Director, Corporate Strategy

Here at Scotts Miracle‑Gro, there is no such thing as a typical day. Our culture is constantly energized by new and exciting growth opportunities and a rapid pace. If this role interests you and you would like to be considered we encourage you to apply. As the Director of Corporate Strategy & AI Intelligence, you will serve as 'The Scout' for the Strategic Acceleration Business Unit. You will lead the charge in researching, piloting, and leveraging emerging AI tools and LLMs to uncover new growth opportunities, map competitive intelligence, and provide automated workflow insights. Your primary mandate is to define whether the company should partner, build, or buy when evaluating new concepts to expand our home, lawn, and garden footprint. Responsibilities AI Exploration & Market Intelligence: research and pilot cutting‑edge AI tools to uncover potential corporate partners, conduct market forecasting, and deliver deep competitive intelligence. Strategic Advisory (partner vs. build vs. buy): formulate data‑driven strategic recommendations for the Business Development and M&A teams based on AI insights and market analysis. Cross‑Functional Shared Service: operate as a centralized technical resource, providing insights to the M&A team (for due diligence) and the New Business Development team (for product enhancement). Team Leadership: directly manage the AI Market Intelligence team, including managers and analysts focused on M&A, strategic planning, and portfolio enhancement. Daily Tool Utilization: integrate advanced AI tools and automated workflows into daily strategic operations to maintain a high‑velocity innovation pipeline. Key Collaborators: cross‑functional collaboration with the Directors of M&A and New Business Development and participation in monthly sync‑and‑accelerate meetings. Qualifications and Experience Strategy & Business Leadership Experience : 7–10+ years of progressive experience in corporate strategy, management consulting (e.g., McKinsey, BCG, Bain), venture capital, or corporate development/M&A. Framework Mastery : proven track record of designing and executing partner, build, or buy frameworks, market sizing (TAM/SAM), and commercial due diligence. People Management : 3+ years of experience directly managing and developing high‑performing teams of analysts or strategic managers. Education : bachelor’s degree in business, economics, engineering, or a related field. An MBA or advanced degree is highly preferred. Technical Execution & AI Proficiency : hands‑on AI experience, including piloting and deploying LLM‑powered solutions, custom GPTs, or retrieval‑augmented generation workflows. Data & Scripting Skills: proficiency with Python or R for data analysis, market scraping, or API utilization (e.g., interacting with OpenAI, Anthropic, or Hugging Face APIs). Tech Stack: familiarity with modern data architectures, vector databases (e.g., Pinecone, Chroma), business intelligence tools (Tableau, PowerBI), and workflow automation platforms (e.g., Make, Zapier, LangChain). AI Literacy: deep understanding of current AI capabilities, limitations (hallucinations, data privacy, security restrictions), and cost structures (token management). Compensation The starting budgeted pay range for this role is $175,700.00 – $206,700.00 per year. The role is incentive eligible under our corporate bonus programs. For remote hires in Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oregon or Washington, state required pay thresholds will be considered. Benefits Live Total Health program with medical, dental and vision coverage for employee, spouse, and dependents. Wellness reimbursement program and 15% discount on company stock. 401(k) match up to 7.5%. Additional benefits include family planning support, employee resource groups, and opportunities for community volunteerism. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement Scotts Miracle‑Gro is an EEO Employer, dedicated to a culturally diverse, drug‑free workplace. #J-18808-Ljbffr Hawthorne Gardening Co.