Al Futtaim Jobs - Strategy and Planning Manager | Group Transformation | Dubai (Dubai, AE)

Job Requisition ID: 84681 

No two days are the same at Al-Futtaim, no matter what role you have. Our work is driven by the desire to make a difference and to have a meaningful impact with the goal of enriching everyday lives. Take our engaging and supportive work environment and couple it with a company culture that recognises and rewards quality performance, and what do you get? The chance to push the limits every single day.

 

As a humble family business that started on the banks of the Dubai Creek in the 1930s, Al-Futtaim has expanded to a presence in 31 countries, a portfolio of over 200 companies, and 42,000 employees. You’ll find us in industries ranging from automotive and retail, to finance and real estate, and connecting people with international names like Lexus, Ikea, Robinsons, and Adidas. Our team is proudly multicultural and multinational because that kind of diverse representation gives us the global mindset to grow and impact the people, markets, and trends around us.

 

Come join us to live well, work better, and be the best.

 

About the Role

 

We are currently looking for Strategy and Planning Manager to join our Group Transformation team who will be responsible in the following areas:

• Facilitating the co-development of strategy and transformation plans for select divisions within the Group
• Acting as the interface between the transformation office and select divisional presidents & Group directors
• Challenging perceived wisdoms and entrenched ways of doing things to orchestrate major change towards new revenue streams/business models
• Tracking quality, ROI and benefits realization on behalf of the CTO
• Developing perspective on critical issues and required counter measures during delivery of key change programs
• Developing employee engagement plans & embed the skills & tools required to deliver objectives

 

Overall

• Helps CTO manage the Transformation agenda including structure, methods and issue management
• Works with peers within the Transformation Management Office to continuously iterate the Group’s approaches and tools for transformation
• Coordinates the use of external strategic advisors to help maximize ROI for the Group
• Shapes strategy, transformation agenda, and new opportunities across the Group with CTO, Business Presidents, and leadership teams
• Manages team, guides activities, and reviews all outputs
• Drives transformation efforts on daily basis with senior business leaders and teams
• Maintains intimate familiarity with all initiative content and progress
• Resolves issues with the team and escalates to CTO as necessary
• Prepares ad hoc requests, analyses, and reports for CTO and senior leaders

 

Group wide Assessment & Planning

• Identifies transformation needs and opportunities across the organization
• Leads collection and organization of relevant data for initiative planning and analysis
• Develops transformation business cases by analyzing information, formulating and testing hypotheses, and developing and communicating recommendations
• Helps define financial and non-financial impact of projects in partnership with Finance and leaders

 

Group wide Validation & Implementation

• Supports transformation leads/managers in collecting information and documenting progress of initiatives (reports, analysis, emerging issue logs)
• Develops TMO tools and systems and leads adoption
• Tracks financial and non-financial impact of initiatives and overall projects
• Prepares detailed analyses and presentation of outcomes

 

Automotive Strategy & Planning

• Formulates the global auto strategy in collaboration with the President and Director of Strategy & Transformation
• Tracks and reports on the execution of the strategy and its implementation across the division in collaboration with senior leaders
• Helps conduct business planning and set the President’s strategic agenda including aligning senior executives in the division and at Group level
• Develops long term view on strategic initiatives with sponsors / senior executives with quantified impact, effort and detailed requirements to deliver
• Works with senior leaders in the division and at Group level to identify new business opportunities and develop approach to realization
• Develops updates on the strategy execution as part of the quarterly business review meetings (BRMs)
• Supports businesses in shaping strategy, business plans and transformation agendas
• Understands market realities, assess business performance and internal capabilities
• Facilitates the co-development of detailed timelines including milestones, dependencies, team organization and budget
• Leads analyses and options evaluations and presents recommendations
• Drives workshops and meetings with initiative teams and supports in aligning senior executives

 

Auto Transformation

• Facilitates the co-development of detailed timelines including milestones, dependencies, team organization and budgets for delivery
• Assists the President and Director of Strategy & Transformation with embedding appropriate methods and resolve emerging issues
• Interfaces between the President, divisional leadership, and TMO team
• Ensures correct implementation of transformation and optimization plans across various programs.
• Delivers ad hoc projects on behalf of the Auto President
• Facilitates the co-development of the overall divisional transformation plan
   

Auto PMO

• Tracks and monitors the execution and delivery of strategic projects
• Collates biweekly progress report for all strategic projects
• Develops monthly report and presentation on strategy execution for President to share with Group’s Vice Chairman

 

Execution

• Provides implementation support to select divisions and functions with clear accountability for certain deliverables
• Directly manages select programs for growth, turnaround and exits
• Meets / collaborates with transformation/program/project sponsors & managers to help clarify scope and coordinates across teams to ensure alignment and progress
• Guides team members on key elements of relevant initiatives including objectives
• Manages and coaches resources on delivery methods with a focus on agility
• Helps prioritize initiatives
• Anticipates, captures and addresses issues during delivery
• Keeps CTO and other executives updated on progress, next steps, issues and decisions required
• Prepares Executive Committee meeting reports

 

About the Requirements

Education: Master’s level, preferably an MBA

Minimum Experience and Knowledge: 

• 12+ years of professional experience, typically in strategy and program delivery across variety of businesses
• Leadership experience and track record of managing high performing teams and developing talent
• Clear strategic thinking and ability to create buy-in and influence at the C-suite level.
• Deep understanding of large-scale transformations
• Ability to quickly master new topics across a wide range of areas and industries
• Understanding of operations, business models, and value chain in core businesses (Auto, Retail, Real Estate, and Contracting)
• Commercial acumen and proficiency in financial statements
• Exemplary program management, communication and organizational skills
• Strong track record of success demonstrated through academic performance, promotions, etc.

 

Job-Specific/Technical Skills required to complete the tasks:

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to establish contact and trust with senior leaders
• Strong managerial skills with ability to direct and inspire team to elevate performance
• Strong analytical thinking, problem solving, and resourcefulness
• Ability to anticipate conflict and resolving pending issues
• Strong oral and written communication – excellent ability to crystalize messages for executives
• Strong understanding of business and policy issues faced by organizations
• High attention to detail as well as big picture, strategic thinking
• Ability to operate well under ambiguity and to drive people towards an endpoint
• Senior management consultant with strong background across variety of sectors – auto and insurance experience required
• Deep understanding of transformation and program management
• Experience in building and implementing broad scale, cross enterprise initiatives

 

We’re here to provide excellent service but a little help from you can ensure a five-star candidate experience from start to finish.

 

Before you click “apply”: Please read the job description carefully to ensure you can confidently demonstrate why this opportunity is right for you and take the time to put together a well-crafted and personalised CV to further boost your visibility. Our global Talent Acquisition team members are all assigned to specific businesses to ensure that we make the best matches between talent and opportunities. We not only consider the requisite compatibility of skills and behaviours, but also how candidates align with our Values of Respect, Integrity, Collaboration, and Excellence.

 

As part of our candidate experience promise, we also want to make ourselves available to you throughout the application process. We make every effort to review and respond to every application.

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