Careers in Strategic Planning Job Options

Strategic PlannerThe strategic planner's role consists of helping the organization to gather, analyze, and organize information. They track industry and competitive trends, develop forecasting models and scenario analysis, examine strategic performance, spot emerging market opportunities, identify business threats, look for novel strategic solutions, and develop creative action plans. Strategic planners usually serve in a support or staff role. Various jobs in this function include: product development, product managers, change agent, strategic planner, transformation agent, vice president of corporate planning

Strategic ManagerStrategic managers have lead roles in the strategy planning and strategy implementation activities of an organization. They are usually found in higher levels of management where they have greater authority and can make strategic decisions for the firm. The CEO is the most visible and critical strategic manager. Any manager who has responsibility for a unit or division, responsibility for profit and loss outcomes, and direct authority over a major piece of the business is a strategic manager. Jobs include: vice president, director, general manager, division head, CEO, member of the board of directors.

Management ConsultantConsultants are analysts and advisors of business. They are problem solvers, they bridge gaps in expertise for companies, and they are brought in for independent expertise and opinions. Jobs include: analyst, researcher, junior consultant, junior associate, associate, team leader, senior consultant, consulting manager, junior partner, senior partner. [Further details on consulting careers].

Strategic Cost AnalystA Strategic cost analyst determines the costs of business activities within organizations. Will use tools like activity-based costing & break even analysis to determine the true opportunity cost of resources devoted to various corporate activities. Plays a crucial role in determining which business units to retain and grow. Involved in budgeting. If your company doesn't know how much you're spending on what, you won't be around for long.

Competitive Intelligence AnalystSome companies spend enormous resources in understanding their competitive environment and, in particular, what their competitors are up to. A competitive intelligence analyst focuses on collecting information on a company's key competitors around the world.

Transformation AgentCompanies like Cigna are increasingly looking to become more flexible & implement needed change. Bring in the transformation officer whose job is to work closely with teams of people who control change in the firm. Your job is to help create incentives & the understanding required to grow and change. An emerging job area. Calls for a dynamic, humanistic, & experienced person.nt regulation to suffer through, but are becoming an important characteristic of competition. Firms are searching for dynamic persons who can lead efforts at transformation.