Director of Strategy
Life.Church wants to make a lasting difference in your life, in our community, and in the world. Our mission is to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. That's how we’re able to make a difference, and it's the driving force behind everything we do. The Director of Strategy is primarily responsible for leading YouVersion's long-term strategic planning, developing the analysis and insight that drives key decisions, and building relationships that expand organizational impact. This role partners closely with the CEO, COO, and CSO to translate vision into executable strategy, owning the planning cycle, synthesizing complex data into clear recommendations, and ensuring senior leaders have the intelligence they need to prioritize well. The Director evaluates strategic investments and emerging opportunities, brings outside-in perspective through faith and tech relationships, and ensures alignment and momentum across the organization's most important initiatives.
YouVersion was created by the local church in 2007 and remains a ministry of Life.Church today. At Life.Church, our mission is to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. Our team is committed to reaching people worldwide through innovative technology. And YouVersion is one of the ways we get to do that. Life.Church is a multi-site Christian church meeting in the United States and globally at Life.Church Online.
We wholeheartedly believe a daily rhythm of seeking intimacy with God has the power to transform lives. That’s why YouVersion creates biblically-based experiences that encourage and challenge people to seek God. We hope everyone in our community is on an active journey to become who God made them to be, abiding in Him, and drawing closer every day.
What You'll Do
- Lead the annual strategic planning cycle in close partnership with the CEO, COO, and CSO to define long-term goals and focus areas.
- Build and maintain a rolling 3-year strategy and priorities across core and growth initiatives.
- Develop and maintain long term growth models (e.g., 5 and 10-year) and KPI frameworks tied to YouVersion’s mission and scale.
- Design and manage the organization-wide strategy calendar, including leadership offsites, quarterly reviews, and cross-functional alignment sessions.
- Facilitate relative prioritization across markets and initiatives, ensuring clear ownership and documentation.
- Support special projects and critical CEO-level initiatives, ensuring cross-team clarity and execution momentum
- Develop Strategic Analyses and Insight to Inform Strategic Direction.
- Lead the analysis of key market trends, technology shifts, user behaviors, and emerging risks to continuously sharpen strategic direction.
- Develop the intelligence and datasets that inform strategic opportunities, such as TAM analysis, market penetration, and growth potential of markets.
- Translate complex, ambiguous data into clear strategic narratives and actionable recommendations for executive leadership.
- Evaluate and structure strategic investments aligned to YouVersions's future state vision.
- Lead due diligence for new ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and early-stage opportunities.
- Manage and foster external partnerships critical to future growth.
- Bring outside-in thinking and insights into the organization through faith and tech relationships.
- Represent YouVersion in external forums and strategic partner gatherings.
Skills Needed to Succeed
- Ability to self-motivate, make independent decisions, and solve problems with innovation.
- Effective at multi-tasking and time management to meet strict deadlines while remaining flexible and open to change.
- Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills to clearly explain complicated processes and foster partnerships to projects.
- Strong leadership skills and understanding of developing and guiding others.
- Strong strategic acumen and ability to connect vision to execution.
- Exceptional modeling, market analysis, and executive communication skills.
- Strong understanding of business development, capital strategy, and M&A processes.
- High EQ, discretion, and ability to work closely with senior executives and external partners.
- Ability to balance deep thinking and hands-on execution, moving fluidly between long-range models and near-term decisions, and brings clarity to ambiguity through rigorous analysis and structured planning
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Finance, or related field.
- MBA or advanced degree preferred.
- 10+ years of experience in strategic planning, corporate strategy, management consulting, business development, or M&A.
- Experience working with executive teams and leading cross-functional initiatives.
- Experience navigating complexity and ambiguity in high-growth, mission-oriented organizations.
Benefits We Offer
・ Paid parental leave, including maternity, paternity, and adoption leave.
・ Generous employer-paid leave for the use of vacation, sick time, and other qualifying reasons.
・ Innovative and comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance that provides team members with useful resources and savings to navigate their holistic health.
・ Life insurance policy provided for all staff members at 2x annual salary at no cost. Additional life insurance coverage is available to purchase.
・ Short-Term and Long-Term disability is covered at 100% for full-time qualified staff members.
・ Comprehensive wellness and mental health benefits allow staff to proactively invest in their physical and emotional health.
・ Generous 401(k) retirement plan allowing a team member to have up to 12.5% (including employee contribution, employer match, and employer discretionary contribution) contributed into their account in their first year. It doesn’t stop there—the more years on staff, the greater the investment!
・ $160 annually in development dollars for team members to invest in their professional growth.
・ Casual dress and work environment.
Our Beliefs, Culture, and Commitment to Diversity
At Life.Church, every staff member, and intern is a minister and is expected to engage in the church's ministry fully. We consider ministry readiness and an individual’s capacity to represent Life.Church’s beliefs as a minister during the selection process for all staff and intern positions. An essential function within every position held by a staff member or intern at Life.Church is to uphold and represent the beliefs of Life.Church. Learn more about what we believe at Life.Church.
While we unite around our mission, we know unity doesn’t mean uniformity. Our calling is too great, and our mission is too important not to be intentional about strengthening our team through diversity. We know that diverse perspectives in race, ethnicity, background, age, and gender are essential to reaching the world for Christ. To learn more about how we strengthen our team through diversity, visit our careers page.
All data collected in our application process, from resume collection to application questions, is used for recruitment purposes only.