Senior Strategy & Planning Manager

Overview

Join us in shaping the future of grocery. As a Senior Manager, Strategy & Planning for Fulfillment Pro, you'll drive the commercial strategy behind Instacart's end-to-end retailer fulfillment suite — the platform that powers both white-label and API partners around the world. In this role you'll focus on our API partner motion across domestic and international markets, partnering with Sales, Product, Legal, Finance, and Partnerships to convert pipeline into closed business and to build the capabilities required to win the deals in front of us.

You will be part of the Market Strategy and Planning (MS&P) team, a dynamic group focused on crafting strategic paths that uphold Instacart's commitment to excellence and innovation. MS&P sits at the intersection of Product, Sales, Partnerships, Legal, and Finance — translating market signal and deal-level reality into the decisions and motions that move the business forward. In this role, you will be the senior strategy partner for the Fulfillment Pro API motion, owning the most important commercial and product questions on the team's docket.

About the Job

• Partner with Sales and Business Development to support the Fulfillment Pro API pipeline across domestic and international markets — including opportunity qualification, deal strategy, pipeline reporting, and forecasting
• Identify the product capabilities required to win priority deals and partner with Product and Engineering to scope, prioritize, and sequence them on the roadmap
• Work with Legal and Finance to shape rate cards, commercial constructs, and contracting frameworks that scale to international markets and varied partner profiles
• Partner with the Partnerships team to evaluate, structure, and operationalize third-party integrations that extend the Fulfillment Pro value proposition for API partners
• Serve as the senior strategy partner for the Fulfillment Pro API motion — bringing rigorous market, competitive, and deal-level insight to product investment and commercial decisions
• Build and operate the cross-functional cadences (deal reviews, capability prioritization, contract escalations, integration governance) that keep Sales, Product, Legal, Finance, and Partnerships aligned on the same priorities
• Synthesize and frame data to drive decisions, working fluidly across G Suite, SQL, dashboards (e.g., Looker, Tableau, Mode), and CRM/business-process tooling
• Represent Instacart externally when needed — with API partners, technology partners, and at industry forums — translating product capability into business value
• Lead complex, cross-functional initiatives end-to-end, from problem definition through senior stakeholder alignment and operational rollout
• Exemplify cross-functional collaboration to problem solving, reflecting our value of "Go Far Together"
• Operate with ownership and objectivity in ambiguous, fast-moving situations, and craft long-term solutions where everyone benefits — embodying our value to "Grow the Pie"

About You

Minimum Qualifications

• 8–10+ years of progressive experience in commercial strategy, GTM strategy, deal strategy, strategy & operations, partnerships, or management consulting — with at least part of that experience in B2B SaaS, enterprise platforms, or retail technology
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Economics, Engineering, or a related field
• Demonstrated experience supporting enterprise pipeline and complex deals end-to-end — from qualification through commercial structuring and close
• Strong commercial instincts and comfort working with Legal and Finance on rate cards, contracting frameworks, and pricing constructs
• Experience working with Product and Engineering to translate deal-driven requirements into prioritized roadmap commitments
• Familiarity with API-based platform products and the dynamics of integrating with third-party partners
• Excellent ability to synthesize and frame data — turning messy inputs into a clear narrative and a recommended action
• Proficient with G Suite, SQL, dashboarding tools (Looker, Tableau, Mode, or equivalent), CRM (e.g., Salesforce), and standard business-process tooling
• Excellent communication skills, comfortable with senior cross-functional partners internally and with partners externally when needed
• Experience operating across Product, Sales, Partnerships, Legal, and Finance to identify and prioritize opportunities
• Thrives in ambiguity, sets direction for self and others, and executes with limited oversight
• Detail-oriented with a proactive approach to problem-solving

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with API-based platform or developer-facing products
• Experience taking commercial products to international markets, including navigating local pricing, contracting, and partnership norms
• Background in fulfillment, logistics, last-mile, supply chain, or retail operations — either at a platform/technology company or at a retailer/3PL
• Proven track record translating field/deal signal into product investment decisions
• Experience in a high-growth startup or scale-up environment