Customer Strategy Manager

Location Hoffman Estates, IL 60179 Status Full Time Job Category Business/Strategic Management Career Level Experienced (Non-Manager) Customer Strategy Manager Sears is committed to improving the lives of our customers by providing quality services, products and solutions that earn their trust and build lifetime relationships. We are proud of our diverse, high-performance team work environment and we strive for continuous improvement through keen focus on growth, effectiveness and a sense of urgency. Individuals who are driven to earn our customers' trust and business every day, who act with integrity, who treat everyone fairly and value diversity, and who are accountable for their actions are welcome to show interest in becoming a member of our winning team.As a vital member of the Customer Strategy team, the Customer Strategy Manager provides works closely with executive leadership to identify, influence and implement customer-centered growth initiatives. The Customer Strategy team is part of the Strategy & Customer Insights group (which also includes the Customer Analytics, Customer Research, and Performance Measurement teams) and works with all parts of the organization including Marketing, Merchandising, and Store Operations to create customer-driven growth initiatives. Candidates will need to demonstrate the ability to initiate and then lead efforts that (a) generate customer insights from available data sources (e.g., customer databases, primary market research, etc.), (b) use those insights as the basis for generating new corporate initiatives, and (c) initiate and oversee these change initiatives within the organization.QualificationsThe Customer Strategy Manager will partner both with other teams within the Strategy & Customer Insights group including Customer Analytics, Customer Research, and Performance Measurement and with the broader organization including Marketing, Merchandising, and Store Operations. The Customer Strategy Manager will both leverage the existing work by their partners in the Strategy & Customer Insights group (i.e., Customer Analytics, Customer Research, and Performance Measurement) as well as initiate original insight development efforts; the latter could span the identification/development of new data sources to applying new insight development approaches to existing data. They may lead members of the Customer Strategy team in the development of additional insights from the available data, while leveraging the Customer Analytics, Customer Research, and Performance Measurement teams for more complex analysis. The Customer Strategy Manager will be expected to develop original customer insights that will be the basis for customer-driven growth initiatives (e.g., multi-channel direct marketing, store-level merchandising strategy, marketing spend effectiveness). Finally, they will be active leaders of these initiatives as they are taken from concept through testing, at which point it is assumed they will be handed off to their long-term business owners in the organization. Coordinates with VP of Customer Strategy and EVP of Strategy and Customer Insights, and the broad executive team, to identify and prioritize areas for analysisApplies analytical rigor to complex business issues and translates customer insights into financially viable retail initiatives Collaborates with Customer Analytics, Customer Research and Performance Measurement teams to identify, execute against and measure business improvement opportunitiesDesigns and executes pilot programs to empirically test new business conceptsSynthesizes disparate information into pragmatic insights, and translates insights into actionLeads and prioritizes cross-functional team activitiesBuilds relationships with executives throughout organization and establishes themselves as business partner in the development of customer-based growth initiativesDevelops and presents communications (e.g., research findings, project recommendations) to senior managementHighly skilled in problem solving especially in situations of high ambiguity Ability to apply analytical and quantitative rigor to understand complex business scenarios Strong work ethic complemented by a positive, can-do attitudeProficiency in a broad array of marketing, advertising, and sales disciplines including direct marketing, CRM, sales force management/effectiveness, telemarketing, advertising, and loyalty programs Excellent communication skills: Listening, verbal and written. Experience developing communications and presenting to senior managementExtensive project planning and management experience leading cross-functional teams to successfully implement enterprise wide initiatives Familiarity with standard customer insights techniques: qualitative (e.g., focus groups, user experience) and quantitative market research (e.g., surveys), marketing analytics (e.g., marketing ROI, marketing spend effectiveness), statistical (e.g., regression, CHAID) and economic (e.g., financial forecasting) modeling, customer segmentation (e.g., behavioral, needs/attitudinal), and customer profitability analysis (lifetime value)Excellent PowerPoint and Excel skills6 - 8 years professional experience in: CRM (non-technical fields), management consulting, retail (store operations, merchandising), marketing, or strategic analysisBachelors degree from four year college or university; MBA or other advanced degree strongly preferredSears is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.