Strategic Initiatives Specialist

At Franklin Templeton, we’re advancing our industry forward by developing new and innovative ways to help our clients achieve their investment goals. Our dynamic firm spans asset management, wealth management, and fintech, offering many ways to help investors make progress toward their goals. Our talented teams working around the globe bring expertise that’s both broad and unique. From our welcoming, inclusive, and flexible culture to our global and diverse business, we provide opportunities to help you reach your potential while helping our clients reach theirs.

Come join us in delivering better outcomes for our clients around the world!

Franklin Innovation Research Strategies & Technology (FIRST) is Franklin Templeton’s innovation engine, where ideas transform into solutions, research meets execution, and strategy becomes reality.

Within FIRST, we are seeking a Strategic Initiatives Specialist to join our Executive Reporting & Business Management team. In this role, you will drive execution, facilitate clarity across teams, and deliver data-driven insights that support the team.

How you will add value:

Execution & Delivery

• Own and drive cross-functional initiatives from kick-off to completion, keeping workstreams aligned, accountable, and moving forward.
• Translate strategic priorities into clear plans, timelines, deliverables, and success metrics.
• Track progress, dependencies, and risks, proactively solving for what’s next.
• Act as the connective tissue across stakeholders, ensuring follow-ups happen and momentum continues.
• Prepare and facilitate working sessions and program meetings, including agendas, notes, action items, and next steps.
• Leverage AI-enabled tools to improve project execution, reporting, and follow-through, while championing adoption of AI-capabilities to work smarter across teams

Business Analysis & Insights

• Build and evolve executive-ready reports, dashboards, and presentations that demonstrate how strategic initiatives are delivering against FIRST’s objectives.
• Define, track, and analyze KPIs and operational metrics that matter.
• Turn data into insight by identifying trends, risks, and opportunities that help leaders make informed decisions.
• Partner with teams to ensure data quality, consistency, and clarity across reporting.
• Tell the story behind the numbers in a way that’s clear, compelling, and actionable.
• Apply AI and advanced analytics capabilities to accelerate insight generation, enhance storytelling, and reduce manual effort in reporting.

Operational Excellence & Process Innovation

• Help shape how FIRST operates day-to-day, bringing structure, discipline, and scalability to a growing innovation function.
• Continuously assess workflows and processes to identify opportunities to streamline, automate, and improve.
• Serve as a catalyst for AI adoption by identifying practical use cases, sharing best practices, and encouraging teams to leverage new technology in their routine processes.
• Create and maintain documentation, playbooks, and operational practices that enable repeatable success.

Communication & Coordination

• Draft clear, concise updates, status reports, and leadership communications.
• Organize and curate team materials, content, and knowledge repositories (e.g., SharePoint, Teams).
• Support communications planning for key initiatives, milestones, and deliverables.

What will help you be successful in this role:

• 3+ years in project management, business operations, or data and analytics,
• Bachelor’s degree in business, analytics, information systems, communications, or related field.
• Experience with AI-enabled tools, modern productivity platforms and data & report building tools
• Strong reporting, dashboarding, and presentation skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Suite including Excel, PowerPoint, Power BI and other collaboration tools
• Proactive, self-directed, and improvement-oriented mindset.
• Self-starter who has genuine excitement to make things better.
• Strong organization and attention to detail.
• Clear communicator able to simplify complex topics.
• Embraces a dynamic, fast-paced environment.  Able to pivot quickly as the business & priorities evolve

#LI-Hybrid

Compensation Range: Franklin Templeton offers employees a competitive and valuable range of total rewards—monetary and non-monetary — designed to support their well-being and recognize their time, talents, and results.  Along with base compensation, employees are eligible for an annual discretionary bonus, a 401(k) plan with a generous match, and recognition rewards. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package, which includes a range of competitive healthcare options, insurance, and disability benefits, employee stock investment program, learning resources, career development programs, reimbursement for certain education expenses, paid time off (vacation / holidays / sick / leave / parental & caregiving leave / bereavement / volunteering / floating holidays) and a motivational wellbeing program. We expect the annual salary for this position to range between $75,000 - $100,000, depending on location and level of relevant experience, plus discretionary bonus.

Experience our welcoming culture and reach your professional and personal potential!