Office of the Customer - Strategic Initiatives Lead (Hybrid)

Overview:

The Office of the Customer Strategy & Business Performance position serves as a strategic partner to senior leadership, providing competitive intelligence, performance management, executive reporting, financial oversight, and AI roadmap governance that enable informed decision-making and execution against organizational priorities.

The successful candidate combines strategic thinking, strong analytical capabilities, financial acumen, and executive communication skills to establish disciplined operating routines, identify growth opportunities, guide AI-enabled transformation, and ensure leadership has a clear view of business performance and strategic progress.  The ideal candidate is intellectually curious, highly organized, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment.

Work Model & Office Locations :

This role follows a hybrid work model, requiring onsite presence four days per week at one of M&T Bank’s regional offices. Candidates must reside within a reasonable commuting distance to one of the following locations:

- 345 Main Street, Buffalo, NY
- 115 Federal Street, Boston, MA
- 1 Light Street, Baltimore, MD
- 1350 I Street NW, Washington, DC
- 1100 North Market Street, Wilmington, DE
- 277 Park Avenue, New York, NY
- 850 Main Street, Bridgeport, CT
- 77 Pine Street, Burlington, VT

Primary Responsibilities:

Competitive Intelligence & Market Benchmarking

- Research, compile, and synthesize market intelligence from internal and external sources to assess competitive positioning.
- Maintain a structured approach for tracking competitive strengths, risks, and opportunities.
- Develop executive-ready recommendations that inform strategic priorities and investment decisions.

Performance Management & Scorecards

- Partner across Enterprise Platforms and the Office of the Customer to develop, maintain, and enhance performance scorecards and key performance indicators.
- Monitor performance against established goals and strategic objectives.
- Support quarterly and annual planning processes through performance measurement and reporting.

Business Review Leadership

- Own and lead the monthly business review process across EP.
- Establish rigor, consistency, and governance around business review content, metrics, and presentation standards.
- Coordinate inputs from cross-functional teams to ensure accurate and timely reporting.
- Prepare executive-level materials that clearly communicate performance, progress against goals, key initiatives, and emerging issues.
- Drive accountability by tracking commitments, action items, and follow-up activities.

AI Strategy, Governance & Performance Management

- Partner with leaders across the Office of the Customer to establish, maintain, and evolve the organization's AI roadmap, ensuring alignment to business priorities and enterprise strategy.
- Lead prioritization AI use cases that improve customer experience, employee productivity, decision-making, and operational efficiency.
- Develop and socialize a clear AI vision, roadmap, and implementation plan across stakeholder groups.
- Establish key performance indicators, adoption metrics, and value realization measures to assess the effectiveness and business impact of AI investments.
- Monitor progress against roadmap commitments and performance targets, regularly communicating outcomes, risks, opportunities, and recommendations to senior leadership.
- Support executive reporting, business reviews, and strategic planning processes by incorporating AI progress, outcomes, and emerging capabilities into leadership discussions.

Other

- Understand and adhere to the Company’s risk and regulatory standards, policies and controls in accordance with the Company’s Risk Appetite.  Identify risk-related issues needing escalation to management.
- Promote an environment that supports belonging and reflects the M&T Bank brand.
- Maintain M&T internal control standards, including timely implementation of internal and external audit points together with any issues raised by external regulators as applicable.
- Complete other related duties as assigned

Education and Experience Required:

- Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 5 years’ relevant work experience, or in lieu of a degree, a combined minimum of 9 years’ higher education and/or work experience, including a minimum of 5 years’ relevant work experience
- Strong attention to detail
- Strong ability to lead teams
- Excellent project management skills
- Strong analytical ability
- Creative problem-solving skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills necessary for business partner relationships within and outside the organization
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to communicate professionally to management at many different levels
- Self-motivated
- Results-driven
- Well-organized
- Ability to handle multiple tasks and work under time constraints in support of various assignments
- Proficient with Microsoft 365 and other Microsoft spreadsheet, database, d presentation software

Education and Experience Preferred:

- Bachelors’ degree in Finance, Economics, Math, Accounting, Engineering, or Business Administration; Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) or advanced degree
- Minimum of 6 years’ relevant work experience in banking/financial services or consulting industries
- Six Sigma, Lean or Process Improvement, or project management-related education
- Experience with SQL, programming and statistical software
- Experience with financial, regulatory and/or process analysis, and technical writing
- Curious and innovative

M&T Bank is committed to fair, competitive, and market-informed pay for our employees. The pay range for this position is $89,600.00 - $149,300.00 Annual (USD). The successful candidate’s particular combination of knowledge, skills, and experience will inform their specific compensation.

# Location
Buffalo, New York, United States of America