Strategy & Planning Manager

ABOUT UPCLEAR

UpClear makes a SaaS revenue management software that is used by some of the most recognizable consumer goods brands in the world. Our system supports Trade Promotion Management, Trade Promotion Optimization, Integrated Business Planning and Revenue Management.

We serve more than 80 brands in over 20 countries. Our growth is substantial and consistent; we have been on the Inc 5000 list of fastest growing private companies for nine years.

UpClear's global headquarters is in New York City and we have international offices in London, Paris, and Singapore.

Please note:
We are not able to provide sponsorship for employment authorization at this time.
This role requires on site collaboration. You must be able to commute to our West 22nd Street office in New York.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Strategy & Planning Manager is a corporate role reporting to the CEO, as the company embarks in new phase of growth and development. You will turn this ambition into a plan the company can run: the annual operating plan and forecasts, business cases for new initiatives, sales performance insights, and the analysis leadership needs to make decisions. You will be a structured, reliable partner to the CEO and the leadership team.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Business planning and forecasting

- Lead the annual operating plan and budgeting process, coordinating inputs from Product, Solutions, Sales and Tech.

- Own the monthly and quarterly forecasts of revenue, ARR and key operating metrics, and run reforecasts as the business evolves.

- Analyze variances against plan, explain the drivers and recommend corrective actions.

- Build and maintain the 3-year strategic model across functions, verticals (Compass, TPM, Bridge) and growth levers (tier two, new products, geography).

Strategy and business cases

- Build business cases and investment recommendations for new products, markets and initiatives, starting with the Deductions rollout and growth in France and Europe.

- Conduct market, competitive and pricing analyses to inform strategic decisions.

- Support corporate development priorities, including strategic transactions, partnerships, investments and other opportunities that accelerate UpClear's growth.

- Lead high-priority strategic and cross-functional initiatives for the CEO from definition through execution, bringing structure and momentum to complex or ambiguous problems.

Cross-functional leadership

- Drive alignment across senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams, identifying dependencies, resolving blockers and ensuring critical decisions and actions move forward.

- Constructively challenge assumptions, identify gaps and recommend actions while maintaining strong relationships with senior stakeholders.

Executive decision support

- Develop high-quality strategic analysis and materials for leadership meetings, quarterly business reviews and the board, synthesizing complex information and surfacing key trade-offs so senior leadership can make informed decisions.

- Set the planning calendar and run the business review cadence with department heads.

- Respond to ad hoc analysis requests from the executive team.

Requirements

- 6+ years of experience, with a background in strategy consulting (MBB or tier-2 firm) or investment banking.
- Advanced financial modeling in Excel: operating models, forecasts, scenario and sensitivity analysis, unit economics.
- Hands-on experience with budgeting, forecasting and variance analysis.
- Proven ability to structure ambiguous problems and turn them into clear recommendations for senior leadership.
- Strong storytelling in PowerPoint; able to build executive- and board-level materials.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, and the ability to influence without direct authority.
- Bachelor's degree in business, finance or economics
- An owner mindset: you take a problem off the CEO's desk and see it through.

Helpful experience

- Experience in a B2B SaaS or high-growth company after consulting or banking, e.g. in FP&A, strategy or business operations.
- Familiarity with SaaS metrics (ARR, NRR, CAC, LTV) and go-to-market analytics.
- Exposure to the CPG industry, especially trade promotion, revenue growth management or trade finance.
- Experience with sales compensation or pricing analysis.
- Working knowledge of SQL or BI tools (Power BI).

Benefits

WHY UPCLEAR?

- Be part of a growing global SaaS company, with offices in NYC, London, Paris, Singapore.
- Weekly happy hours, good office culture, global cross team collaboration, direct access to executive leadership for guidance.
- UpClear employees have access to a range of competitive benefits, including
- Various Health Care Plans you can choose from to best fits your needs (Medical, Dental & Vision)
- Retirement Plan with company match (401k, IRA)
- Generous Paid Time Off package that grows with seniority (Vacation, Sick, and Public Holidays)
- Paid Maternity leave
- Paid Parental bonding leave
- One month paid sabbatical after five continuous years of work at UpClear
- Hybrid work model
- Competitive Salary ($150K - $200K)

The salary range listed is a good faith determination of potential base compensation that may be offered to a successful applicant for this position at the time of this job advertisement and may be modified in the future. When determining a team member's base salary several factors may be considered as applicable including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority.