Corporate Strategy (Sr. Associate)

Description

Corporate Strategy at Citizens sits at the core of the enterprise - partnering directly with the CEO and Executive Committee (ExCo) to shape the strategic direction of the bank. The team drives the highest-priority decisions across Citizens, identifying growth opportunities, driving transformation and go-to-market initiatives, and strategically embedding innovation to position CFG for long-term competitive advantage.

As a Corporate Strategy Associate (Associate Vice President), you will play a central role in driving high-profile, cross-enterprise strategy projects and strategic deep dives spanning Consumer, Commercial, and Private Banking. You will work at the intersection of analysis and action - structuring complex problems, developing data-driven insights, and contributing to recommendations that shape the bank's most critical priorities.

This is a high-visibility role with direct exposure to senior leaders, the Executive Committee, and the Board of Directors. You will build your strategic toolkit alongside a high-performing team while making a tangible impact on the direction and future of Citizens.

Key Responsibilities:

• Drive strategic projects from problem definition through recommendation - structuring analytical approaches, executing workstreams, engaging stakeholders and subject matter experts, and synthesizing findings into executive-ready deliverables.
• Support the mobilization and execution of strategic initiatives - contributing to implementation roadmaps, tracking milestones, coordinating across workstream owners, and preparing materials for leadership decision points.
• Conduct competitive intelligence and peer benchmarking - analyzing peer strategy, financial performance, and market positioning to sharpen Citizens' strategic narrative and identify areas of differentiation or opportunity.
• Stay at the forefront of emerging technologies and innovation - identifying opportunities to embed GenAI/AgenticAI capabilities into strategic workflows and bringing forward new tools and use cases relevant to the enterprise strategy agenda.
• Contribute to executive-level strategic content - supporting the development of materials for the Board of Directors' strategic planning offsite, monthly ExCo updates, annual ELG presentations, and other senior leadership forums.
• Build cross-functional relationships across Consumer, Commercial, Private Bank, Risk, and Corporate Finance - developing a forward-looking view on industry trends and the evolving financial services landscape to support strategic alignment and enterprise-level decision-making.
• Guide and develop junior analysts - providing day-to-day coaching on problem-solving, analytical rigor, and communication to strengthen the team's overall impact.

Experience, Skills and Competencies:

• Analytical and strategic thinker - recent experience at a top-tier management consulting firm (MBB or equivalent) or in a corporate strategy function required; financial services or banking experience is a plus.
• Ability to execute in complex, fast-paced environments - comfortable with ambiguity, able to structure problems with limited direction, and skilled at driving toward clear outputs under time pressure.
• Intellectual curiosity and passion for financial services - genuinely energized by understanding how banks create value, how markets evolve, and where disruption creates opportunity.
• Developing financial and business acumen - ability to interpret financial statements, engage with key banking metrics (e.g., NII, fee income, efficiency ratio), and connect financial performance to strategic implications.
• Strong communicator - ability to distill complex analyses into crisp, structured narratives and present confidently to senior stakeholders.
• Collaborative and relationship-oriented - experience working effectively across teams and functions, with a bias toward partnership and shared outcomes.
• Proficiency with Microsoft suite (strong Excel and PowerPoint skills required) and comfort leveraging GenAI tools to accelerate analysis, research, and content development.

Education and Certifications:

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or equivalent advanced degree preferred
• 5–7 years of relevant experience post-undergrad, or 1–2 years post-MBA - ideally spanning top-tier management consulting, corporate strategy, or financial services

To thrive as a colleague at Citizens, candidates must demonstrate a strong customer-centric mindset, exhibit persistence and resilience in the face of challenges, and embrace continuous learning to adapt and grow in a dynamic environment.

Hours and Work Schedule: (4 days in office, 1 day remote)

Hours per Week: 40

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday

Work Location(s): Boston, MA, New York, NY

Pay Transparency

The salary range for this position is $105,000-$135,000 per year, plus an opportunity to earn an annual discretionary bonus. Actual pay is based on various factors including but not limited to the budget, work location, and relevant skills and experience.

We offer competitive pay, comprehensive medical, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, maternity/paternity leave, flexible work arrangements, education reimbursement, wellness programs and more. Note, Citizens’ paid time off policy exceeds the mandatory, paid sick or paid time-away policy of every local and state jurisdiction in the United States. For an overview of our benefits, visit https://jobs.citizensbank.com/benefits .

Some job boards have started using jobseeker-reported data to estimate salary ranges for roles. If you apply and qualify for this role, a recruiter will discuss accurate pay guidance.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Citizens, its parent, subsidiaries, and related companies (Citizens) provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all colleagues and applicants for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, citizenship, physical or mental disability, perceived disability or history or record of a disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, genetic characteristic, marital or domestic partner status, victim of domestic violence, family status/parenthood, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, pregnancy/childbirth/lactation, colleague’s or a dependent’s reproductive health decision making, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state and/or local laws. At Citizens, we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that enables all colleagues to bring their best selves to work every day and everyone is expected to be treated with respect and professionalism. Employment decisions are based solely on merit, qualifications, performance and capability.