Head of Strategy, Americas Merchant & Strategic Partners

About team / role

This role will lead the creation and execution of strategic growth and optimization efforts through WEX NA Mobility’s Partners and Merchant segments. Given the impact and importance of these segments, success will require collaboration, stewardship, and visibility across all areas of the WEX enterprise. This role will be critical in owning strategy development, obtaining executive support, and co-creating with our Partner community. The Head of Strategy role will work closely with the segment heads for Energy Partners, Fleet Management Companies, and Merchant as inputs to strategy development and execution. Outcomes expected from this role’s contribution will include achievement of revenue growth targets, increased investment in capital projects and new revenue streams, and long term optimization of partner channels and cobrand go-to-market. 

How you'll make an impact

• Ensure key priorities and strategic initiatives are being executed against, while building an action-oriented culture

• Act as a combined voice along side the GM, on segment strategy with direct line of sight across the organization to ensure goal execution, drive new ways of doing business, and build momentum

• Engage in effective, open and collaborative conversations among the MSP leadership team centered around performance, opportunities, challenges, and inter-dependencies.

• Present complex strategies in a synthesized digestible format to build followership and support

• Strategy: Inventory current state of MSP strategy with the goal of developing thorough 5 yr roadmaps for each area of business (Merchant, Energy Partner, FMC). Ensure the strategic direction ladders up to WEX’s overall vision and priorities

• Cobrand Productline: Co-develop a more complete productline vision that leverages the strengths of our cobrand relationships, more tightly integrates WEX and its Partners, and evolves revenue streams. 

• GTM Optimization: Partner with leadership to execute investment optimization plans, develop ideal partner composition, and customer/partner/business interactions with WEX solutions.

• Voice of the Partner: Build a VoP model using high-signal partner feedback mechanisms and programmatic listening that makes the data usable. Solidify WEX’s competitive advantage by leveraging Partner Advisory Council (PAC), Joint Business Planning process, annual meetings, advisory boards, etc. 

• Intelligence Leadership: Lead all third party engagements and/or strategic projects that have material impact on the direction and/or effectiveness of the MSP organization 

• Business Reporting: Use resource(s) to establish MSPs unit reporting (organization reporting standards, maintain scorecards, dashboards and key performance indicators) 

• Business Communication: Partner with internal communications and marketing organizations to build and implement communications strategies to inform internal and external stakeholders on performance, strategic direction and key challenges 

Experience you'll bring

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from four-year institution

• 15+ years experience in strategy, operational improvement, and/or technology roles

• 10+ years of payments industry experience

• Demonstrated financial acumen, including proficiency in Excel, navigating large data sets, and distilling complex data into actionable recommendations

• Highly flexible skill set, with notable excellence in personal effectiveness, credibility, problem solving, and analysis

• Demonstrated ability to influence executive leadership on complex business topics.

• Systems thinker, able to manage a high degree of complexity and to distill information into simple messages, able to think both strategically at a global level as well as effectively developing key processes.

• Exceptional cross-organization coordination and communication skills including ability to build comprehensive and compelling presentation and communication materials that span functions and groups.

• Strong interpersonal skills including ability to build trust, influence, and foster relationships with diverse team members; ability to leverage relationships to drive consistency of approach and ensure delivery.

• Ability to balance varying responsibilities that span rhythm of business, communications, executive management, and culture.

• Passion to foster a culture of efficiency and high performance through initiatives, training & education, and communication.

• Strong project management skills and ability to lead multiple high-profile projects of varying timelines simultaneously.

• Ability to effectively collaborate, influence, and leverage outside resources to drive results.

• Manages confidentiality without exception

• Strong analytical and problem solving skills, with an extensive use of both quantitative and qualitative data to drive prioritization and performance 

• Strong financial acumen 

• Comfort with ambiguity and decision making