Director of Strategic Initiatives

ABOUT ALLIANCE: Alliance Markets & Vending (“AM&V” or “Alliance”) is a private-equity-backed platform building a best in-class national network of vending, micro market, and office coffee & pantry businesses. Alliance partners with founder-led operators who lead their local markets and combines platform resources, capital, and shared best practices to accelerate growth and serve customers at scale. Backed by Shore Capital Partners and currently one of Shore’s fastest-growing portfolio companies, Alliance is scaling rapidly through an active M&A pipeline, integration of acquired businesses, and continued investment in technology, data, and people.

ABOUT SHORE CAPITAL PARTNERS: Shore Capital Partners is a Chicago- and Nashville-based microcap private equity firm focused on healthcare, food & beverage, business services, and industrial investments. With over $14 billion in assets under management and consistent recognition as a leading U.S. private equity firm by deal volume, Shore brings a world-class board, operating resources, and a network of 50 portfolio companies and thousands of executives to support its platforms. Alliance Markets & Vending sits within Shore’s food & beverage vertical. POSITION SUMMARY: The Director of Strategic Initiatives is a high-leverage, cross-functional role reporting directly to the CEO of Alliance. This position serves as a force multiplier for the CEO, and the executive team more broadly — enabling the leadership team to operate from an aligned agenda, drive clear priorities, and execute against the strategic plan. The role sits in the white space between functions, stepping in wherever the business needs a trusted operator — from board prep and special projects to data, operating cadence, and the day-to-day rhythm of the business. It is designed for an early-career operator with consulting, investment banking, private equity, or corporate strategy experience who is ready to step into a high ownership seat at a fast-growing PE-backed platform.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategy & Executive Support

• Board & Shore Reporting: Quarterback quarterly board materials end-to-end — partner with the CEO, BU leaders, and Shore on content, build the deck, coordinate inputs, and own the final product.
• Strategic Initiatives Tracker: Maintain the master view of company-wide strategic initiatives, owners, capacity, and status; run a recurring portfolio review cadence with the CEO and ELT.
• Strategic Execution: Drive execution of CEO-led initiatives across the organization, ensuring alignment, accountability, and follow-through from decision to outcome.
• Strategic Projects: Lead high-priority cross-functional projects from scoping through execution — for example: launching pilot programs; evaluating and rolling out the latest hardware and software innovations; vending-to-market conversion projects; vision cooler and theft/shrink ROI projects; and strategic pricing projects.
• Leadership Cadence: Drive the rhythm of the business — weekly leadership, ops, and deal-team meetings; agendas, pre-reads, action tracking, and follow-through.
• Market Intelligence: Monitor industry trends and competitor activity to surface opportunities for growth, innovation, and competitive positioning.

Data, Reporting & Technology

• Operating Dashboards: Own the Alliance weekly dashboards until FP&A team operationalized; partner with offshore analyst resources and BU leaders to ensure accuracy and timely delivery.
• Data Infrastructure: Partner on the build-out of Alliance’s data stack (Snowflake, Azure, Power BI) — connecting VMS/POS systems and converting legacy reporting into scalable BI.
• AI: Leverage advanced AI and automation tools to streamline executive processes, improve decision-making speed, and enhance strategic outcomes.

Other Responsibilities

• Special Projects: Take on ad-hoc strategic, operational, or analytical projects as they emerge — the portfolio of work will evolve with the business.
• M&A Support: Support active deals with business diligence and ad hoc analysis as needed. • Deal Team Liaison: Support deal team data requests as needed.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• 2–10 years of experience in management consulting, investment banking, private equity, or corporate strategy preferred
• Strong financial acumen — comfortable with three-statement modeling, KPI analysis, unit economics, and operating metrics
• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint; comfort with data tools (Power BI, Snowflake, Azure) a plus
• Track record of leading cross-functional projects with minimal oversight; equal parts high-level strategy and in-the-weeds execution
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to produce board-ready outputs and influence senior leaders without formal authority
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable juggling multiple workstreams in a fast paced, founder-led, PE-backed environment
• Self-starter with high ownership, low ego, and a builder’s mindset

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA optional

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

• Base salary range: $140,000 – $170,000, depending on experience and qualifications • Performance-based annual bonus
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k); paid time off; and additional benefits offered in connection with the role
• Exposure to Shore Capital’s resources — including quarterly cohort meetings, weekly deal team calls, learning management system, and executive conferences

LOCATION:

• In office (HQ located in Scottsdale); flexible to work remote periodically as agreed upon with supervisor
• Travel willingness