Senior Manager, Strategy Planning

Job Responsibilities - Lead the design and delivery of CBD's annual and multi-year corporate strategy, coordinating inputs across business units, Finance, Risk, and Technology - Conduct macro-environmental, competitive landscape, and market opportunity analyses to inform strategic direction and identify white spaces for growth - Develop and maintain the corporate strategy narrative, including strategic pillars, KPI frameworks, and long-range financial and non-financial targets - Prepare high-quality strategy materials for ExCo, Board Strategy Committee, and senior leadership sessions, including strategic reviews and decision papers - Translate complex analytical findings into clear strategic options and recommendations that enable senior leadership decision-making - Design and operationalise the strategy execution framework, defining initiative owners, milestone governance, and escalation mechanisms - Maintain a consolidated view of CBD's strategic initiative portfolio, tracking progress against KPIs and proactively flagging risks, interdependencies, and delivery gaps - Partner with business unit heads and transformation leads to embed strategic priorities into operational planning and resource allocation cycles - Lead quarterly and annual strategy performance reviews, producing executive-ready reporting on strategic progress for the Head of Strategy & Transformation and ExCo - Facilitate prioritisation decisions across the portfolio when resources or timelines are under pressure - Serve as the primary interface for all external strategy consulting engagements, including scoping, contracting, and day-to-day management - Evaluate consulting proposals and ensure scope, deliverables, and commercial terms are aligned with CBD's strategic objectives and value expectations - Provide active oversight and challenge throughout engagements to ensure consulting output is context-specific, actionable, and fit for internal decision-making - Build internal capability by actively absorbing and institutionalising methodologies and insights from consulting partners - Manage consulting budgets and track ROI across advisory spend within the Strategy & Transformation function Requirements: Qualifications - Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, or related field strongly preferred - Professional certifications in strategy, finance, or project management are an advantage (e.g. CFA, PMP) - Minimum 10 years of total experience, with at least 5 years in a strategy role within a top-tier management consulting firm or an in-house strategy function at a financial institution - Demonstrated experience leading end-to-end strategy development and execution governance in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment - Prior experience managing or working closely with external consulting vendors in a client-side capacity strongly preferred - UAE or GCC banking experience is a significant advantage - Practical knowledge of implementing and managing OKR framework is an advantage