Strategic & Execution Planning Manager -UK

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 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 organisations, 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 organisational effectiveness.
  • Lead governance forums, executive reviews, and steering committees for major programs.
  • Drive M&A initiatives to completion.
  • Oversee and track progress of key organisational initiatives, ensuring deadlines, budgets, and quality standards 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.
  • 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
  • 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.
  • 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 organisational 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.
• Data Protection
  As your employer, the Bank needs to keep information about you for purposes connected with your employment.
• Conduct Risk
  All employees are bound by the Bank’s Conduct Risk Policy.

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.