Director of Business Planning & Strategic Initiatives

About the role

Smartsheet is seeking a Director of Business Planning & Strategic Initiatives to own and drive the company's enterprise-wide planning and strategy development functions. This fully remote position is open to candidates based anywhere in the United States and serves as a critical link between executive leadership and operational teams. The director will be responsible for shaping the strategic direction of the business by leading cross-functional planning processes, synthesizing complex data into clear recommendations, and ensuring that all departments are aligned with the company's long-term objectives. This role requires a highly self-directed individual who can thrive in a distributed work environment and communicate effectively with stakeholders at every level of the organization.

Key facts

What you'll do

Lead the end-to-end development and execution of the company's annual business planning cycle, ensuring all major departments contribute timely and accurate inputs. Partner directly with senior leadership to define strategic priorities, set measurable objectives, and establish timelines for the upcoming fiscal year. Coordinate cross-functional teams across the organization to ensure that strategic goals are translated into concrete operational plans and day-to-day execution. Analyze business performance data, market trends, and internal metrics to identify emerging risks, growth opportunities, and areas requiring strategic attention. Prepare comprehensive strategic presentations and written reports for the executive leadership team, presenting findings and recommendations in a clear and compelling manner. Take ownership of tracking and reporting the status of key strategic initiatives from initial conception through final delivery and post-implementation review. Facilitate structured workshops and planning sessions with department heads and functional leads to gather diverse input, resolve disagreements, and build organizational consensus around strategic priorities. Design and maintain standardized frameworks, templates, and processes that make business planning repeatable, scalable, and consistent across the entire organization. Continuously monitor the competitive landscape, industry developments, and technology trends to ensure that strategic decisions are informed by current market realities. Provide ad hoc strategic support to the executive team for special projects, analyses, and time-sensitive assignments as needed.

Requirements

A minimum of ten years of professional experience in business strategy, corporate planning, or operations roles, with at least five years at a senior leadership level. Demonstrated success leading business planning processes or strategic initiatives within a technology or enterprise software company. Exceptional analytical capabilities, including the ability to interpret large and complex data sets and distill them into clear, actionable business insights. Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with a proven track record of presenting to executive audiences and influencing senior decision-makers. A bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, economics, or a closely related field is a mandatory requirement for this position. Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to juggle multiple concurrent workstreams and meet tight deadlines without sacrificing quality. Prior experience working within a remote or fully distributed team environment, demonstrating self-motivation and effective asynchronous communication habits. Deep understanding of enterprise software platforms, the technology industry, and the business models that drive companies in this sector.

Nice to have

Experience building and maintaining financial models and forecasts at the corporate or divisional level. Familiarity with public company reporting standards, investor relations processes, and the expectations of external stakeholders. Hands-on experience with agile, iterative, or rolling-wave planning methodologies applied in a large corporate environment. Any background related to mergers and acquisitions activity, initial public offering preparation, or significant organizational restructuring initiatives.

Skills & tools

Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint for building financial models, creating executive dashboards, and delivering polished presentations. Hands-on experience with enterprise planning and budgeting platforms such as Anaplan, Adaptive Insights, Planful, or comparable tools. Strong working knowledge of Smartsheet or equivalent collaboration and project management software for tracking strategic initiatives and cross-functional workflows. Ability to data visualization and business intelligence tools to transform raw data into strategic insights and clear visual stories. Working familiarity with SQL or other query languages for independently pulling, filtering, and analyzing large business datasets from internal systems. Comfort using cloud-based document sharing, real-time collaboration, and video conferencing platforms to work effectively across distributed teams and time zones.

Practical notes

This role is fully remote and open to candidates residing anywhere within the United States, with no requirement to relocate. The position may require periodic travel for in-person strategy meetings, planning sessions, and cross-functional collaboration events as business needs dictate. The director is expected to align with standard business hours while also being mindful of colleagues and stakeholders operating across different time zones. Evaluation for this role will be based on the timely and high-quality delivery of strategic plans, the effectiveness of cross-functional coordination, and the measurable impact of initiatives led.

About the company

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