AVP, Corporate Strategy; Sr. Associate

Corporate Strategy Associate

Corporate Strategy at Citizens sits at the core of the enterprise - partnering directly with the CEO and Executive Committee (ExCo) to shape the strategic direction of the bank. The team drives the highest-priority decisions across Citizens, identifying growth opportunities, driving transformation and go-to-market initiatives, and strategically embedding innovation to position CFG for long-term competitive advantage.

As a Corporate Strategy Associate (Associate Vice President), you will play a central role in driving high-profile, cross-enterprise strategy projects and strategic deep dives spanning Consumer, Commercial, and Private Banking. You will work at the intersection of analysis and action - structuring complex problems, developing data-driven insights, and contributing to recommendations that shape the bank's most critical priorities.

This is a high-visibility role with direct exposure to senior leaders, the Executive Committee, and the Board of Directors. You will build your strategic toolkit alongside a high-performing team while making a tangible impact on the direction and future of Citizens.

Key Responsibilities:

• Drive strategic projects from problem definition through recommendation - structuring analytical approaches, executing work streams, engaging stakeholders and subject matter experts, and synthesizing findings into executive-ready deliverables.
• Support the mobilization and execution of strategic initiatives - contributing to implementation roadmaps, tracking milestones, coordinating across workstream owners, and preparing materials for leadership decision points.
• Conduct competitive intelligence and peer benchmarking - analyzing peer strategy, financial performance, and market positioning to sharpen Citizens' strategic narrative and identify areas of differentiation or opportunity.
• Stay at the forefront of emerging technologies and innovation - identifying opportunities to embed GenAI/AgenticAI capabilities into strategic workflows and bringing forward new tools and use cases relevant to the enterprise strategy agenda.
• Contribute to executive-level strategic content - supporting the development of materials for the Board of Directors' strategic planning offsite, monthly ExCo updates, annual ELG presentations, and other senior leadership forums.
• Build cross-functional relationships across Consumer, Commercial, Private Bank, Risk, and Corporate Finance - developing a forward-looking view on industry trends and the evolving financial services landscape to support strategic alignment and enterprise-level decision-making.
• Guide and develop junior analysts - providing day-to-day coaching on problem-solving, analytical rigor, and communication to strengthen the team's overall impact.

Experience, Skills and

Competencies:

• Analytical and strategic thinker - recent experience at a top-tier management consulting firm (MBB or equivalent) or in a corporate strategy function required; financial services or banking experience is a plus.
• Ability to execute in complex, fast-paced environments - comfortable with ambiguity, able to structure problems with limited direction, and skilled at driving toward clear outputs under time pressure.
• Intellectual curiosity and passion for financial services - genuinely energized by understanding how banks create value, how markets evolve, and where disruption creates opportunity.
• Developing financial and business acumen - ability to interpret financial statements, engage with key banking metrics (e.g., NII, fee income, efficiency ratio), and connect financial performance to strategic implications.
• Strong communicator - ability to distill complex analyses into crisp, structured narratives and present confidently to senior stakeholders.
• Collaborative and relationship-oriented - experience working effectively across teams and functions, with a bias toward partnership and shared outcomes.
• Proficiency with Microsoft suite (strong Excel and PowerPoint skills required) and comfort leveraging GenAI tools to accelerate analysis, research, and content development.

Education and

Certifications:

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or equivalent advanced degree…