Job Summary:
Our client, an investment company is looking for a Senior Strategy Manager to be based in Abu Dhabi. The Senior Manager – Strategy & Planning plays a critical role in shaping, driving, and monitoring company corporate strategy and its alignment across the Group’s portfolio companies. The role enables decision-making at the Group CEO/MD level through rigorous analysis, strategic planning, KPI development, governance coordination, and oversight of group-wide transformation initiatives. This position is responsible for developing strategic plans, conducting market and financial analysis, leading key strategic projects, and ensuring seamless coordination with subsidiaries on performance, synergies, and support services integration.
Key Responsibilities:
- Corporate Strategy & Planning
- Support the development of annual and multi-year corporate strategy, ensuring alignment with the Group CEO’s vision and national economic objectives.
- Lead strategic assessments, sector analysis, and growth opportunity evaluations across priority sectors (construction, energy, health, industrials, real estate, etc.).
- Manage Group-wide Strategic Planning Cycle: Strategy refresh, cascading, alignment workshops, and approvals.
- Develop strategic recommendations, scenario planning, and decision papers for the MD/GCEO and Investment Committee.
- Performance Management & KPI Governance
- Lead the annual KPI setting cycle, ensuring alignment between corporate KPIs, departmental KPIs, and portfolio-level targets.
- Work with HR/Talent and Finance on scorecards, target-setting methodologies, weighting, budgets, and quarterly evaluations.
- Monitor performance of corporate departments and portfolio companies, identifying deviations and recommending corrective actions.
- Prepare executive dashboards and progress reports for the MD/GCEO.
- Portfolio Support & Synergy Enablement
- Coordinate with portfolio companies to align strategic priorities, operational transformation initiatives, and group-wide support services standards.
- Support group synergy programs (HR, Legal, Procurement, IT, Admin), in collaboration with the Group CSSO and corporate functions.
- Track execution of transformation programs within subsidiaries and ensure effective reporting and risk management.
- Drive consistency in governance across portfolio companies (DOA alignment, NRC alignment, reporting cycles, etc.).
- Strategic Projects & Transformation
- Lead and manage special strategic projects assigned by the MD/GCEO or Group CSSO.
- Conduct feasibility studies, benchmarking, business cases, and operating model reviews.
- Support digital transformation and process optimization initiatives (SAP SuccessFactors, AI automation, support services digitalization, etc.).
- Design and manage program plans, charters, workstreams, and PMO documentation.
- Research, Analysis & Thought Leadership
- Conduct in-depth market research, competitor benchmarking, and risk assessments.
- Prepare high-quality presentations, board papers, policy briefs, and analytical reports.
- Present insights and recommendations to senior leadership and contribute to strategic decision-making.
- Maintain awareness of macroeconomic trends and regulatory developments affecting the company and its subsidiaries.
- Governance, Reporting & Internal Alignment
- Ensure timely preparation of strategy reports for internal committees (Investment Committee, NRC, Board).
- Support governance reviews on existing subsidiaries, including performance health checks, strategic alignment, and risk monitoring.
- Coordinate with Legal, Finance, HR, and Audit to ensure alignment on policies and frameworks.
Requirements:
- Education
- Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Economics, Finance, Strategy, or similar.
- Master’s degree (MBA / MSc) preferred.
Experience - 8–12 years of experience in Strategy, Corporate Planning, Management Consulting, or Investment/Portfolio management.
- Experience within a holding company, investment group, large conglomerate, or top-tier consulting firm (PwC, EY, Kearney, BCG, McKinsey) is highly preferred.
- Strong familiarity with large-scale transformation programs, KPI frameworks, and strategic governance.
- Experience collaborating across multiple business units and sectors.