Associate Director of Strategy

About the Role

This position serves as an Associate Director within the Office of the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at a major residential solar company responsible for thousands of installations annually across several states. The role involves working closely with the COO to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives that enhance operational efficiency, boost productivity, and drive organizational growth. It combines strategic planning with hands-on execution in a fast-scaling environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate directly with the COO to implement enterprise-wide strategic projects.
• Diagnose operational inefficiencies and design scalable, sustainable solutions enhancing customer experience and profitability.
• Lead project lifecycle from ideation through full deployment.
• Interpret operational data to reveal patterns, risks, and growth opportunities.
• Develop and maintain executive dashboards, KPIs, and analytical tools for informed decision-making.
• Facilitate collaboration among multiple departments including Operations, Sales, Marketing, Finance, Customer Experience, and IT.
• Promote process improvements through automation and standardization efforts.
• Assess resource distribution and workforce planning to optimize operational capacity.
• Prepare and present business cases and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Monitor project progress ensuring timely delivery and measurable outcomes.
• Act as an extension of the COO, ensuring accountability and effective execution across divisions.

Success Metrics

• Enhanced operational productivity across multiple business units within the first year.
• Successfully led multiple strategic enterprise initiatives from concept to execution.
• Created executive reporting mechanisms that increase transparency into business performance.
• Strengthened organizational cohesion across cross-functional teams.
• Identified and acted upon opportunities to improve margins, reduce operational cycle times, and boost efficiency.
• Became a trusted strategic advisor to executive leadership.

Ideal Background and Qualifications

The ideal candidate possesses extensive problem-solving skills and leadership experience particularly in strategic or business operations within sectors such as residential solar, home services, construction, or manufacturing. This includes:

• Eight or more years of progressive leadership experience in operationally intensive industries.
• Track record driving enterprise-wide strategic initiatives.
• Strong business sense balancing strategic vision with practical execution.
• Experience collaborating directly with executive leadership teams.
• Proven ability to influence stakeholders without formal authority.
• Advanced analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Proficiency in data-driven operational improvements.
• Executive-level communication and presentation expertise.
• Advanced skills in Excel; familiarity with Power BI, Tableau, Salesforce, SQL, or comparable data platforms highly preferred.

Preferred Experience

• Leading efforts in operational excellence, process improvement, and Lean or Six Sigma methodologies.
• Experience with business intelligence tools, AI, automation, and KPI development.
• Background in executive reporting, forecasting, capacity and workforce planning.
• Enhancing customer experience, revenue optimization, and managing change across organizations.

Candidate Traits

• Inherent curiosity about business operations and eagerness to understand how different departments function.
• Strong questioning and critical thinking to challenge assumptions and uncover hidden opportunities.
• Data-driven decision-maker with a passion for translating strategy into measurable action.
• Ability to engage with any department, generate consensus, and deliver impactful results.

Why Join?

This role offers a unique chance to partner with senior executives of a rapidly expanding national solar energy organization. Instead of overseeing a single department, the Associate Director will influence company-wide operational performance, growth, and customer satisfaction. The position is remote with approximately 30% travel to the East Coast.

Compensation

The position provides a base salary ranging from $135,000 to $160,000 annually plus a 30% performance bonus and a comprehensive benefits package.