AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of nearly 38 million that helps people turn their goals and dreams into 'Real Possibilities' by changing the way America defines aging. With staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and promote the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare security, financial security and personal fulfillment. AARP also advocates for individuals in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the world’s largest circulation magazine, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin.
Summary Statement
The Enterprise Strategy and Innovation (ES&I) group informs and guides development of the Enterprise Strategy, fosters innovation, and supports development of external strategic relationships.
This position is a senior member of the ES&I team and is responsible for developing and delivering foresight by evaluating and cultivating a deep understanding of Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental and Political (STEEP) trends that present threats or opportunities for AARP—its value proposition, strategies or operations, thereby defining the competitive landscape for AARP.
Responsibilities
Regularly engages varied, important stakeholders, including Leadership, Executive and Board, in decisioning and taking action in the face of emerging external realities in order to relentlessly position the organization for success.
Works as a Trusted Advisor with varied leadership stakeholders by expertly empathizing, challenging, and reframing their perspectives and enlisting them to take on strategically sufficient action.
Identifies the most pressing strategic intelligence needs for the organization via establishing and maintaining a trusted advisor relationship with decision makers that fosters ongoing engagement and understanding of most critical strategic issues for the organization. Directs the Strategic Intelligence agenda accordingly (eg. Council, Annual agenda).
Challenges and validates assumptions by pressure testing implicit and explicit beliefs, exposing blind spots, and cultivating accurate (combating false) perceptions of the current or future environment in which AARP plays.
Engages with stakeholders (internal) to outline possible future states and define implications specific to AARP (throughout analysis cycle). With relevant leadership stakeholders, turns implications into next actions for AARP.
Designs compelling communications and tells stories, making future trends and implications real via personalizing, empathy, facilitated dialog and content that grabs audiences’ attention, provokes them to think in new ways and stirs them to new action.
Facilitates understanding of analyses and timely action based on analysis by stakeholders with the authority and responsibility to act on findings. Takes a leadership role in communicating insights, making recommendations and influencing action.
Stimulates thinking among senior management about future-focused trends and organizational response. Facilitates discovery, understanding and action.
Establishes strong facilitative dialog and decision-making approach that pushes understanding, fosters engagement with findings and induces senior leadership to action. Works with Enterprise Strategy leadership to frame implications, important but inconvenient truths, critical decision paths and action-oriented recommendations
Exercises considerable judgment on each project undertaken to balance competing forces. Demonstrated ability to exercise independent judgment is critical to moving AARP’s agenda forward.
Requires ability to guide and direct work in close coordination with Enterprise Strategy leadership. Requires ability to discern critical intentions of leadership and translate those intentions effectively.
Requires ability to rapidly yet deeply keep pace with the quickly evolving and VUCA nature of external landscape. Must be able to digest ever increasing and voluminous amount of information with a discerning eye that elevates the most critical insights for AARP.
Requires engaging openly with the real issues facing the organization: confronting reality and aligning leadership behaviors and actions accordingly. To this end it requires significant ability to influence without authority and ability to coach and advise others in doing the same.
Successfully manages complex and sometimes conflicting relationships among multiple stakeholders.
Represents AARP as appropriate to external audiences and other organizations in such venues as press conferences and professional meetings. Engages with appropriate parts of the organization to coordinate and synchronize outreach.
Requirements
Completion of an advanced degree e.g. MBA in marketing, finance or business or a related discipline
10+ years of progressively more responsible professional experience, including strategy consulting, secondary analysis, and insight development.
Experience in Business Development or Sales using consultative selling a plus.
Requires strong data analysis capabilities, ability to draw actionable insights from trend analysis, research, networks and experts and demonstrated aptitude for the understanding of the priority and relevance of various intelligence questions to our organization.
Proven analytical and strategic thinking ability to see the big picture from scattered pieces of information; Ability to collect and synthesize complex information, making it relevant, understandable and actionable for key stakeholders.
Ability to influence people and facilitate cooperation of internal and external partners for both intelligence, acquisition and recommendation acceptance. Proven persuasive track record of influencing change/action.
Excellent consultation and client relationship management.
Excellent written communication skills.
Excellent interpersonal communication skills.
Ability to balance multiple projects with competing deadlines.
Occasional travel is required.
Benefits Offered
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.
Equal Employment Opportunity
AARP is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive culture. AARP does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, color, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, mental or physical disability, genetic information, veteran status, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.