Strategy Associate Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

Savant is building a strategy function focused on how the firm operates, scales, makes decisions, and works better across the enterprise. This Enterprise Strategy Associate will help shape the future of how work gets done at Savant. This role will focus on "ways of working." This role sits at the intersection of enterprise strategy, operating model design, organizational alignment, and the practical use of technology and AI to improve how teams make decisions, collaborate, and deliver for clients. This is real strategy work — not advising from the outside, but owning meaningful work from the inside. You will help unpack strategic goals, identify where the organization is creating friction, design better workflows and operating rhythms, and build the business case for changes that help the firm scale intelligently.

The right person may come from consulting, business operations, product strategy, operating model design, or another strategy-intensive environment. What matters most is that you are ready to move beyond recommendations and help build the structures, frameworks, and ways of working that shape how an organization grows.

What You Will Work On

Enterprise Strategy & Operating Model

• Develop strategic roadmaps and business cases for changes to operating models, organizational structures, and enterprise capabilities.
• Identify where decisions, collaboration, or workflows are creating friction across the organization — and help design credible paths forward.
• Define governance models, decision rights, and cross-functional operating rhythms that improve clarity and execution speed.
• Translate organizational insights, competitive intelligence, and business priorities into practical strategic direction.

Future Ways of Working

• Design and pilot new ways of working that improve effectiveness, scalability, and enterprise alignment.
• Assess how AI, automation, and emerging capabilities can enhance decision-making, workflows, employee experience, and client delivery.
• Research emerging AI capabilities, industry innovation, and competitive shifts that should influence how the firm operates and competes.
• Track realized outcomes against expected ROI, identify gaps, and recommend adjustments when results differ from the original business case.

Strategic Thinking & Communication

• Develop strategic narratives, frameworks, and materials that bring complex ideas to life for senior leadership and the Operating Committee.
• Structure ambiguous questions into clear problem statements, hypotheses, and well-supported recommendations.
• Synthesize qualitative and quantitative analysis into insights that are rigorous, practical, and actionable.

This is not a slide factory. It is a role for someone who wants to do the thinking, build the case, influence the decision, and then help make the work real. You will have exposure to senior leadership and a mandate that spans operating model design, strategic roadmapping, enterprise capability building, and the future of how work gets done. If you have spent time building recommendations for other organizations and are ready to move in-house — to see the work through, understand the tradeoffs, and help shape how a growing firm actually operates — this role offers a different kind of opportunity. The frameworks, workflows, governance structures, and strategic insights built here will not sit on a shelf. They will help shape how Savant scales, how teams work together, and how the business evolves over the next several years.

This role typically requires the following:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Economics, Engineering, Organizational Design, or a related field.
• 4–7 years of experience in strategy, operating model design, business operations, product strategy, consulting, or a related environment.
• Exceptional problem-solving and structured thinking capabilities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to create executive-level materials.
• Experience with operating model design, organizational design, strategic roadmapping, financial modeling, ROI analysis, AI-enabled tools, workflow design, or automation initiatives.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and helping create clarity for others.
• Ability to collaborate and influence across functions and leadership levels without relying on formal authority.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or equivalent graduate training in strategy, business, or engineering.
• Prior management consulting experience, especially for someone ready to move in-house and own outcomes.
• Experience facilitating workshops, working sessions, or collaborative problem-solving environments.
• Direct experience leading or contributing to AI or automation initiatives.
• Experience in financial services, wealth management, or professional services.

What Success Looks Like

In this role, success means you are not just producing good strategy work — you are helping the organization operate differently because of it. You will be successful if you:

• Identify where the enterprise is creating friction and bring a credible point of view on how to address it.
• Connect AI, operating models, and human behavior in practical, implementable ways.
• Build business cases that are analytically rigorous upfront and actively managed against realized outcomes after implementation.
• Operate with intellectual rigor, curiosity, and strong business judgment.
• Build trusted relationships across functions and levels.
• Produce work that compounds — where the operating models, frameworks, and insights built in year one help shape how the firm evolves in year three.

Our Total Rewards

• Comprehensive benefits beginning on day one
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options
• Company-paid life and disability insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Generous paid time off and paid holidays
• Summer Fridays
• Employee recognition and incentive programs
• Employee assistance resources
• Wellness reimbursement program
• Employee discount programs

Savant Wealth Management takes a market-based approach to pay. The expected base salary range for this role nationally is $120,000 - $165,000. Final compensation will be determined based on responsibilities, experience, skills, geographic location, and market conditions. This role may also be eligible for additional forms of compensation and benefits.

Any combination of equivalent education and work experience will be considered.

Savant Capital, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from agencies and/or search firms for this position.