Strategic Operations Lead Cross-Functional Initiatives

This role is four days onsite at our Seneca One Buffalo, NY location, with the flexibility to work from home one day per week

Overview:

M&T Bank is seeking a highly analytical, collaborative Strategic Operations professional to help leaders plan, track, and deliver a portfolio of high-priority work across multiple businesses and functions.

Day to day, this role turns “what we need to do” into a clear plan and a set of decision-ready updates—building simple but durable project artifacts (combining scope, milestones, risks, dependency & stakeholder maps) - translating quantitative & qualitative data and business updates into concise insights, and creating executive-ready materials (briefing decks, status readouts, options/recommendations). The ideal candidate can bring structure to evolving priorities, run an effective operating cadence with partners, and communicate clearly with stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead complex, cross-functional initiatives from planning through execution, including defining scope, objectives, deliverables, timelines, risks, dependencies, and stakeholder roles.

• Bring structure to ambiguous business problems by clarifying priorities, organizing work streams, identifying key decisions, and establishing a practical path forward.

• Analyze data, updates, and business context to identify trends, risks, gaps, and non-obvious insights that inform decision-making.

• Develop executive-ready materials including presentations, briefings, project updates, recommendations, and decision support for senior leaders.

• Partner with stakeholders across business lines and functions to gather requirements, align priorities, manage expectations, and drive initiatives forward.

• Monitor project performance and execution risk including scope, schedule, budget, dependencies, issues, change controls, and corrective actions.

• Exercise sound judgment and influence by determining when to escalate, when to independently resolve issues, and when to respectfully challenge assumptions or direction.

• Support strategic transformation and operational improvement through process enhancement, change management, reporting, and execution support.

• Maintain adherence to risk, regulatory, audit, compliance, and internal control standards in accordance with M&T Bank requirements.

  Promote an environment that supports belonging and reflects 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.

Core Competencies:

• Operating in ambiguity
• Structured thinking and problem solving
• Strategic analysis and data-driven storytelling
• Executive communication and presentation development
• Stakeholder management and influence
• Judgment, prioritization, and escalation discipline
• Cross-functional project and initiative management

Education and Experience

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 4 years’ proven project management experience, or in lieu of a degree, a combined minimum of 8 years’ higher education and/or work experience, including a minimum of 4 years’ project management experience.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience managing complex projects, initiatives, or work streams involving multiple stakeholders or functional areas.
• Experience translating complex information into clear insights, recommendations, presentations, or executive-level updates.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, manage ambiguity, influence stakeholders, and bring structure to evolving priorities.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in financial services, technology, operations, or another highly regulated industry.

• Experience supporting strategic transformation, organizational change, process improvement, or enterprise-wide initiatives.

• Familiarity with data visualization or reporting tools such as Power BI or Tableau.

• Experience working with senior leaders, cross-functional teams, or matrixed organizations.

#LI-JB3 #Hybrid

Location