Principal Strategist, Digital Strategy & Market Intelligence

Description

 As an Engage Fi employee, you can expect:

• To work with an amazing and collaborative team
• To create and innovate in your role and see the impact you make on the business and client experience
• To be a part of an award-winning team – Inc. 500 (2018), Inc. 5000 (2019, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025), Tampa Bay Business Journal Fast 50 (2021, 2023, 2024, 2025), Great Place to Work (2023, 2024)
• All employees to cultivate and encourage new ideas and thrive on a fun and productive work environment
• To join a highly engaged workforce that supports personal and professional growth, empowerment, and lives by servant leadership

What we provide:

• Competitive pay, incentive programs, 401k matching
• Unlimited time off plus 11 paid holidays
• Medical, dental, and vision health plans with FSA or HSA options
• Opportunities to volunteer and give back to the communities we serve
• Paid remote work expenses
• Career development, trainings, continuous learning, and employee recognition
• Team engagement events and activities
• Culture of growth and continuous improvement
• A great place to work

About Us:

Engage fi was founded on the principle of putting ourselves in our clients’ shoes to understand their needs, their business objectives, and their definition of success. What sets us apart from other options is our focus on the client, and a little bit more: more transparency, more innovation, more savings, more incentives, more fun, more collaboration. We take pride in our people, process, and tools guaranteeing that your experience with engage fi will surpass your expectations. Our emphasis on the education, efficiency, and effectiveness needed to drive the growth of our industry will align to the needs of the consumer and your internal team. Our collective experience working for and with vendors and financial institutions in the past gives us tremendous insight into the capabilities of the vendors that our clients work with. We aim to leverage our knowledge and tools to save time, improve efficiency, and provide the pricing leverage the financial institution needs.

With over 450 years of industry experience, the team at Engage fi is a blend of consultants, educators, matchmakers, integrators, and advocates. We are laser-focused on guiding financial institutions through our proven process and enabling them to make informed, timely decisions on vendor relationships so they can change at the speed of the consumer. Engage fi has completed over 525 strategic projects for financial institutions and negotiated over $2.2 billion in savings and incentives for our clients. We have a unique approach, and our strategic projects are as unique as the clients we serve. Let’s Engage! www.engagefi.com

Position Summary:

The Principal Strategist serves as an advisor and architect within Engage fi's consulting practice. This role leads the development and delivery of digital strategy programs, drives the firm's thought leadership platform, and shapes repeatable data-driven methodologies that power client engagements across the financial services sector. The Principal Strategist operates at the intersection of strategy, technology, and market intelligence, with a mandate to anticipate industry disruption, translate it into actionable client guidance, and expand the firm's advisory capabilities in response to emerging needs.

Essential Functions & Additional Responsibilities:

Digital Strategy Program Development & Delivery

• Design, build, and continuously refine a comprehensive digital strategy program for client engagements, encompassing roadmap development, digital maturity assessments, and technology alignment frameworks.
• Lead client-facing delivery of digital strategy engagements, guiding financial institutions through transformation planning, capability gap analysis, and future-state visioning.
• Develop proprietary frameworks, playbooks, and tools that standardize digital strategy delivery across the practice.
• Align digital strategy recommendations with clients' enterprise goals across retail banking, commercial services, member experience, and operations.

Thought Leadership & Industry Presence

• Author thought leadership articles for trade publications, positioning Engage fi as a leading voice on digital transformation, payments, core modernization, and financial technology strategy.
• Develop and deliver podcasts, webinars, and conference presentations that advance the firm's profile and generate client engagement.
• Represent Engage fi as a subject matter expert at industry events, panel discussions, and fireside chats, with the ability to translate complex strategic concepts into compelling narratives for diverse audiences.
• Maintain a consistent public presence that reinforces the firm's brand authority and attracts prospective clients and talent.

Thought Leadership Research

• Assist the department in developing and executing primary and secondary research initiatives that underpin the firm's published insights and advisory positions.
• Identify high-impact research themes by monitoring industry trends, regulatory developments, and competitive dynamics across the banking and credit union sectors.
• Synthesize research findings into white papers, benchmark studies, and data-driven reports that deliver measurable value to clients and the broader industry.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to validate research methodology and ensure analytical rigor.

Strategy Offering Development

• Identify gaps in the firm's current service portfolio and develop new strategy offerings in response to evolving client needs and market opportunities.
• Design scalable engagement models and pricing frameworks for new strategic services, from concept through go-to-market.
• Partner with consulting leadership and sales to pilot, refine, and commercialize new advisory offerings.
• Monitor competitive and technology landscapes to ensure Engage fi's service lines remain relevant, differentiated, and ahead of client demand.

Data Development & Repeatable Intelligence

• Work with internal resources and third-party data providers to develop repeatable data sets and analytical frameworks that support existing strategic projects.
• Build a durable data infrastructure that enables consistent benchmarking, trend analysis, and client-specific insight generation across engagements.
• Document and systematize data collection, validation, and application processes so institutional knowledge scales beyond individual contributors.
• Identify opportunities to convert project-level data into proprietary industry benchmarks that differentiate Engage fi's offerings.

Client Strategy & Advisory

• Lead strategic planning engagements with senior client stakeholders, including C-suite and board-level advisors, to define transformation priorities and investment rationale.
• Conduct comprehensive needs assessments, capability gap analyses, and current/future state evaluations for financial institutions of varying asset sizes and complexity.
• Prepare board presentations, strategic briefs, and investment justification materials that drive client decision-making at the highest levels.

Sales Enablement & Practice Growth

• Partner with the sales team to scope, price, and pitch strategic engagements, bringing subject matter depth to executive sales conversations.
• Contribute to proposal development, statements of work, and project delivery frameworks for strategy engagements.
• Identify new markets, service adjacencies, and partnership opportunities that expand the firm's strategic advisory reach.

Requirements

Required Skills & Competencies: 

• Demonstrated ability to develop and deliver original strategy programs, including frameworks, playbooks, and client-facing methodology.
• Proven track record in thought leadership, including published articles, public speaking, podcast participation, or webinar development in a financial services or consulting context.
• Strong research acumen with experience designing and executing industry studies, benchmark analyses, or primary research initiatives.
• Ability to identify market gaps and build new consulting offerings from concept through commercialization.
• Experience working with internal teams and third-party data sources to develop scalable, repeatable analytical frameworks.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex ideas into compelling narratives for executive and trade publication audiences.
• Strong facilitation and executive presence, with the ability to engage credibly with bank and credit union C-suites, boards, and senior leadership teams.
• Deep familiarity with the community banking and credit union landscape, including core systems, digital banking platforms, payments infrastructure, and regulatory environment.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, or a related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in financial services strategy, management consulting, or digital advisory, with a demonstrated focus on community banks or credit unions preferred.
• Established thought leadership portfolio, including published articles, speaking engagements, or recognized industry contributions.
• Experience developing consulting offerings or service lines, including framework design, pricing, and go-to-market strategy.
• Demonstrated experience building or managing data programs that support recurring client deliverables.
• Experience with software procurement, vendor evaluation, and contract negotiation in a financial institution context preferred.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds at times

Position Type/Expected hours of Work:

• Full Time/ 40 hours per week

Location:

• Remote 
• 30% Travel required

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Activities, duties, or responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice.

EEO Statement:

Engage fi provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.