Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Head of Strategy

🎯 Role Definition

The Head of Strategy is a senior leadership role, acting as the primary architect and custodian of the organization's long-term vision and strategic direction. This individual serves as a key advisor to the CEO and the executive leadership team, providing critical insights, data-driven analysis, and forward-looking perspectives to navigate complex market dynamics. The core purpose of this role is to ensure the company makes deliberate, informed choices about where to play and how to win. Success is measured by the clarity of our corporate strategy, our ability to identify and capitalize on new growth opportunities, and the successful execution of strategic initiatives that create sustainable competitive advantage and long-term shareholder value.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Manager / Director in a top-tier Management Consulting firm (e.g., McKinsey, BCG, Bain)
Director of Corporate Strategy or Corporate Development within a large enterprise
Senior leadership role in Investment Banking (M&A) or Private Equity

Advancement To:

Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)
Chief Operating Officer (COO) or Chief Business Officer (CBO)
General Manager of a major Business Unit or Division

Lateral Moves:

Head of Corporate Development / M&A
Head of a specific Business Unit or Product Line

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Spearhead the annual and long-range strategic planning process, partnering with the executive team to articulate the company's mission, vision, and multi-year roadmap.
Lead the continuous evaluation of market trends, competitive landscapes, and disruptive technologies to identify and analyze strategic opportunities and threats.
Develop and maintain a comprehensive corporate strategy, translating high-level objectives into actionable initiatives with clear ownership, timelines, and success metrics.
Function as the lead for corporate development activities, including identifying, evaluating, and executing potential mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships.
Drive the inorganic growth thesis by building a robust M&A pipeline, conducting rigorous due diligence, and developing compelling business cases for potential transactions.
Act as a trusted strategic advisor to the CEO and C-suite, providing objective, data-driven counsel on critical business decisions and high-priority special projects.
Champion a culture of strategic thinking across the organization, developing frameworks and processes that empower leaders to make decisions aligned with our long-term goals.
Prepare and deliver compelling, high-impact presentations and reports on strategic matters for the Board of Directors, executive team, and investors.
Lead deep-dive analyses into new market entry opportunities, assessing market size, competitive intensity, customer needs, and the company's right to win.
Formulate and pressure-test business models for new products, services, and ventures to ensure their financial viability and strategic fit.
Oversee the company's market and competitive intelligence function, ensuring the leadership team has access to timely, relevant, and actionable insights.
Partner with the CFO and finance team to link the strategic plan to the long-range financial plan, annual budget, and capital allocation process.
Lead and mentor a high-performing strategy team, fostering their professional development and ensuring they provide exceptional support to the business.
Drive cross-functional alignment on strategic priorities, facilitating workshops and discussions to ensure all departments are working towards a common vision.
Monitor the execution of strategic initiatives, establishing KPIs and a governance rhythm to track progress, identify roadblocks, and ensure accountability.
Develop and articulate the company’s strategic narrative for both internal and external audiences, ensuring consistency in messaging.
Challenge the status quo and existing business assumptions with insightful questions, rigorous analysis, and a forward-looking perspective.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc analytical and data-driven projects for the executive leadership team to address urgent business challenges or opportunities.
Collaborate with Product and Engineering leadership to ensure the product roadmap is directly informed by and aligned with the overarching corporate strategy.
Assist the People & Culture team in strategic workforce planning to ensure the organization has the talent and capabilities required to execute its future strategy.
Manage relationships with external strategic partners, including consulting firms, investment banks, and industry experts.
Contribute to the organization's data and analytics strategy, advocating for the tools and capabilities needed to support sophisticated strategic analysis.
Participate in key industry events, conferences, and forums to network, gather intelligence, and represent the company's strategic vision.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced Financial Modeling & Valuation: Deep expertise in building complex financial models for M&A, business casing, and long-range planning (DCF, LBO, etc.).
Strategic Planning Frameworks: Mastery of various strategic tools and methodologies (e.g., SWOT, Porter's Five Forces, Ansoff Matrix, Business Model Canvas).
Market Analysis & Sizing: Proven ability to conduct comprehensive market research, estimate market sizes (TAM/SAM/SOM), and synthesize competitive intelligence.
Data Analysis & Synthesis: Skill in taking large, complex datasets and distilling them into clear, actionable insights and compelling narratives.
Due Diligence Management: Experience leading and coordinating the due diligence process for acquisitions, investments, or major partnerships.
Executive & Board-Level Presentation: Exceptional ability to create and deliver clear, concise, and persuasive presentations (mastery of PowerPoint/Google Slides is assumed).

Soft Skills

Strategic & Visionary Thinking: The ability to see the "big picture," connect disparate trends, and envision future possibilities for the business.
Executive Presence & Influence: Confidence, credibility, and communication skills to effectively advise and influence senior executives and board members.
Superior Storytelling & Communication: Ability to craft and articulate a compelling strategic narrative for diverse audiences, simplifying complex concepts.
Stakeholder Management: Skill in navigating complex organizational structures, building consensus, and managing relationships across all levels and functions.
High Ambiguity Tolerance: Thrives in unstructured environments, capable of creating clarity and direction from vague or incomplete information.
Intellectual Curiosity & Humility: A genuine passion for learning, asking probing questions, and being open to challenging one's own assumptions.
Structured Problem Solving: A hypothesis-driven approach to breaking down complex, ambiguous problems into manageable, analyzable components.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree in a quantitative or business-related field.

Preferred Education:

Master of Business Administration (MBA) from a top-tier business school.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration
Finance
Economics
Engineering or a related technical field

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 12-18+ years of progressive experience in roles directly related to strategy and corporate development.

Preferred: A career background that includes a combination of 3-5+ years in a premier management consulting firm and 7-10+ years of in-house corporate strategy, corporate development, or business unit leadership experience. Direct experience leading M&A transactions, from sourcing through integration, is highly desirable.