The Vice President of Strategic Relationships is a dynamic leader, strategist and team player with proven ability to prioritize, grow and foster top-tier relationships to create significant new value for both parties. A creative thinker, problem-solver, builder and negotiator of win-win outcomes, this individual applies industry best practices to create and lead shared value-development plans with select organizations while effectively managing internal stakeholder interests across multiple business units. She or he is growth oriented and outcomes driven.
This individual leads a team within Enterprise Strategy responsible for growing organization-wide strategic relationships among non -profit and for-profit organizations that help AARP accomplish its social mission and business goals in support of its strategy. Its collaborative approach requires hands-on stakeholder relationship management across AARP, AARP Services Inc. (ASI), and AARP Foundation.
“Strategic relationships” refers to a limited, prioritized set of designated top-tier/flagship enterprise-wide relationships, along with relationships with organizations that support the strategies of AARP’s social impact agenda (“Issue Areas”) in health security, financial resilience and personal fulfillment. The VP, Strategic Relationships leads a cross-enterprise council that helps to identify flagship relationships and address relationship governance issues.
The VP, Strategic Relationships is responsible for managing an enterprise-wide “front door” CRM system, ensuring that external organizations are properly onboarded, prioritized, and managed across the enterprise. He or she maintains a close relationship and coordinates with the Business Development function located in AARP Services, Inc. and related functions across the AARP enterprise.
- Develop, implement and execute a collaborative enterprise-wide strategic relationship operating model including development and tracking of strategic plans with each designated flagship enterprise-level prioritized relationship, while promoting use of the framework and associated processes/tools across the organization with non-enterprise-wide relationships.
- Advance the development of Enterprise Strategic Relationships within the context of a larger change management dynamic for the organization as a whole.
- Engage with the CEO, Executive Team members, and business unit leaders in addressing strategic issues, challenges and opportunities.
- Drive accountability across the organization and with external partners through Joint Strategic Plans that document key initiatives, owners, timelines, goals and KPIs and other metrics.
- Coordinate and lead periodic assessments of existing strategic relationships and new/emerging strategic relationships to help AARP commit the required resources and advance its most important relationships while de-emphasizing relationships that are no longer strategically aligned with AARP.
- Drive best-in-class planning, preparation and facilitation for key engagements/interactions with Enterprise Strategic Relationships and internal stakeholders/leaders that creates the greatest new mutual value for both organizations.
- Bring an enterprise-wide perspective (AARP, ASI, Foundation) at all times, serving as a connector, convenor and facilitator focused on bringing visibility to work happening across the organization and within specific business units/Issue Areas both to advance new ideas that can deliver organizational value and avoid duplication of effort.
- Actively engage, connect and support AARP Issue Areas and Strategic Priorities. Specifically, work with Issue Area/Priority leads to determine how their work connects to the enterprise strategic relationships in a way that directly supports the advancement of key priorities/initiatives and the broader AARP enterprise strategy.
- Exhibit AARP values in all interactiions
This position is responsible for ensuring:
- A unified understanding, strategic framework, shared standards and governance in managing prioritized organizational relationships across AARP, ASI and AARP Foundation, using industry best practices to increase shared value and drive greater social and/or financial impact
- A unified criteria to identify the most strategically important, large-scale relationships that AARP must foster and grow across the enterprise, inclusive of commercial and social sectors, and establish unified plans to grow those relationships in a consistent and transparent way
- A collaborative governance structure and associated processes/tools to manage these flagship relationships and related issues to ensure consistency and drive effective execution enterprise-wide, while safeguarding legal requirements and the integrity of business relationships within AARP, ASI and AARP Foundation.
- A minimum of 15+ years of job-related experience, including 10 years leading direct-report and cross-functional/matrix teams.
- Demonstrated organizational relationship-building skills combined with strategic thinking, planning, project management and listening skills and the ability to communicate strategic plans to the team and others.
- Ability to build outstanding relationships and influence all levels of management.
- Ability to communicate effectively, educate and build enterprise-wide competencies in growing strategic relationships.
- Ability to lead effectively in a matrix environment, contribute to cross-functional efforts. Demonstrated ability to collaborate across the enterprise in an extremely complex organization. Ability to gain internal respect and build consensus from superiors, peers and subordinates.
- Must be able to work independently with minimal instruction; a self-starter with a strong work ethic and a desire to go the extra mile
- A desire to aggressively further goals in an innovative, collaborative manner
- Flexibility and ability to work fast under tight deadlines with demanding quality requirements
- Ability to effectively leverage company resources, including employees, at all levels to maximize the results against plan, Strong cross-functional and implementation experience in all core corporate functions. Ability to mobilize resources across all needed functions at AARP to achieve superior results via collaboration
- Ability to effectively communicate with internal and external partners and business partners at all levels and in a manner that supports AARP’s mission and strategic position in the marketplace.
AARP offers competitive benefits with a 401K, 100% company funded pension plan, health, dental, vision and life insurance, STD/LTD, paid vacation and sick, and other benefits.