Hours: Full time - 37.5 per week, Monday - Friday
Location: Hybrid role with 3 days a week working in our VHQ, Crawley West Sussex
Contract: Permanent
Closing date: Sunday 1st September 2024
In a nutshell
Our ambition is to make Virgin Atlantic the Most Loved travel company and sustainably profitable. To help us achieve that ambition, we are looking for a Strategy Manager to join our Corporate Strategy team.
The strategy team at Virgin Atlantic is responsible for driving enterprise strategy. Understanding the internal and external dynamics that most impact the business and developing options, and recommending actions to strengthen our strategic position. This role includes working across all teams internally - from finance to people, loyalty and experience, as well as commercial and sustainability. As a central member of the Corporate Development team - led by the Chief of Staff - this role will also include an opportunity to work as part of the CEO's office, supporting deliverables and projects on behalf of the CEO and Leadership Team.
Day to day
Lead on strategic insights and recommendations
- Research and analyse areas of uncertainty or strategic relevance (internal or external), drawing on lateral thinking and intellectual curiosity to build compelling narratives from complex and multiple data and sources
- Confidently structure and integrate quantitative and qualitative data points, applying the appropriate level of detail and analysis relevant to the importance of content
- Own and refine business case models as needed, including developing a deep understanding of the inputs (with benchmarks), sensitivities and outputs
- Develop and maintain knowledge across emerging themes, staying up to date on industry news and competitor activity
- Examples of focus topics include sustainability and decarbonisation, industry consolidation, airport development, operating model and governance
Support delivery of major programmes and priorities
- Build strong working relationships with a wide range of contacts across Virgin Atlantic
- Engage in internal and external working groups, forums, and governance bodies with a focus on outcomes
- Manage senior-facing projects - and running structures and inputs across multiple stakeholders
- Track projects and initiatives being led by other teams in the business
Support other high-priority work, including annual planning cycle and ad hoc strategy presentations
- Deliver aspects of the annual planning cycle, including creating output materials for multiple audiences including Board and Shareholders
- Enthusiastically and constructively articulate ideas to create value across any part of the business
- Deliver right-first-time outputs supporting projects or BAU work across strategy and/or corporate development team, depending on business need
- Opportunity to get involved in financial & business case modelling to support commercial negotiations on sustainability-related contracts and investment decisions
Focus areas in the year ahead
Strategic priorities of the business in the next 12 months and where the team focus sits currently:
- Delivering on our 2024 plan as we return to profitability
- Future opportunities for growth, working alongside our commercial and finance teams
- Virgin Atlantic's eVTOL market entry strategy
- Improving outcomes for Virgin Atlantic at our Heathrow home
- Leveraging the strength of our Holidays business and loyalty program
About you
Do you have previous management consulting training at a top-tier firm? Do you have experience and/or a strong interest in aviation, travel, and hospitality? Then this could be the role for you!
Skills fundamental to the role include:
- Degree educated or equivalent from a top-tier university
- An ability to distil complex arguments and analysis into simple conclusions, verbally and in presentations
- Being able to spot patterns, isolate drivers and evidence impact
- Remaining organized and focused in an agile environment - managing multiple project deliverables across different stakeholders
- Experience conducting complex financial modeling or transaction-related modelling
- Structured thinking and ability to balance a wide perspective with a detail
- Strong interpersonal skills - approachable, friendly and a constructive debater of ideas
- Comfortable with unpredictability and changing priorities and focus
If the above sounds like you, then we'd love to hear from you
Be yourself
Our customers come from all walks of life and so do our colleagues. That's why we're proud to be an equal opportunity employer and actively encourage applications from all backgrounds. At Virgin Atlantic, we believe everyone can take on the world - no matter your age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities, religion, or beliefs. We celebrate difference and everything that makes our colleagues unique by upholding an inclusive environment in which we can all thrive. So that everyone at Virgin Atlantic can be themselves and know they belong.
To make your journey with us accessible and individual to you, we encourage you to let us know if you'd like a little extra help with your application, or if you have any individual requirements at any stage along your recruitment journey. We are here to support you, so please reach out to our team, (recruitment@fly.virgin.com) feeling confident that we've got your individual considerations covered.