Strategy Associate Jobs in Raleigh, NC (NOW HIRING)

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Position Summary

The Senior Manager, Make/Buy Strategy & Execution is a key leadership role within Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Contract Manufacturing & Value Assurance (CMVA) team. This position is responsible for developing, operationalizing, and managing the company’s global Make/Buy strategy - ensuring strategic decisions around internal manufacturing and external sourcing are backed by rigorous financial, operational, and strategic analysis.

This role blends strategic finance with hands-on operational expertise. The Senior Manager will design and implement robust analytical frameworks, reconstruct and validate site P&Ls, and translate complex financial data into actionable insights that drive value, cost efficiency, and network optimization. Working closely with Sr. Manager, Operations (who leads the strategic and workshop components), this individual serves as a peer and counterpart, ensuring operational and financial rigor behind the strategy.

Key Responsibilities

1. Make/Buy Framework Development & Governance

• Design, document, and deploy a standardized Make/Buy decision-making framework across divisions and product lines.
• Establish and manage governance processes to ensure consistency, transparency, and alignment with corporate operations, supply chain, and technology strategies.
• Continuously refine methodologies and tools based on lessons learned and evolving business needs.

2. Financial Reconstruction & Operational Analysis

• Deeply understand plant and site-level P&Ls; deconstruct and rebuild financial statements that may have evolved through inconsistent reporting practices.
• Reclassify and rationalize cost elements (e.g., shifting overheads to direct costs) to produce clear, accurate, and comparable financial views across sites.
• Defend financial restatements and cost reallocations with site finance teams, ensuring alignment and credibility.
• Connect operational decisions—capacity, headcount, sourcing, productivity—to financial outcomes and site profitability.

3. Opportunity Identification & Strategic Evaluation

• Develop and apply advanced financial models to identify and prioritize Make/Buy opportunities across sites, technologies, and product portfolios.
• Assess total cost of ownership (TCO), capacity, capability, capital investment, risk, quality, and IP implications.
• Build robust, defendable business cases—including NPV, ROI, and payback analyses—to support strategic recommendations.

4. Cross-Functional Leadership & Execution

• Lead cross-functional project teams involving Divisional Operations, Finance, Supply Chain, R&D, Procurement, and Quality.
• Partner closely with the Sr. Manager, Operations on strategy development, workshops, and executive presentations.
• Translate analytical findings into clear, actionable recommendations for senior leadership decision-making.
• Ensure consistent communication, documentation, and alignment across central and divisional stakeholders.

5. Implementation & Performance Tracking

• Oversee and support the implementation of approved Make/Buy initiatives across divisions and sites.
• Align divisional execution with central governance and strategic objectives.
• Define and track KPIs to measure the impact and value realization of Make/Buy decisions.
• Conduct post-implementation reviews to capture lessons learned and refine the overall Make/Buy process.

6. Stakeholder Engagement & Influence

• Build trusted relationships with senior leaders in Operations, Finance, Supply Chain, R&D, and Procurement.
• Serve as the subject matter expert and central point of contact for Make/Buy financial and operational insights.
• Communicate strategy, progress, and outcomes in clear, concise, and compelling formats to diverse audiences.
• Influence decision-making in a matrixed, global environment without direct authority.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field (MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred).
• At least 8 years of relevant experience in operations strategy, manufacturing finance, strategic sourcing, or supply chain management, with proven experience leading Make/Buy or network optimization initiatives.
• Hands-on experience with P&L ownership, cost accounting, and financial modeling within a manufacturing or operations context.
• Demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional projects in large, matrixed, global organizations.

Skills & Competencies

• Expert understanding of site-level P&L structures, cost drivers, and allocation methodologies.
• Strong analytical and financial modeling skills; able to distill messy data into clear, actionable insight.
• Excellent communicator—able to defend analysis with confidence and influence at multiple organizational levels.
• Deep understanding of manufacturing processes, sourcing strategies, and supply chain cost structures.
• Proven ability to connect operational decisions to financial implications and strategic outcomes.
• Strong project management skills and proficiency with standard tools.
• Familiarity with Lean, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies preferred.
• Adaptable, self-directed, and comfortable navigating ambiguity in a dynamic environment.