Manager, Strategy and Business Operations

Recognized as one of Crain's "Best Places to Work in Chicago" as well as a 2024 "Great Places to Work", by the Great Place To Work Institute Inc., Sasser prides itself on supporting an employee-driven, opportunity-based culture that empowers, recognizes, and rewards its employees. From highly competitive benefits to exciting employee events to organic, grassroots philanthropy and volunteerism, Sasser is an awesome place to begin and grow your career. We are a fourth-generation, family-held transportation asset services and management company with roots dating to 1928. Sasser's six subsidiary units are leaders in providing commercial- and industrial-focused rail, automotive, containerized shipping, and aviation transportation equipment solutions including asset leasing, fleet administration management, asset repair and maintenance, and innovative technology services.

Sasser Family Companies includes subsidiaries Chicago Freight Car Leasing, Union Leasing, CF Rail Services, Express 4x4 Truck Rental, Xced Aviation Services, and Falcon Lease. To learn more about what makes Sasser special, visit www.sasser.com.

The Manager, Strategy and Business Operations (SBO) is an engaged, proactive member of the Sasser SBO team focused on building a deep understanding of business processes, value propositions, and commercial and operational strategies across the Sasser portfolio of businesses. The Manager, SBO contributes to all stages of the continuous improvement lifecycle, including: current state and gap analyses, project ideation and planning, execution monitoring and coordination, and benefit / ROI analysis. This role functions in both a delivery management (25%) and individual contribution (75%) capacity-balancing broad, influence-based leadership duties alongside the need to contribute independent thought and work product across a variety of domains.

As a Manager, Strategy and Business Operations, Here's What You'll Do:

• Works with and across business units to identify, prioritize, and execute on critical-priority project opportunities.
  
  
  
  • Facilitating discovery and ideation sessions with cross-functional business groups.
  • Designing and executing analyses to support ROI and other inputs to prioritization.
  • Supporting team decision-making regarding solution and project design.
  • Contributing as evangelist, project manager, and team member so that projects are successfully completed.
  
  
  
  
• Leads department's role as PMO, supporting and enhancing project-based and periodic planning and reporting.
  
  
  
  • Supporting annual business- and corporate-level goalsetting processes.
  • Designing, proposing, and supporting execution of new and enhanced KPI reporting mechanisms.
  • Conducting day-to-day, hands-on management and follow-through on key projects.
  • Reporting on project statuses and projecting potential risks and roadblocks for consideration.
  • Conducting postmortem and other meta-analysis to suggest project and process enhancements.
  
  
  
  
• Supports department's goal of establishing strong, consistent business processes and system for defining and refining best practices.
  
  
  
  • Convening subject matter experts across businesses to discuss and document marketing best practices.
  • Supporting analysis of go-to-market processes at a given business, identifying potential recommendations to enhance process.
  • Creating communications and materials that support understanding of new / enhanced processes and business systems.
  • Acting as internal champion and support system for business team members executing on new / enhanced processes.
  • Stay updated on industry trends: Stay informed about industry trends and advancements in operational strategies to continuously improve processes and procedures
  
  
  
  

Here's What it Will Take to be Successful in This Role:

• Bachelor's degree in business or related technical / professional field preferred
• MBA / advanced degree in related technical/profession field preferred
• Experience with go-to-market, commercialization, marketing, and / or product strategy helpful
• Minimum 5 years relevant experience
• Self-manage and engage with new problems proactively, with a sense of urgency, and with attention to detail.
• Approach problems from a process-orientation, considering not only the problem at hand but also its context within a larger system.
• Must be able to manage and work with a culturally diverse population.
• Ability to balance between data needs and requirements for action.
• Works well and productively, always projecting a positive outlook in a fast paced sometimes stressful environment.
• Communicate and interact effectively (both in writing and verbally)
• Ability to and interest in continuing to "learn how to learn"
• Interpersonal skills to work in a team orientated, collaborative environment.
• Must foster a culture that focuses on the Sasser values of uncompromising integrity, remarkable customer service, high-performing teams and relentless improvement.
• Ability to deal with ambiguity; to effectively cope with change; to decide and act without having the total picture; and to comfortably handle risk and uncertainty

Physical Demands

This job operates in a professional environment and routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, copy machines, filing cabinets, printers and fax machines.

Travel up to 10% maybe required.

Working Conditions

This position will be based out of our office in Oak Brook, Illinois. Until the Company moves to Oak Brook in early 2026, this will temporarily work out of the office in Schaumburg, Illinois. If fulltime, this role also offers remote work flexibility with 3 days in office, and 2 days remote. If part time, this role would need to be in office 2 days.

Compensation

The hiring range for this role is: $125,000 - $155,000 USD annual. This role is classified as exempt for purposes of all applicable wage and hour laws, which means that the individual hired is paid for the job and not by the hour, and will not be eligible for, and will not receive, overtime pay if working more than 40 hours in a workweek. This role will be paid on a semi-monthly basis.

Sasser is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. Pay ranges are assigned to a job based on market data according to 3rd party salary benchmarking surveys. Actual base salary is dependent upon factors such as knowledge, skill level, and experience.

This role is also eligible for benefits. Sasser employees enjoy a competitive benefits program that:

• Includes comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans, including HSA and FSA accounts with employer contributions toward HSA
• Includes a 100% Company-paid disability and life insurance plans
• Includes a 401K plan with company match PLUS additional end-of-year funding
• Provides paid vacation time (tiered based on tenure), as well as personal time, sick days and summer half days for certain roles
• Provides 10 paid holidays annually
• Provides paid parental leave for new parents, as well as a monetary gift towards a 529 education account
• Provides a confidential Employee Assistance Program
• Provides training and tuition reimbursement
• Provides community service opportunities, charity match opportunities, employee recognition programs, and many celebrations!

Note: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The Company 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. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.