Citi Retail Services -- Partner Management Head of Strategic Initiatives

About Citi

Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Our core activities are safeguarding assets, lending money, making payments and accessing the capital markets on behalf of our clients.

Citi's Mission and Value Proposition explains what we do and Citi Leadership Standards explain how we do it. Our mission is to serve as a trusted partner to our clients by responsibly providing financial services that enable growth and economic progress. We strive to earn and maintain our clients' and the public's trust by constantly adhering to the highest ethical standards and making a positive impact on the communities we serve. Our Leadership Standards is a common set of skills and expected behaviors that illustrate how our employees should work every day to be successful and strengthens our ability to execute against our strategic priorities.

Diversity is a key business imperative and a source of strength at Citi. We serve clients from every walk of life, every background and every origin. Our goal is to have our workforce reflect this same diversity at all levels. Citi has made it a priority to foster a culture where the best people want to work, where individuals are promoted based on merit, where we value and demand respect for others and where opportunities to develop are widely available to all.

Job Description:

The Strategic Initiatives lead works extensively with the Head of Partner Management and General Managers of Retail Partner Cards on key business activities relating to partner relationships. The Strategic Initiatives leader will help lead the execution of the business strategy, but also play a significant role in the adherence to regulatory, compliance and control priorities across the Partner Management entity. This role interacts with a wide group of stakeholders across Retail Services teams including: Partner Management, Business Development, Marketing, Finance, Operations, Risk, Legal, Compliance and Control teams. Individual must be able to simultaneously juggle many highly complex tasks to ensure all deliverables are met. The ideal candidate will have a strong relationship building skills, business knowledge, leadership and able to effectively influence a variety of stakeholders. The individual will provide oversight for centralized Partner Management responsibilities, including staff operations, compliance & oversight, special projects and strategic initiatives while leading a team of seven professionals to manage and drive these strategic initiatives.

Staff Operations

* Manage facilitation and logistical support for GM staff meetings and Senior Leadership reviews

* Monitor and track expenses, headcount and open reqs working with GMs and HR

* Partner with Human Resources to drive consistent goal setting, talent calibration and assessments across partner teams

* Performance management and development of a team of individual contributors and a people manager responsible for the work around staff operations, compliance & oversight, special projects and strategic initiatives.

Compliance & Oversight

* Lead Partner Management's Strong Risk Management efforts -- focusing on Manager Control Assessment, Annual Risk Assessment and Records Management

* Direct Partner Oversight team's area of focus and initiatives

* Represent Partner Management in Compliance, Regulatory and Audit initiatives

* Monitor issues owned by Partner Management and ensure appropriate resolution and definition of new controls as needed

Special Projects/Initiatives

* Partner with the Partner Management Leadership team to identify alternatives, set the direction and ensure execution of strategic projects

* Identify process and business efficiencies for Partnership Programs. Build business case for implementation and facilitate prioritization of partner team's resources and projects.

* Represent Partner Management cross-business initiatives and engage with respective GM teams to understand business priorities and partner impacts.

* Chair work groups to drive initiatives and leverage best practices across the partner teams

Management & Reporting

* Serve as the focal point for navigating a variety of questions and issues related to the Partners

* Facilitate creation of presentation materials for various management events, including conferences, internal presentations, and business reviews.

* Drive consistent alignment of CRS's "Playbook" activities across Partner Management and functional groups in order to create sustainable value throughout the partner relationship

* Liaison with Business Development to ensure required Partner Management resources are aligned with new business prospects

* Ten years business experience.

* Demonstrated leadership skills.

* Significant Organizational and Project Management - requires solid track record in managing complex business & partner needs.

* Previous experience leading/managing team of direct reports, including goal-setting and effective performance management.

* Superior communication/presentation & influence management skills; must have ability to effectively communicate with all levels of management, across all functional areas, and with partners.

* Strong analytical and cognitive skills.

* Demonstrated thought leadership and strategic agility.

* Ability to work well under tight deadlines in a fast-paced, team-oriented, intense environment.

* Masters degree preferred.