Senior Associate / Associate Director, Strategy & Operations

Job Description

Who are we?

Sidewalk Labs is an urban innovation company that tackles cities' greatest challenges. We create products and solutions, invest in new companies, and help developers build more sustainable, innovative, and equitable places around the world. Our ambitious vision requires us to push ourselves beyond conventional thinking, and we work hard in pursuit of our mission. Our cross-disciplinary team consists of experts from real estate, urban planning, government, finance, technology, and engineering, among other backgrounds.

Our urban innovations include Delve (a generative design product that empowers real estate teams to design better, faster, with less risk), Mesa (an easy-install kit for commercial buildings that cuts energy costs, improves tenant comfort, and simplifies building operations), Pebble (a low-cost vehicle sensor to help manage parking and curb space), and Affordable Electrification (a new way to manage home energy use to meet a customer’s monthly budget). We're also developing an offsite construction company that can deliver high-quality mass timber buildings for more sustainable living and working.

With the potential to radically improve quality of life in cities for all, our work is both exciting and complex. We are working to achieve something unprecedented — help us build it!

What is the role?

In this Strategy & Operations role, you will report directly to and partner with our President & COO Sidewalk Labs is at the forefront of urban innovation, with a track record of launching impactful and valuable businesses, and a plan to accelerate its growth dramatically. This Strategy & Operations position is designed to play an integral role in many of the activities that will drive the execution of that growth plan. Depending on your level of experience, you could join as an Associate Director or Senior Associate.

In this role, you will be a key participant in the execution of our corporate strategy, including supporting engagement with our board of directors, assessing organizational performance, and providing ongoing support to teams within the President & COO’s portfolio. Across a range of critical projects, you will be responsible for executing initiatives with cross-functional teams and working with company leadership, business unit leaders, and employees at all levels. In particular, you will:

• Help to develop and drive best-in-class reporting to our board of directors, and contribute to strategic engagement opportunities with its members (working closely with our Finance, Legal, and Corporate Development functions);
• Structure and manage the company-wide process for capturing, disseminating, and measuring performance against Objectives & Key Results (“OKRs”), and work collaboratively to establish and assess other metrics as needed to support the delivery of Corporate Services (e.g., People Operations, Talent, Legal, etc.) to Sidewalk Labs’ businesses (e.g., Service-Level Agreements);
• Provide leverage to the President & COO by staffing key leadership venues (e.g., Executive Committee, Commercial & Investments Committee), and contributing to other priority initiatives that are of critical importance to the President & COO and Sidewalk Labs on the whole, such as Sidewalk’s Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity strategy, strategic transactions that may arise, and more.

We see this role as an excellent opportunity for someone with a strong generalist skill set (e.g., analysis, written and verbal communications, process management) and deep interest in our work to become deeply embedded in our fast-paced, complex business. You will drive important internal processes, manage decision-making channels, and serve as a critical partner on high-priority projects.

Working in close partnership with Sidewalk’s President & COO, you will have visibility, and over time, added responsibilities, in driving a sizable part of our organization. You will have a seat at the table in shaping a growing, ambitious team. That said, this role requires a highly efficient individual who is able to balance long-term strategic thinking with tactical execution on a day-to-day basis. Particularly early on, you will be responsible for setting up clear processes and will spend a significant portion of your time producing an array of high-priority materials. Over time and with demonstrated success, you will have the opportunity to increasingly act independently and across a wider range of areas.

After 3 months, you will have...

• Developed relationships throughout the company and spent time with each of your key stakeholder groups in order to understand Sidewalk’s operational practices and priorities.
• Contributed to our board processes, including delivering high-quality reporting documents, and advising on other opportunities for strategic engagement with the board.
• Implemented procedures and tracking tools to assess the company’s performance across organizational metrics in addition to OKRs, such as service level agreements (SLAs) for corporate services functions.
• Put in place a working process to set agendas, coordinate materials, and track action items for key internal leadership venues.

After 6 months, you will have...

• Become a trusted partner for the President & COO, such that you own and facilitate key meetings or tasks on his behalf, and serve as an advisor who adds clear value on strategic management and operational questions.
• Structured and led a disciplined process to complete board reporting tasks with limited guidance, including coordinating among internal teams — particularly Finance and Legal — to produce materials (i.e., quarterly board meeting prep and monthly updates); managing action items; and becoming fully versed in the priorities of the Board.
• Developed and implemented a communications strategy to keep the company up to speed on board priorities and milestones.
• Established yourself as a key internal point of contact for teams collaborating with the board, subsidiaries, and other stakeholders on specific projects.
• Integrated yourself in the company’s budgeting and planning processes and developed a detailed understanding of the Corporate Services functions.
• Designed and implemented communication channels to ensure alignment between Sidewalk’s Corporate Services teams and its businesses.
• Independently designed and executed the company’s OKR cycle with clear processes, timetables, and dashboards in place to provide transparency throughout the organization; ensured coordination with Finance’s quarterly and monthly business review processes.
• Identified and managed select special projects.

After 12 months, you will have...

• Become fully fluent in the business, and have gained the trust and respect of the organization, including all senior executives, the board, and other key external partners.
• Put in place and effectively managed working processes to support the leadership and the company, including managing key leadership venues.
• Anticipated and escalated issues; served as a partner to advise on critical issues such as organizational or personnel related matters.
• Identified opportunities to refine or improve our practices and established roadmaps to achieving greater efficiency.
• Independently managed special projects that are critical to the operations of the company or growth of our business lines.

What We Expect

Substantive experience in working on high-quality strategy & operations

• Between five and eight years of experience in consulting, corporate strategy, operations, investment banking, and/or in a high-growth technology business. Experience in a high-caliber operating environment with best-in-class processes is a plus. Truly exceptional candidates with fewer years of experience may be considered.
• Graduate degree (MBA or relevant field) is optional but will be considered in order to determine the appropriate level for this role.

The strategy and operations capabilities that drive success

• Exceptional project management skills in a commercial and client-facing environment.
• Ability to independently manage organizational processes; demonstrated ability to leverage learnings from external environments and improve existing processes, tools, and systems.
• Outstanding writer, able to communicate complex topics in a clear, compelling, and concise way.
• Ability to create high-quality presentations, combining both substance and visual clarity.
• Comfort leading data-driven and quantitative analyses to support strategic decisions; facility creating, interpreting, and explaining models.
• Ability to work at two levels: high-level conceptual / strategic thinking with an almost obsessive attention to detail.

Be a trusted and effective partner within our organization

• Strong interpersonal, negotiation, influence, and consensus-building skills; demonstrated ability to develop relationships with a range of stakeholders and experience levels in a fast-paced environment.
• Impeccable judgment and experience working with confidential, sensitive information.
• Interest in cities as demonstrated in prior education / work experiences.
• Experience as a chief of staff or in a role supporting C-suite is a plus but not required.

We are very excited to hear from you.

Sidewalk Labs is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We actively seek applicants from underrepresented communities. Even if you are not 100% sure you are right for the role, please apply and we will be happy to consider your application. All employment is based on merit and business need, and we respond to each application we receive.