Job Title:                   Strategic & Execution Planning Manager -UK

Industry:                    Banking

Location:                     United Kingdom

Salary:                       Competitive Salary Package + Benefits

 

Role Purpose

The Strategic & Execution Planning Manager will support the CEO in shaping, articulating, and executing the bank’s strategic agenda. The role is responsible for translating the CEO’s vision into clear strategic priorities, executable plans, and measurable outcomes, while providing rigorous analysis and insight to guide growth decisions across our markets.

This is a hands-on, high-impact role suited to a commercially minded strategist and results-oriented individual comfortable operating in a lean organisation with direct exposure to executive decision-making.

 

Key responsibilities / accountabilities

 

CEO & Enterprise Strategy Execution

Act as a strategic advisor to the CEO, supporting decision-making on growth, capital allocation, and prioritisation. Provide leadership in the annual and multi-year strategic planning process, coordinating inputs from business heads and control functions, including environmental scans, opportunity assessments, and priority-setting. In partnership with executive leadership, translate the CEO’s strategic direction into clear initiatives, roadmaps, and KPIs. Work with the Executive Committee and other stakeholders to drive initiatives to completion Facilitate strategic workshops and planning sessions across departments. Ensure alignment between corporate strategy, business unit initiatives, and operational plans.

Strategic Analysis & Insight

Conduct strategic, financial, and scenario analysis on key issues including market expansion, product development, partnerships, and investments. Prepare options papers highlighting trade-offs, risks, and upside scenarios for CEO consideration. Conduct ongoing analysis of business performance, highlighting trends, gaps, and opportunities. Provide strategic recommendations based on data insights and market intelligence.

Growth & Market Development

Support evaluation of new country entry, client segments, and product opportunities (e.g. corporate banking, trade finance, payments). Analyse and develop partnership and corporate development opportunities, including fintech and correspondent banking relationships, international development organizations, and potential providers of funding/capital Monitor competitive positioning and emerging-market banking trends.

Execution & Performance Delivery

Track delivery of CEO-sponsored strategic initiatives across the organisation. Develop and maintain strategy dashboards and progress reports for the CEO Drive collaboration across functions to reduce silos and enhance organizational effectiveness. Lead governance forums, executive reviews, and steering committees for major programs. Drive M&A initiatives to completion Oversee and track progress of key organizational initiatives, ensuring deadlines, budgets, and qualitystandards are met. Identify execution risks and operational bottlenecks, develop mitigation plans, process improvements, and escalate issues as needed. Implement project management best practices and operational frameworks to drive efficiency. Support change management initiatives associated with strategic projects.

Board & Executive Communications

Prepare high-quality Board papers, presentations, and briefing notes on strategy and performance. Support CEO preparation for Board meetings, offsites, and investor or stakeholder engagements. Ensure strategic narratives are clear, consistent, and data driven.

Person specification

 

Skills and Attributes

•          Strategic, structured thinker with strong commercial judgement

•          Execution discipline, problem solving and program management skills

•          Cross-functional leadership

•          Change management

•          Confident engaging at CEO, board and external stakeholder levels

•          Able to operate with ambiguity and limited resources

•          Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills

•          Discreet, trusted, and highly professional

•          International mindset with cultural awareness

 

Experience & Qualifications

 

Essential

6–10 years’ experience in corporate strategy, management consulting, corporate and investment banking, capital markets, program management, corporate development, or strategic finance, ideally within banking or financial services. Strong understanding of banking economics and technical issues Ability to drive cross-functional and strategic initiatives to completion by collaborating internally and externally Proven ability to produce executive- and Board-level analysis and materials. Advanced analytical and financial modelling capability. Familiarity and understanding of African banking markets

Desirable

Experience in emerging markets, trade finance, payments, or international banking. Exposure to fintech partnerships or digital growth initiatives. Prior experience working directly with a CEO or senior executive.

Key Stakeholders

CEO (primary stakeholder) Executive Committee and senior management Business line heads Finance, Risk, Compliance, and Operations External advisors and partners

What Success Looks Like

CEO decisions supported by clear, timely, and actionable analysis Cross-functional collaboration and improved organizational performance Strong delivery discipline across strategic initiatives Enhanced Board confidence in the bank’s strategic direction

Requirements for all staff

 

Policies and procedures

All employees are bound through their contracts of employment to follow the instructions of the Board of Directors and to comply with the policies and procedures that are developed and authorised in their name.

Regulatory frameworks and standing financial instructions

All employees will adhere to all regulatory frameworks and statutory guidance and comply with standing financial instructions.

 

Confidentiality and information security

Under the provisions of the Data Protection Act, it is the responsibility of each member of staff to ensure that all personal data relating to customers and members of staff, whether held in manual or electronic format, is kept secure at all times.  Computer passwords must not be shared either between systems or users. The Bank may monitor e-mail messages, any files stored on the networks or on equipment and usage of the Internet, whether these relate to the Bank or personal use. Access and usage of the Bank’s computers must be in accordance with the Bank’s Policies.

 

Data Protection

As your employer, the Bank needs to keep information about you for purposes connected with your employment. The sort of information the Bank will hold includes information for payroll purposes, references, contact names and addresses and records relating to your career with the Bank. These uses are covered by notification with the Information Commissioners Office under the Data Protection Act 1998. The information hold will be for the management and administrative use only but the Bank may need to disclose some information they hold about you to relevant third parties (e.g. Inland Revenue).

 

Conduct Risk

All employees are bound by the Bank’s Conduct Risk Policy. Conduct risk is the risk that detriment is caused to the Bank, our customers or counterparties because of poor judgement in or the inappropriate execution of the business activities or that behaviour of the bank’s staff will result or result in poor outcomes for customers. It is your duty to ensure that your actions or inactions do not result in poor outcomes for customers.

 

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be expected to work within a reasonable commuting distance of the organisation’s London office. While a hybrid working arrangement is supported, the role will require a regular on-site presence (currently a minimum of three days per week), subject to business needs and future change.

 

Applicants must have the right to work in the United Kingdom.

 

Maintenance of Job Description

The line manager and the role holder are responsible for the on-going review and maintenance of this job description to ensure it is up to date and reflects the current:

Objectives of the role Responsibilities, Accountabilities and Deliverables

Any changes to this job description must be agreed with your line manager and it is the line manager’s responsibility to ensure a signed copy is submitted to the Human Resources Department.

Job descriptions are retained on file for regulatory and audit purposes. Employees should also retain a copy of their job description for their own records.