Director of Strategy
Who We Are: Datassential is a leading global intelligence platform for the food and beverage industry. Leveraging billions of data points and cutting-edge AI, we provide a suite of innovative solutions that empower more than 90% of the world’s largest food and beverage brands to develop, market, and sell their products more effectively. Based in Chicago, USA, Datassential has expanded its global reach through strategic acquisitions of CHD Expert (France) in 2022 and Brizo Data, Inc. (Canada) in 2025. In 2024, we secured investment from top-tier private equity firms New Mountain Capital and Endicott Capital—a milestone that fuels our accelerated product roadmap and strengthens our research and development, enabling us to deliver even greater value to our clients. Our remote-first, globally distributed team thrives on diverse perspectives and deep expertise in the food and beverage space. Food brings people together—and at Datassential’s table, there’s room for everyone. What You Will Do: We’re looking for a Director of Strategic Planning who will work with the EVP Strategy & Transformation and the Executive Leadership Team to establish and drive strategic priorities for every 12 month period, and lead other quarterly projects and priorities. Manage, coordinate, and execute high-value / cross-functional initiatives and projects such as go-to-market strategy, EMEA expansion, etc. Facilitate due diligence and acquisition integration for M&A See patterns and trends out of seemingly disparate data points to provide insight and recommendations to improve the organization’s effectiveness Act as an internal consultant to identify pain points and drive areas of operational improvement within our teams Coordinate and drive effective cadence of functional operating meetings including Town Halls, Quarterly Business Reviews, etc. Advise key stakeholders on the communication strategy across our global teams as it pertains to our team goals and plans Leverage internal partners both formally and informally to glean organizational insights; taking action where necessary to get ahead of issues Prepare written reports, communications, and other materials required by the Exec Team and the Board Champion the adoption of AI tools and workflows across Datassential, identifying high-impact opportunities to automate, accelerate, and elevate the quality of our work Use AI workflows to process more signals faster, so your judgment operates on a richer picture, exercising your judgment to know where models fall short; own and action business intelligence and competitive intelligence to keep the team oriented and ahead of shifts What You Will Do: 4-year college degree (BA/BS); MBA a plus, equivalent job experience will be considered 3-5+ years of experience in program management, strategic planning, consulting, or product innovation Experience with in-depth data analytics and the ability to create a business case for stakeholders Prior experience managing complex cross-functional projects, programs or portfolios in a strategic or product context is required Outstanding project management, planning, organization and time management skills Are willing to take on almost any project and drive it to success, whether or not you've done it before. You know how to run a meeting, keep things moving, and get the outcome required, whether or not the EVP is there. Can build strong relationships with people at all levels of the company. Know the numbers and details cold. And will make it your mission to make sure everyone else does too. Have a positive attitude and take feedback well. Figure out what to do when there isn't a lot of direction, and still deliver an amazing result You're amazing with the numbers, and you also don't mind being asked to write or present Our Table Welcomes All. We embrace diversity of both background and thought and foster an inclusive environment that extends an open landscape of opportunities to everyone. We invite each of us to simply be ourselves. We operate with respect and without judgment, celebrating both the power of the individual as well as our shared humanity. US Benefits: Affordable Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance, including a no cost employee-only plan Paid parental leave 401K with dollar-for-dollar company match up to 5% Unlimited PTO, recharge days, and Christmas through New Year break Wellness Reimbursement or HQ Gym access Employee stipend If you require reasonable accommodation to complete a job application, pre-employment testing, or a job interview or to otherwise participate in the hiring process, please contact [email protected]. Datassential is an E-Verify employer. Apply To This Job