Sr. Principal, Planning & Experience

Unlock the Power of You

At Invitation Homes, our associates are the foundation of our success. We connect your work to real impact, invest in your growth, and welcome you to feel at home — because care isn't just something we say, it's something you experience.

Invitation Homes owns and operates homes in great neighborhoods across 16 top U.S. markets. We continue to innovate with smart home technology, an industry-leading maintenance app, and other lifestyle-enhancing services that make leasing easier than owning.

Our market teams — Leasing, Property Management, and Rehab, Turns & Maintenance — work together to deliver excellent resident experiences and maintain high-quality homes. Every associate plays a meaningful role in that mission.

The Sr. Principal, Planning and Experience is a strategic advisor, integrator, and execution leader responsible for amplifying the impact of the SVP, Marketing, Growth and Customer Experience (MXG and Analytics) across the enterprise. This role acts as a key strategic partner to the SVP, ensuring alignment and operational excellence across all Experience functions — including Marketing, Customer Experience, Enterprise Analytics & Reporting, Product, Digital Experiences, and related cross‑functional initiatives.

This individual brings deep analytical fluency, translating data into actionable business decisions while bridging strategy with execution. The Sr. Principal partners closely with the Analytics and Reporting teams to equip the SVP and Experience organization with the insights, frameworks, and operating rhythms needed to accelerate growth, elevate customer experience, and scale impact.

This role also requires a unique blend of analytical storytelling and operational problem-solving, with the ability to quickly assess complex business challenges and translate insights into actionable, scalable solutions. The Sr. Principal brings a continuous improvement mindset, leveraging process optimization methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma) to identify inefficiencies, recommend improvements, and drive measurable impact across the Experience organization and broader enterprise.

What you'll do day-to-day:

Strategic Leadership & Advisory

• Serve as a trusted advisor and strategic thought partner to the SVP.
• Help shape and drive the Experience organization’s strategic agenda, ensuring clarity, prioritization, and cross‑functional alignment.
• Translate enterprise priorities into actionable roadmaps for Marketing, CX, Product, and Analytics teams.
• Prepare executive‑level insights, recommendations, and narratives for senior leadership and external stakeholders.

Analytics, Insights & Decision Enablement

• Partner with the Analytics & Reporting function to drive a unified insights ecosystem supporting SVP priorities.
• Translate analytical outputs into clear storylines and recommendations that influence executive decision-making and drive alignment across diverse stakeholders.
• Identify key trends, performance risks, and opportunities using customer, operational, financial, and digital product data; synthesize findings into actionable recommendations and business cases.
• Ensure reporting, dashboards, and measurement frameworks align to strategic objectives and OKRs.

Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence

• Apply continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma principles) to assess business processes, identify inefficiencies, and recommend scalable solutions.
• Rapidly diagnose challenges across functions and develop data-driven proposals to improve performance, efficiency, and customer outcomes.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to implement process improvements and track measurable impact.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and operational rigor across the Experience organization.

Experience Organization Operations

• Drive the Experience organization’s operating cadence, including quarterly business reviews, strategic planning, goal setting, and performance management.
• Drive cross‑functional coordination across Marketing, CX, Product, and Ops to ensure consistent execution and collaboration.
• Help shape and implement standards, governance models, and feedback loops to ensure operational health and organizational clarity.

Program & Portfolio Execution

• Lead strategic programs and enterprise‑wide initiatives aligned with SVP priorities — particularly those requiring cross‑functional alignment or heavy analytical components, driving efficiency, scalability, and measurable business impact.
• Manage key customer experience transformation initiatives, ensuring measurable improvements in satisfaction, retention, and operational efficiency.
• Support resource allocation, budget tracking, and prioritization for major SVP‑sponsored programs and product investments.
• Operate as a flexible, high-impact problem solver who can be deployed across the business to assess ambiguous challenges, synthesize insights, and deliver actionable recommendations.

Communications & Stakeholder Engagement

• Develop executive communications, narratives, and presentations that reinforce SVP strategic priorities.
• Support the SVP in select executive meetings and cross-functional forums, driving continuity, alignment, and follow-through.
• Support change management efforts to ensure enterprise buy‑in and adoption of Experience‑driven initiatives.

Education & Experience

• 8-10+ years of progressive experience in Customer Experience, Marketing, Strategy, Analytics, Digital Product, or related fields.
• Experience leading or partnering closely with Analytics, Data, or BI teams required; proven ability to interpret complex datasets and drive insight‑based decision-making.
• Experience applying continuous improvement and operational excellence principles (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma) to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and drive measurable business outcomes.
• Experience operating in a matrixed environment, ideally within a high‑growth, multi‑market, or operationally complex organization.
• Previous experience in a Chief of Staff, strategy, transformation, or portfolio leadership role preferred.

Technical & Analytical Competencies

• Strong command of analytics, reporting, and data visualization frameworks.
• Ability to translate data into strategies, narratives, and business recommendations.
• Understanding of customer experience measurement (NPS/eNPS, VoC, journey analytics) and marketing/product performance metrics.

Leadership & Behavioral Competencies

• Highly strategic, intellectually curious, and comfortable operating in ambiguity.
• Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, including comfort with executive audiences.
• Strong relationship‑builder who can influence without authority and navigate complex organizational dynamics.
• Ability to coach and develop team members laterally, elevating thinking, problem-solving, and execution without direct reporting relationships.
• Skilled at engaging and collaborating with a wide range of personalities, from highly analytical to creative and operational partners.
• High degree of professionalism, confidentiality, and emotional intelligence.

Success Criteria (First 12 Months)

• Build a reputation as a trusted problem solver who can quickly assess challenges and deliver actionable, high-impact solutions
• Successfully demonstrate measurable improvements in operational efficiency and effectiveness through continuous improvement initiatives
• Establish a highly effective operating rhythm for the SVP and Experience organization.
• Strengthen the connection between Analytics and the Experience leadership team, improving insight quality and speed of decision‑making.
• Support the development and execution of an SVP strategic plan and measurement system that clarifies priorities and drives accountability.

We believe when our residents thrive, our associates thrive. Here, you're not just filling a role — you're building a career at a company that invests in your growth and welcomes you for who you are.

What's in it for you

• Competitive pay and annual bonus program for all associates
• Generous PTO including vacation accrual, sick time, volunteer time, and standard and floating holidays
• 401(k) with company matching contributions
• Casual dress code and a genuinely great work environment
• Team events, celebrations, and a culture that values connection
• Employee Resource Groups: Together with Women, Asian Alliance, Black Collective, Juntos, Gen Next, and Open Invitation
• Career growth paths and learning opportunities — we promote from within

To attract and retain top talent, we're pleased to offer competitive compensation and benefits, including:

• Annual bonus program

• Health, dental, vision, and life insurance

• Long-term and short-term disability insurance

• Generous paid time off plans include vacation accrual, sick time, standard holidays and floating holidays

• 401(k) with company matching contributions

• Awesome work environment with casual dress

• Team events and gatherings (Pre- and Post-Covid)

Invitation Homes is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive and innovative environment with the best associates. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, Veteran status or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state or local law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact us at [email protected].

To all recruitment agencies: Invitation Homes does not accept agency resumes.  Please do not forward resumes to Invitation Homes employees.  Invitation Homes is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.