Principal Strategy and Business Development Consultant

Empowered to live. Inspired to work. Compeer Financial is a member-owned cooperative located in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. We bring together team members with a variety of backgrounds and experiences to help provide financial services to support agriculture and rural communities. Join us in a culture that not only promotes meaningful work and professional development, but provides a flexible, hybrid work environment and excellent benefits, which empower you to thrive both personally and professionally.

How we support you:

• Hybrid model – up to 50% work from home
• Flexible schedules including ample flexibility in the summer months
• Up to 9% towards 401k (3% fixed Compeer contribution plus up to 6% match)
• Benefits: medical, dental, vision, HSA/FSA, life & AD&D insurance, short-term and long-term disability, wellness program & EAP
• Vacation, sick leave, holidays/floating holidays, parental leave, and volunteer paid time off
• Learning and development programs
• Mentorship programs
• Cross-functional committee opportunities (i.e. Inclusion Council, emerging professional groups, etc.)
• Professional membership/certification reimbursement and more!

Casual/seasonal & intern team members are not eligible for benefits except for state-mandated programs.

To learn more about Compeer Financial visit www.compeer.com/careers. 

Where you will work: This position offers a hybrid work option up to 50% remote and is open to any Compeer office location in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The contributions you will make:

This position is a senior strategy leader and project owner responsible for leading Compeer Financials' highest-impact enterprise initiatives. You will drive growth by leading complex, cross-functional initiatives and shaping the organization's strategic agenda, operating at the crossroads of strategy, innovation, and business development. Frequently acts as a project lead, working directly with senior leaders and members of the Executive Leadership Team. Responsible for applying strong strategic judgment, external perspective, and disciplined execution to identify and assess growth platforms, guide the development of new business opportunities, and support the formation of strategic partnerships; including venture pilots, partner collaborations, and merger or acquisition-related efforts.

A typical day:

Enterprise Initiative Leadership

• Leads high-priority, enterprise-wide strategy and innovation initiatives that span business units, functions, and stakeholder groups.
• Owns project scoping, structuring, stakeholder engagement, and full lifecycle execution from analysis through decision-making.
• Ensures project outcomes align with broader corporate objectives and financial performance goals.

Business Development, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships

• Identifies and evaluate external growth opportunities including new ventures, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, and potential M&A targets.
• Leads commercial due diligence efforts, partner assessments, financial modeling, and business case development.
• Collaborates with internal innovation, legal, finance, and operations teams to assess feasibility, risk, and value realization pathways.
• Supports early-stage design, piloting, and transition-to-scale of select innovation initiatives. 

Executive Influence and Enterprise Engagement

• Engages with senior leaders and serve as a trusted advisor in the development and refinement of strategic priorities.
• Represents the Strategy team in executive working sessions, steering committees, or external engagements.
• Translates insights into executive-ready materials and facilitate decision-making discussions with clarity and confidence.

Engagement and Development

• Mentors and coaches other team members across multiple projects.
• Sets standards for project delivery, team norms, and internal best practices.
• Fosters a high-performance culture anchored in curiosity, collaboration, and clarity.
• Contributes to functional development (e.g., tools, frameworks, training) that strengthens team impact.

The skills and experience we prefer you have:

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, economics, human centered or product design or related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to perform the essential functions of the job. MBA or equivalent experience strongly preferred.
• Expert-level experience in strategy consulting, corporate strategy, innovation, business development, or corporate development, required.
• Proven track record of independently leading complex enterprise initiatives and influencing senior leadership and C-level executives.
• Expert in breaking down ambiguous challenges, designing problem-solving approaches, and managing full project lifecycles.
• Advanced skill in developing concise, impactful narratives and presenting insights to the Executive Leadership Team and Board-level audiences.
• Advanced experience evaluating growth opportunities, including new ventures, commercial partnerships, and inorganic investments. Understands how to balance desirability, feasibility, and viability of early-stage concepts.
• Brings a general management mindset; understands how growth decisions impact financial performance, client outcomes, and operational execution.
• Highly proficient in financial modeling, investment analysis, and performance forecasting. Capable of guiding others through complex quantitative and qualitative work.
• Advanced ability to design approaches to ambiguous problems and lead through structured frameworks.
• Advanced ability to synthesizes complex findings into persuasive, high-quality documents and presentations tailored to senior audiences.
• Advanced understanding of how to evaluate and quantify new market opportunities, product ideas, partnerships, and investments.
• Advanced financial and market analysis capabilities, including Excel modeling, market sizing, and customer segmentation.
• Ability to build trust and alignment across business units and functional leaders. Influences without authority and drives progress through logic, clarity, and collaboration.
• Deep interest or experience in agriculture, food systems, sustainability, rural infrastructure, or financial services. Brings external insight to internal problems.

How we will take care of you:

Our job titles may span more than one career level (associate, senior, principal, etc.). The actual title and base pay offered is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs and market demands. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. This role is eligible for variable compensation and other benefits.

Compeer Financial is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States. Compeer is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Click here to view federal employment laws applicable for applicants.