VP Strategy - Customers in London

The Strategy VP will be part of bp’s Strategy & Sustainability team, responsible for leading a diverse team of senior managers, advisers and analysts. Together you will play a pivotal role in developing the next generation of corporate and business strategies & policies, opportunities and areas for strategic improvement.

This is a highly integrated position, reliant on extensive experience and knowledge, either from across the energy sector and customer markets or from a professional services/consulting background. Sustaining a wide network both internally and externally will be an important aspect of this role. This is a global role with your area of strategic responsibility being the Customer businesses within the downstream: our three regional Mobility & Convenience businesses, bp pulse (EV charging) business, Aviation fuels and Castrol.

As well as customer strategy & policy development, you will also be responsible for supporting the development of your team. You will lead through the bp ‘Who we are’ principles and hold your team to account: to live our purpose, play to win, and care for others.

• Portfolio ownership: be accountable for the delivery of a high impact portfolio of work on behalf of the bp LT, SVP Strategy, and our Customer businesses - taking full ownership of content. This includes managing and prioritising multiple teams and workstreams. Ensuring quality control and continuous improvement across the project lifecycle, including positive impact of streamlining existing processes and methodologies.
• People leadership: responsible for managing and organising your team and setting your team up for success. Developing the capabilities of your team through coaching of best-in-class strategic & policy practice, mentoring and supporting career progression opportunities. Recruiting for and retaining talent, providing feedback and being responsible for annual performance cycles. Planning and leading the team’s work programme. Acting as a role model on the Strategy LT and proactively responding to the team needs.
• Relationships: responsible for building and maintaining strong relationships with senior executives. Partnering with key decision makers in the bp LT, our Customers & Products business leaders and integrating functions - guiding them in areas of strategic focus and deployment.
• Strategy communication, policy, and external engagement: Originator of strategic & policy storylines and effective delivery of associated narratives of diverse audiences. Actively lead internal policies and external positions including engagement and related initiatives in support of bp’s Net Zero, wider strategy & sustainability ambitions. Setting direction at a Group level, regularly engaging with the executive leadership team and working across the country teams worldwide to deliver it. Foster existing and forge new partnerships and collaborations with external parties that align with bp’s goals.
• Thought leadership and innovation: steer the development of the Customers business and corporate strategies & policies. Ensure alignment with bp’s overarching strategic narrative, bringing in strategic problem solving, thinking, value creation and management, policy writing, and planning, whilst developing new and innovative approaches.
• Strategic origination and business development: maintaining links with key partners both internally and externally to originate new opportunities aligned to our strategic intent.

Be a leader of living by bp's Code of Conduct and demonstrate robust leadership through bp's ‘who we are’. Support the development and maintenance of an inclusive team culture.

• Extensive experience in the energy / retail / transportation / automotive sectors or professional services/consulting, with significant evidence of delivery in a strategic role.
• Demonstrated capability in applying strategy methods: applying best in class approaches to problem solving, critical thinking, planning and sector, market and customer competitor analysis.
• Significant experience of strategy formulation in customer focused businesses across different geographies.
• Team leadership: experience in leading diverse inter-disciplinary, high-performing teams with a history of successfully developing talent.
• Established network and a demonstrated ability to build influential relationships: a deep and broad network, including industry peers, consultancies, governments and academia, with a record of developing relationships in support of strategy development and business execution. A consistent collaborative approach is required.
• Extensive knowledge of the energy sector, markets, customers, and competitors: a thorough technical understanding across a diverse range of current and emerging energy vectors, energy and economic outlooks, financial markets and commodity pricing, customer segments, and current and future positioning of our key competitors.
• Strategic and business origination: experience in identifying and originating new business opportunities and ventures, innovative approaches to funding.
• Outstanding communication & influencing skills: ability to develop concise, clear storylines to communicate strategic & policy narratives to diverse audiences. Excellent writing skills and oral presentation. Strong ability to influence audiences on highly critical business decisions.
• Deep understanding of business and project economics: commercial and financial acumen and applicability to guiding strategy, business development, and decision making. Strong business judgement and an ability to arrive at pragmatic solutions to complex strategic problems.
• Expertise in distilling customer trends and behaviours, enabling meaningful insights for bp customer-facing businesses.
• A conceptual problem solver - able to understand the bigger picture, underlying principles and more abstract ideas.
• Bachelor's degree, or equivalent experience in; business, economics, engineering, science, or other relevant subject areas.
• Experience in professional services, consulting or business strategy within a relevant sector, with knowledge of industry trends and challenges would also be beneficial.

Why join us? We’re committed to supporting leaders who want to make an impact. At bp, you’ll have the chance to shape and influence outcomes across businesses. You’ll be part of an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued, and where your contribution to performance and integration matters. We invest in the growth and wellbeing of our people, providing the resources, networks, and development opportunities needed to thrive.

Our total rewards package includes competitive pay, bonuses, share options, and a range of flexible benefits designed to meet your needs — from healthcare and retirement plans to paid time off and agile working. We recognise that people have multifaceted lives, and we strive to offer a career experience that reflects that.

Apply now!

Up to 10% travel should be expected with this role.

This role is not eligible for relocation.

This position is a hybrid of office/remote working.

Commercial Acumen, customer and competitor understanding, Data visualization and interpretation, Developing and implementing strategy, Economic evaluation methodology, Empowering Others, Generating customer insights, Inclusive Leadership, Influencing, Investment appraisal, Managing strategic partnerships, Market Analysis, Market Development, Project and programme management, Prospecting and pipeline management, Stakeholder Management, Strategic origination, Value creation and management.