Senior Director, Vertical & Platform Strategy

Overview About Suffolk Suffolk is a national enterprise that builds, innovates, and invests. We provide value across the entire project lifecycle through our core construction management services and complementary business lines in real estate investment, design, self‑perform construction, and technology start‑up investment (Suffolk Technologies). By integrating data, artificial intelligence, and advanced technology through our Seamless Platform, we connect design, construction, and operations to deliver smarter, more predictable results and redefine how America builds. Suffolk – America's Contractor – is a national company with more than $9 billion in annual revenue, 3,000 employees, and 17 offices, including Boston (headquarters), New York City, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Estero, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, Herndon, U.S. Virgin Islands, and other key markets. Suffolk manages some of the most complex and transformative projects in the country, serving clients across healthcare, life sciences, education, gaming, aviation, transportation, government, mission‑critical, and commercial sectors. Suffolk is privately held and is led by founder, chairman, and CEO John Fish. Suffolk is ranked #8 on ENR's list of “Top CM‑at‑Risk Contractors.” For more information, visit Role Summary Suffolk is seeking a Senior Director of Vertical & Platform Strategy to help shape and advance the company's next chapter of growth, differentiation, and enterprise value creation. This leader will work alongside the Senior Director of Growth Strategy focused on Suffolk's core construction business, with a complementary mandate focused on Suffolk's broader enterprise platform: vertical service lines, innovation and AI‑enabled capabilities, functional business strategy, and emerging businesses. The role is designed for a strategic leader who can operate across a complex, fast‑growing enterprise; bring structure to ambiguous opportunities; influence senior executives; and translate vision into clear strategies, operating plans, governance models, and execution priorities. The Senior Director will report to the Executive Vice President of Enterprise Strategy and will partner closely with leaders across Suffolk's vertical businesses, regional construction operations, functional teams, Suffolk Technologies, AI/innovation initiatives, and enterprise leadership. The role will directly own strategy for certain developing business areas while serving as an enterprise thought partner and integrator for more mature verticals and initiatives that already have embedded strategy or business planning resources. Responsibilities Vertical Strategy Partner with leaders of Suffolk's vertical businesses – including Suffolk Design, Freedom Source, Commissioning, Sustainability, and other service lines – to sharpen strategy, clarify value propositions, define growth priorities, and improve alignment with the core construction business. Serve as the lead strategy resource for select nascent or developing verticals that do not yet have dedicated embedded strategy capacity. Serve as a thought partner and convener for embedded strategy resources in more developed verticals to help ensure alignment on enterprise strategy. In partnership with the Senior Director of Growth Strategy, drive stronger integration between verticals and Suffolk's regional and sector‑based construction business by identifying where vertical capabilities can improve win rates, margins, client experience, schedule certainty, quality, risk management, and long‑term enterprise differentiation. In partnership with the VP, Seamless Platform and business leaders, clarify and advance the strategic role of each vertical and capability within the Seamless Platform. Help define where Suffolk should build, buy, partner, scale, integrate, commercialize, or stop investing across its portfolio of vertical and adjacent businesses. Innovation Strategy In partnership with business leaders and embedded strategy resources, provide strategic guidance to Suffolk's innovation agenda, including AI Studio, Jobsite of the Future, OpsEx 2.0, 100 MAG, data and digital transformation, and other enterprise innovation priorities. Help ensure innovation initiatives are connected to the Seamless Platform and to clear business outcomes. Partner with functional leaders on major enterprise initiatives that cut across regions, verticals, and business units, including process excellence, shared services, functional operating model design, and strategic transformation. Identify opportunities to improve enterprise productivity, scalability, decision rights, governance, and cross‑functional coordination as Suffolk continues to grow. Suffolk Global Strategy Partner with leadership and embedded resources at Suffolk Global – a strategic extension of Suffolk based in Bangalore, India – to define and achieve enterprise business objectives through a globally integrated delivery model. Stakeholder Management & Leadership Lead a small team of strategy professionals who support analysis, business planning, market research, financial modeling, executive materials, and cross‑functional implementation. Develop clear strategic narratives, business cases, operating plans, and executive‑level recommendations for enterprise leadership, including the CEO, executive committee, and business unit leaders. Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders across Suffolk, bringing analytical rigor, strategic judgment, and practical execution orientation to complex business questions. Candidate Profile The ideal candidate is a high‑caliber strategist with experience in a top‑tier strategy consulting firm, corporate strategy role, private equity portfolio operations environment, innovation strategy role, or similarly demanding strategic leadership context. They should be comfortable with ambiguity, capable of moving from high‑level enterprise questions to detailed operating implications, and experienced working with senior executives on growth strategy, business model design, operating model decisions, innovation, technology adoption, and transformation. The candidate should bring the intellectual range to understand construction, technology, services, investment, operations, AI, data, and functional strategy – and the humility to learn the business deeply from operators. This person must be especially strong at leading through influence. Many of the businesses and initiatives within the role's scope will have their own leaders, teams, and embedded strategy resources. The Senior Director must be able to add value without creating confusion, duplicating work, or appearing to take ownership away from accountable business leaders. Qualifications 8+ years of relevant experience in strategy consulting, corporate strategy, business transformation, private equity portfolio operations, innovation strategy, or a related field. Demonstrated ability to lead complex strategic projects from problem definition through recommendation and execution planning. Experience working with senior executives and cross‑functional leadership teams. Strong analytical, financial, and business planning capabilities, including comfort with market sizing, competitive analysis, business case development, operating model design, and investment prioritization. Ability to lead through influence in a matrixed environment, including dotted‑line relationships and stakeholders outside the formal reporting structure. Experience translating enterprise strategy into operating plans, governance models, roadmaps, metrics, and implementation rhythms. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to create clear, compelling executive‑level materials. Strong people leadership skills, including experience managing, coaching, and developing junior strategy talent. Familiarity with construction, design, or engineering industries is preferred. Experience or exposure to global delivery models or offshore teams is a plus. Strong academic background; MBA preferred. Working Conditions While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit for long periods of time; talk or hear; perform fine motor, hand, and finger skills in the use of a keyboard, telephone, or writing. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; and reach with arms and/or hands. Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus. The employee will spend their time in an office environment with a quiet to moderate noise level. Job site walking. EEO Statement Suffolk provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, national origin, citizenship, genetic information, disability, protected veteran, gender identity, age or any other status protected by law. This policy applies to recruiting, hiring, transfers, promotions, terminations, compensation, benefits, and all other terms and conditions of employment. Suffolk will not tolerate any unlawful discrimination toward, or harassment of, applicants or employees by anyone at Suffolk, or anyone working on behalf of Suffolk. Compensation Information The expected salary range for this position (Senior Director, Vertical and Platform Strategy) in New York and Boston, MA is between $250,000 and $350,000 USD. This represents the typical salary range for this position and is just one component of Suffolk's total compensation package. Actual salaries may be based on several factors including, but not limited to, skill set, experience, education and other qualifications. Suffolk offers a comprehensive benefits package as part of its overall compensation strategy. Salary ranges may differ by geography and are reviewed regularly to reflect market trends. #J-18808-Ljbffr Suffolk Construction