Strategic Initiatives, Director

Company Description

R25_0013101

Who We Are:  

MRI-Simmons is a leading consumer insights company. We are an established organization, with a great brand, that is aggressively reinventing itself through investments in technology and people! 

Background:

MRI-Simmons powers media and marketing planning, profiling, segmentation and target audience activation by delivering high-quality, representative data through survey and data partnerships. As clients want to integrate their first-party data in audience development, and we want to expand the number of data assets that can be leveraged for more complex target/audience building and real-time activation of those audiences, it is essential that we continue to build frictionless experiences across their workflows that bring efficient speed to insights & recommendations at scale. 

Job Description

We are seeking an organized results-driven Strategic Initiatives Director to support a portfolio of growth initiatives, ensuring appropriate cross functional engagement for delivery of legal/regulatory  compliant innovative technology and products. The Director will set timelines, goals and milestones aligned with strategic business deliverables, manage delivery across growth products and services, and guide best practices for organization, communication, and tracking. The role involves driving continued progress and excellence in data, technology and compliance, with business and product stakeholders. The role will also engage with strategic partnerships and vendors, managing relationships, coordinating and delivering against key milestones. This is a full-time non-contract position reporting to the SVP of Product Strategy.  

Responsibilities: 

• Architect and execute a strategic roadmap for data partnerships, contractual frameworks, and compliance alignment to support scalable growth initiatives. 
• Oversee end-to-end project lifecycle management, including schedule optimization, risk mitigation, and stakeholder engagement. 
• Drive cross-functional collaboration to support product and technology development from R&D through launch, ensuring alignment with business objectives. 
• Facilitate seamless coordination across technology, legal, procurement, and product teams to accelerate initiative delivery and operational efficiency. 
• Proactively identify, assess, and escalate risks and blockers in the product development lifecycle to ensure timely resolution and delivery. 
• Support vendor and partner relationship management, including contract oversight and alignment with annual operating and capital expenditure plans. 
• Lead initiatives related to data governance, serving as a strategic liaison between product teams and governance stakeholders to ensure compliance and data integrity. 
• Champion quality assurance protocols to safeguard company data assets and uphold operational excellence. 
• Develop and institutionalize decision-making frameworks that enhance cross-functional accountability and accelerate execution. 
• Evaluate and onboard strategic data partners and vendors aligned with long-term business goals and innovation priorities. 
• Design and refine initiative tracking systems and performance metrics to drive transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement 

Qualifications

Experience & Skills:  

• Strong background in risk mitigation 
• Lead discussions with senior leadership, providing insights and recommendations  
• Focus on execution, accountability, and results 
• Managing or supporting high-impact programs, initiatives, or business units.  
• Exceptional cross-team collaboration across functions and organizations  
• Knowledge of various tech and business optimization trends for strategic planning  
• Experience helping manage resource and budget plans for timely, on-budget delivery 
• Experience coordinating between Eng, Product, Procurement and Legal 
• Experience with big data tech stacks, methods and technologies, a plus 

Qualifications: 

• 6-10 years recent experience in data, adtech or martech in functions of program management, project management, and change management.  
• Strong business acumen in areas of market research, audience targeting, data licensing and programmatic media  
• Bachelors Degree 
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal incl. senior leadership presentation skills.  
• Experience navigating regulatory and compliance considerations in the use of consumer data, is a plus.  
• A positive energy to inspire a culture that is excited collaboration and embraces change 
• A demonstrated ability to transform and drive real business change.