Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Director of Strategy

🎯 Role Definition

The Director of Strategy leads the development and execution of high-impact strategic initiatives that align with corporate objectives and drive sustainable growth. This role synthesizes market intelligence, financial analysis, and cross-functional insights to build business cases, recommend strategic investments (including M&A and partnerships), and partner with executive leadership to prioritize and operationalize strategy. The Director of Strategy acts as both a strategist and an integrator — translating long-term vision into measurable plans, governance, and performance tracking.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Strategy Manager / Strategy Manager
Management Consultant (Senior Consultant / Engagement Manager)
Corporate Development Manager / Senior Financial Analyst
Head of Business Operations / Strategic Planning Lead

Advancement To:

Vice President, Strategy
Head of Corporate Strategy / Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Senior Leader in Corporate Development or BizOps

Lateral Moves:

Head of Product Strategy / Director of Product
VP of Corporate Development / M&A Lead
Director of Business Operations / Chief of Staff
Head of Market Intelligence / Competitive Strategy

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the annual corporate strategic planning process end-to-end: define vision and objectives, facilitate cross-functional input, consolidate priorities, and translate strategy into a 3–5 year roadmap with measurable goals and KPIs.
Build rigorous, investor-quality financial models and scenario analyses to evaluate strategic options, capital allocation, pricing strategies, and ROI for new products, markets, or investments.
Own the preparation and delivery of board-level and executive leadership presentations, synthesizing complex data into clear recommendations, trade-offs, and decision frameworks.
Drive competitive and market intelligence programs including TAM/SAM/SOM analysis, competitor benchmarking, trend scouting, and rapid market-entry assessments to inform go-to-market and product decisions.
Develop, validate, and operationalize business cases for major initiatives—covering revenue projections, cost assumptions, sensitivity analysis, and risk mitigation plans to secure executive approval and funding.
Lead cross-functional strategic initiatives (product launches, market expansions, organizational redesigns) from ideation through execution, coordinating product, marketing, sales, finance, legal, and operations teams.
Partner closely with Corporate Development on M&A strategy: target screening, diligence prioritization, synergy quantification, integration planning, and post-close value capture.
Design and implement governance, OKR/metric frameworks, and reporting cadences to measure strategic performance, ensure accountability, and maintain strategic flexibility.
Facilitate executive-level decision making by providing structured frameworks, prioritization matrices, and trade-off analyses for resource allocation and strategic bets.
Identify and incubate new growth opportunities (adjacencies, partnerships, alliances, JV models) and create commercialization plans to accelerate revenue diversification.
Lead strategic cost optimization initiatives, including operating model reviews, process rationalization, and productivity programs to improve margins sustainably.
Use customer segmentation and voice-of-customer research to articulate differentiated value propositions and to prioritize product and GTM investments.
Coach and mentor strategy team members and cross-functional leads to strengthen analytical capabilities, storytelling, and execution discipline across the organization.
Manage stakeholder relationships across the C-suite and business units to align priorities, resolve conflicts, and secure resources for strategic projects.
Oversee strategic vendor and partner relationships, negotiating commercial terms and structuring partnerships to accelerate time-to-market and reduce capital intensity.
Drive scenario planning and contingency strategies to prepare the business for disruptive market changes, regulatory shifts, or economic volatility.
Ensure alignment between corporate strategy and annual operating plans, budgeting processes, and long-term capital plans to maintain financial discipline.
Design and implement pilot programs to test hypotheses quickly, gather data, and scale successful experiments across regions or business units.
Lead transformation and change-management efforts tied to strategic initiatives, including communication plans, training, org design, and culture shifts to support execution.
Synthesize operational metrics, customer analytics, and market signals into strategic recommendations with clear implementation steps and success metrics.
Champion innovation programs and manage a pipeline of strategic initiatives, prioritizing based on strategic fit, feasibility, and expected value.
Represent the company externally in strategic partnerships, investor discussions, industry forums, and analyst briefings to raise profile and attract strategic opportunities.
Coordinate with legal, risk, and compliance teams to ensure strategic initiatives meet regulatory requirements and enterprise risk tolerances.
Regularly audit strategic projects for slippage, reprioritize resources as needed, and present corrective action plans to executive leadership.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Assist in preparing quarterly strategy reports and board materials that capture progress, risks, and recommended pivots.
Facilitate cross-functional workshops and offsites to align leadership on strategic trade-offs and multi-quarter commitments.
Maintain an up-to-date strategic dashboard and insights repository to enable rapid, evidence-based decisions.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strategic planning & portfolio management — proven ability to develop multi-year corporate strategies and prioritize initiatives.
Financial modeling & valuation — advanced Excel modeling, NPV/IRR, scenario and sensitivity analysis for business cases and M&A.
Market research & competitive analysis — TAM/SAM/SOM analysis, sector trend forecasting, and competitor benchmarking methodologies.
Data analysis & interpretation — familiarity with SQL, Python/R (basic), and analytical tools to validate hypotheses and interpret large datasets.
Business case development — constructing rigorous proposals that quantify benefits, costs, risks, and implementation plans.
M&A deal experience — target screening, due diligence coordination, synergy quantification, and post-merger integration planning.
OKR/KPI design and performance frameworks — setting measurable goals and building dashboards (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
Advanced presentation & storytelling — crafting executive-ready slides using PowerPoint with a narrative structure and clear recommendations.
Project and program management — Agile and waterfall approaches to lead cross-functional initiatives and manage dependencies.
Pricing strategy and revenue optimization — segmentation-driven pricing, packaging, and monetization frameworks.
CRM and GTM tools familiarity — understanding of Salesforce, HubSpot, or comparable systems to align go-to-market strategy.
Risk assessment and regulatory awareness — ability to identify regulatory impacts and design mitigation strategies.

Soft Skills

Executive presence and influence — comfort presenting to C-suite and board members and securing buy-in across stakeholders.
Strategic thinking and problem solving — synthesize ambiguous inputs into clear, actionable strategies.
Cross-functional leadership — collaborate effectively with product, finance, sales, operations, legal, and HR.
Communication and storytelling — translate complex analyses into concise narratives and compelling recommendations.
Change management and facilitation — lead organizational change with empathy, clarity, and structure.
Negotiation and stakeholder management — balance competing priorities and broker agreements that advance strategic goals.
Coaching and people development — mentor senior managers and high-potential strategists to build team capability.
Adaptability and resilience — comfortable operating in fast-paced environments with shifting priorities.
Attention to detail and analytical rigor — ensure accuracy in models, decks, and recommendations.
Time management and prioritization — manage multiple strategic tracks and escalate appropriately when trade-offs arise.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Engineering, or related field.

Preferred Education:

MBA or relevant advanced degree preferred (strategy, finance, or management).
Executive education in strategy, leadership, or corporate finance is a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration / Management
Finance / Accounting
Economics
Strategy / Strategic Management
Engineering / Computer Science (for product-led companies)
Data Analytics / Statistics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

8–15+ years of progressive experience in corporate strategy, management consulting, corporate development, business operations, or related roles.

Preferred:

10+ years with proven track record leading strategy in high-growth or complex matrix organizations.
Demonstrated experience in M&A transactions, go-to-market transformations, and cross-functional program leadership.
Prior consulting experience at a top-tier firm (e.g., McKinsey, BCG, Bain) or equivalent in-house strategy leadership is highly desirable.