential Functions:
Strategy & Enterprise Priorities

Independently lead strategic and operational initiatives sponsored by the Office of the COO, from problem definition and workplan design through recommendation, decision, implementation, and benefits realization.

Structure complex and ambiguous business questions, develop hypotheses, establish the analytical approach, and determine the information and stakeholder input required to reach a sound conclusion.

Develop strategic options, business cases, and decision frameworks that clearly articulate business implications, tradeoffs, risks, and recommended courses of action.

Translate enterprise priorities into executable plans with clear outcomes, ownership, milestones, dependencies, performance measures, and governance.

Anticipate execution barriers and emerging issues; resolve them directly where possible and bring forward focused decisions when executive intervention is required.

Business Performance & Management Insight

Own the analysis and interpretation of business and operational performance, moving beyond reporting results to identify underlying drivers, emerging trends, performance gaps, risks, and opportunities.

Translate quantitative and qualitative analysis into management insights, implications, and recommended actions.

Shape and drive leadership operating reviews by identifying the critical questions requiring management attention, developing an objective fact base and point of view, and enabling focused executive discussion and decision-making.

Develop executive-ready performance narratives that connect financial and operational results, key performance indicators, strategic priorities, and organizational execution.

Partner with business and functional leaders to diagnose performance issues, evaluate potential interventions, and establish accountability for follow-through.

Establish mechanisms to monitor strategic priorities, leadership commitments, and outcomes; identify where execution is diverging from intent and recommend corrective action.

Executive Advisory & Communications

Serve as a trusted day-to-day thought partner to senior leaders on strategic, operational, and organizational priorities.

Prepare and deliver concise executive briefings, recommendations, presentations, and decision-support materials with a clear point of view tailored to the audience and decision at hand.

Lead and facilitate executive and cross-functional discussions, surface implications, reconcile competing perspectives, and drive groups toward decisions and accountable next steps.

Communicate complex or sensitive issues with clarity, discretion, and sound judgment, including when the analysis challenges established assumptions or priorities.

Represent the Office of the COO in senior-level working sessions and independently advance matters on its behalf within agreed decision rights.

Americas Member Firm Leadership Support

Act as a strategic liaison and thought partner to Americas member firm leaders on priorities requiring Office of the COO engagement.

Diagnose operational challenges, develop recommendations, and mobilize the appropriate stakeholders and resources to drive resolution.

Lead the implementation of regional and global priorities across member firms, adapting execution approaches to local circumstances while maintaining strategic intent and expected outcomes.

Identify patterns, leading practices, and transferable insights across member firms and convert them into recommendations for broader organizational action.

Build trusted relationships across geographies and influence timely decisions and execution without direct authority.

Organizational Effectiveness & Governance

Lead or advise on organizational design, governance, operating model, decision-rights, and ways-of-working initiatives.

Assess whether current structures, processes, forums, and accountabilities enable effective decision-making and execution; recommend and implement practical improvements.

Design scalable management mechanisms that strengthen prioritization, transparency, decision velocity, accountability, and organizational alignment.

Clarify roles, responsibilities, decision rights, and escalation paths across complex cross-functional initiatives.

Facilitate working sessions that convert differing stakeholder perspectives into aligned decisions and implementable solutions.

Initiative Leadership & Execution

Lead multiple high-priority workstreams simultaneously, maintaining executive-quality standards while balancing pace, rigor, and practical delivery.

Establish the operating cadence for complex initiatives, including governance, stakeholder engagement, risk management, decision tracking, and performance reporting.

Drive accountability across workstream owners, address stalled execution, and ensure leadership decisions translate into measurable action.

Coach project contributors and provide direction on problem solving, analysis, executive communication, and delivery quality, whether or not they report directly to the role.

Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

8-12+ years of progressively responsible experience in management consulting, corporate strategy, business operations, transformation, finance, or a comparable environment.

Demonstrated experience independently leading complex, cross-functional strategic or operational initiatives from problem definition through implementation.

Demonstrated ability to convert complex analysis into business insight, management implications, and actionable recommendations.

Experience regularly engaging and influencing senior executives, including facilitating discussions and presenting recommendations.

Strong business and financial acumen, with the ability to understand performance drivers and connect operational activity to business outcomes.

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including advanced capability in executive presentations, business storytelling, and decision-support materials.

Advanced PowerPoint and Excel capabilities; proficiency using data, productivity, and collaboration tools to accelerate high-quality work.

Ability to operate with limited direction, establish structure in ambiguous situations, manage competing priorities, and exercise sound judgment.

Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, economics, accounting, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Professional services experience or demonstrated knowledge of professional services economics, operating models, and performance drivers.

Experience working across international, multi-country, or member-firm structures.

Experience in organizational design, governance, operating model development, enterprise transformation, M&A integration, or performance management.

MBA or other relevant advanced degree.

The base salary range for this position is between $184,000 and $276,000. Placement within the pay range is at Grant Thornton’s discretion, and it is based on multiple factors, including but not limited to, job -related knowledge/skills, experience, business needs, progression within the role, geographic location, and internal equity. At Grant Thornton, compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.