Xylem is a Fortune 500 global water solutions company dedicated to advancing sustainable impact and empowering the people who make water work every day. As a leading water technology company with 23,000 employees operating in over 150 countries, Xylem is at the forefront of addressing the world's most critical water challenges. We invite passionate individuals to join our team, dedicated to exceeding customer expectations through innovative and sustainable solutions.
The Strategy Specialist (m/f/d) is a key member of the Water Infrastructure Strategy and Business Development team, responsible for leading high-impact strategic initiatives that drive growth, improve competitive positioning, and accelerate value creation across the business.
This individual will independently lead strategic projects from problem definition through recommendation and implementation support. The role requires a combination of structured problem solving, rigorous analysis, commercial judgment, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
Working closely with segment leadership, division leaders, and enterprise strategy partners, the Strategy Specialist will help shape strategic decisions on growth, market positioning, investment priorities, operational improvement, and long-term value creation.
Location: Schaffhausen (Switzerland) or Günzburg (Germany)
Essential Duties/Principal Responsibilities:
Independent Project Leadership
- Independently lead strategic projects from problem definition through recommendation and implementation support.
- Define project objectives, hypotheses, workplans, deliverables, and governance; coordinate cross-functional contributors to ensure alignment and timely execution.
- Manage multiple priorities, identify risks and escalate issues as needed to deliver high-quality outcomes.
Structured Problem Solving & Strategic Analysis
- Structure complex and ambiguous business challenges into clear hypotheses, workstreams, and analytical approaches
- Conduct rigorous market, customer, competitor, operational, and financial analyses to inform strategic decisions
- Synthesize insights into strategic options, quantified business cases and actionable results
Strategy Development & Commercial Insight
- Support the development and refinement of segment and division strategies, including growth priorities, market positioning, and investment choices
- Assess market dynamics, customer needs, competitive positioning, and emerging trends to identify strategic opportunities and risks
- Contribute to strategic planning, long-range planning, and portfolio review processes.
Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement
- Develop concise, executive-ready materials and clearly present complex findings and recommendations to senior leaders.
- Facilitate discussions among stakeholders with differing perspectives and priorities.
- Challenge assumptions constructively while building alignment around key decisions and actions.
Results And Execution Orientation
- Translate strategic recommendations into actionable implementation plans with clear owners, milestones, and metrics.
- Support execution of priority initiatives and track progress against defined objectives.
- Drive accountability and follow-through to ensure measurable business impact
Qualifications: Education, Experience, Skills, Competencies, License/Certification:
- Bachelor’s degree in business, Economics, Finance, Engineering, Strategy, or a related discipline, MBA or advanced degree preferred.
- 4+ years of experience in management consulting, corporate strategy, business development, strategic planning, or similarly rigorous analytical environments.
- Demonstrated experience independently leading complex projects involving multiple stakeholders.
- Strong strategic thinking and structured problem-solving capabilities.
- Experience conducting market, competitive, financial, and operational analyses.
- Ability to synthesize large quantities of information and develop actionable recommendations.
- Exceptional communication and presentation skills, including development of executive-level materials.
- Proven ability to influence stakeholders and facilitate alignment across organizations.
- Strong project management and organizational skills.
- Results-oriented mindset with a demonstrated ability to move from insight to execution.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with a management consulting firm or comparable strategy-focused role.
- Experience supporting strategic planning, growth strategy, portfolio strategy, transformation, or M&A initiatives.
- Knowledge of industrial, infrastructure, water technology, environmental services, or related markets.
- Financial modeling and business case development experience.
We Offer You More Than Just “A Job”
- Professional Development – To advance the capabilities of our people, we offer a wide variety of experiences to support our employees’ professional growth and continuous learning.
- Total Rewards – We offer comprehensive programs for compensation, benefits, recognition, learning and development, work-life integration and corporate citizenship.
- Watermark – Watermark is our corporate social responsibility program working to provide education and access to safe water to ensure healthy lives, gender equality, and resilient communities. Employees have the opportunity to learn and volunteer on various water-related projects.
- Employee Networks – Our Employee Networks provide a professional, supportive network for employees from diverse backgrounds, including Women’s, LGBT+ and Allies, Veteran’s, People of Color and Allies, Emerging Leaders, and Working Parents Networks.
For questions regarding this opportunity, please reach out to Niklas Naunheim, Talent Acquisition Lead Europe at +49 1621374371.
We are looking forward to your application!
Xylem is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, or other characteristics protected by law.
#LI-NN1
Join the global Xylem team to be a part of innovative technology solutions transforming water usage, conservation, and re-use. Our products impact public utilities, industrial sectors, residential areas, and commercial buildings, with a commitment to providing smart metering, network technologies, and advanced analytics for water, electric, and gas utilities. Partner with us in creating a world where water challenges are met with ingenuity and dedication; where we recognize the power of inclusion and belonging in driving innovation and allowing us to compete more effectively around the world.
