Director of Strategy

Job Description

BURN is seeking a highly strategic, commercially astute, and results-oriented Director of Strategy to lead the development and execution of the company's corporate strategy and growth agenda.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer and working closely with the Executive Leadership Team, the Director of Strategy will play a critical role in shaping BURN's long-term vision, identifying transformational growth opportunities, driving strategic initiatives, and ensuring alignment across the organization.

This role requires a leader who can combine rigorous analytical thinking with strong business judgment to guide enterprise-wide decision-making. The Director of Strategy will oversee corporate planning, market expansion, strategic partnerships, business transformation initiatives, investment analysis, and performance management while serving as a trusted advisor to the CEO, Board, and senior leadership team.

Key Responsibilities

Corporate Strategy & Business Planning

• Lead the development, refinement, and execution of BURN's corporate strategy, ensuring alignment with the company's mission, growth ambitions, and financial objectives.
• Partner with the CEO and Executive Leadership Team to define long-term strategic priorities and enterprise-wide goals.
• Develop and oversee the annual strategic planning process, translating strategic priorities into actionable business plans.
• Establish and monitor company-wide strategic objectives, key results (OKRs), and performance metrics.

Growth Strategy & Market Expansion

• Identify and evaluate new growth opportunities, including geographic expansion, new product categories, customer segments, and business models.
• Lead market assessments, feasibility studies, and strategic business cases to support investment decisions.
• Drive strategic initiatives that accelerate revenue growth, market penetration, and operational scalability.
• Evaluate emerging market trends, regulatory developments, competitive dynamics, and technology innovations that could impact the business.

Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships

• Develop and manage high-impact strategic partnerships that enhance market access, distribution capabilities, innovation, financing, and customer reach.
• Lead strategic negotiations and relationship management with key external stakeholders, including corporate partners, development agencies, investors, and government institutions.
• Assess potential acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, and other corporate development opportunities.

Strategic Finance & Investment Analysis

• Lead enterprise-wide business modelling and financial analysis to support major strategic decisions.
• Evaluate investment opportunities, capital allocation decisions, and growth initiatives through robust financial and commercial assessments.
• Partner with Finance leadership to develop long-range financial plans and scenario analyses.
• Support fundraising activities through the development of investment cases, strategic narratives, and investor presentations.

Transformation & Performance Management

• Drive cross-functional strategic initiatives and transformation programs from concept through implementation.
• Monitor execution of strategic priorities and intervene where performance gaps or execution risks emerge.
• Establish governance structures to ensure accountability and delivery against strategic objectives.
• Lead post-implementation reviews and continuous improvement efforts to maximize strategic outcomes.

Market Intelligence & Competitive Strategy

• Oversee strategic market intelligence efforts to identify industry trends, customer insights, and competitive threats.
• Develop differentiated value propositions and strategic positioning for BURN's products and services.
• Provide actionable insights and recommendations to support executive decision-making.

Board & Executive Advisory

• Serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO and Executive Leadership Team on critical business decisions.
• Prepare board presentations, strategic updates, business performance reviews, and investment recommendations.
• Support board-level discussions regarding growth strategy, organizational priorities, and long-term value creation.
• Facilitate executive alignment on strategic priorities and resource allocation decisions.

Leadership & Team Development

• Build and lead a high-performing strategy function capable of supporting enterprise-wide strategic initiatives.
• Develop internal strategic planning capabilities across the organization.
• Foster a culture of data-driven decision-making, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Mentor and coach team members to strengthen analytical, strategic, and leadership capabilities.

Skills & Experience

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Engineering, Strategy, Management, or a related field.
• MBA or other relevant postgraduate qualification strongly preferred.

Experience

• Minimum of 12-15 years of progressive experience in corporate strategy, management consulting, corporate development, business transformation, investment analysis, or executive leadership.
• Proven experience developing and executing enterprise-level growth strategies in high-growth, multinational, or emerging-market organizations.
• Experience working directly with executive leadership teams, boards, investors, and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success leading complex cross-functional strategic initiatives and organizational transformation programs.
• Experience in clean energy, climate technology, consumer products, financial services, development finance, or emerging markets is highly desirable.

Core Competencies

Strategic Leadership

• Ability to define and communicate a compelling long-term vision.
• Strong enterprise thinking and ability to align multiple business units around shared objectives.

Commercial Acumen

• Deep understanding of business drivers, growth strategies, market economics, and competitive positioning.
• Strong ability to translate strategic opportunities into measurable business outcomes.

Analytical Excellence

• Advanced financial modelling, scenario planning, business case development, and investment analysis skills.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative problem-solving capabilities.

Executive Influence

• Exceptional stakeholder management and ability to influence decisions at executive and board levels.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.

Change & Transformation Leadership

• Proven ability to lead organizational change and strategic transformation initiatives.
• Strong project governance and execution capabilities.

Personal Attributes

• Entrepreneurial mindset with strong ownership and accountability.
• High level of integrity, resilience, and adaptability.
• Comfortable operating in dynamic, fast-paced, and evolving environments.
• Independent, proactive, and capable of managing ambiguity.
• Courage to challenge conventional thinking and drive innovative solutions.

Qualified Female Candidates encouraged to Apply

BURN does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, processing, training, or any other fees).