BURN designs, manufactures, and distributes aspirational fuel-efficient cooking products that save lives and forests in the developing world.BURN has revolutionized the global cookstove sector by proving the business case for selling a high quality, locally manufactured and unsubsidized cookstoves.Since 2013, BURN has sold 200,000+ high quality, locally manu...

Director of Strategy

Job Type

Full Time

Qualification

BA/BSc/HND , MBA/MSc/MA

Experience

12 - 15 years

Location

Nairobi

Job Field

Project and Program Management

Key Responsibilities

Corporate Strategy & Business Planning

• Lead the development, refinement, and execution of BURN’s corporate strategy, ensuring alignment with the company’s mission, growth ambitions, and financial objectives.
• Partner with the CEO and Executive Leadership Team to define long-term strategic priorities and enterprise-wide goals.
• Develop and oversee the annual strategic planning process, translating strategic priorities into actionable business plans.
• Establish and monitor company-wide strategic objectives, key results (OKRs), and performance metrics.

Growth Strategy & Market Expansion

• Identify and evaluate new growth opportunities, including geographic expansion, new product categories, customer segments, and business models.
• Lead market assessments, feasibility studies, and strategic business cases to support investment decisions.
• Drive strategic initiatives that accelerate revenue growth, market penetration, and operational scalability.
• Evaluate emerging market trends, regulatory developments, competitive dynamics, and technology innovations that could impact the business.

Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships

• Develop and manage high-impact strategic partnerships that enhance market access, distribution capabilities, innovation, financing, and customer reach.
• Lead strategic negotiations and relationship management with key external stakeholders, including corporate partners, development agencies, investors, and government institutions.
• Assess potential acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, and other corporate development opportunities.

Strategic Finance & Investment Analysis

• Lead enterprise-wide business modelling and financial analysis to support major strategic decisions.
• Evaluate investment opportunities, capital allocation decisions, and growth initiatives through robust financial and commercial assessments.
• Partner with Finance leadership to develop long-range financial plans and scenario analyses.
• Support fundraising activities through the development of investment cases, strategic narratives, and investor presentations.

Transformation & Performance Management

• Drive cross-functional strategic initiatives and transformation programs from concept through implementation.
• Monitor execution of strategic priorities and intervene where performance gaps or execution risks emerge.
• Establish governance structures to ensure accountability and delivery against strategic objectives.
• Lead post-implementation reviews and continuous improvement efforts to maximize strategic outcomes.

Market Intelligence & Competitive Strategy

• Oversee strategic market intelligence efforts to identify industry trends, customer insights, and competitive threats.
• Develop differentiated value propositions and strategic positioning for BURN’s products and services.
• Provide actionable insights and recommendations to support executive decision-making.

Board & Executive Advisory

• Serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO and Executive Leadership Team on critical business decisions.
• Prepare board presentations, strategic updates, business performance reviews, and investment recommendations.
• Support board-level discussions regarding growth strategy, organizational priorities, and long-term value creation.
• Facilitate executive alignment on strategic priorities and resource allocation decisions.

Leadership & Team Development

• Build and lead a high-performing strategy function capable of supporting enterprise-wide strategic initiatives.
• Develop internal strategic planning capabilities across the organization.
• Foster a culture of data-driven decision-making, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Mentor and coach team members to strengthen analytical, strategic, and leadership capabilities.

Skills & Experience

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Engineering, Strategy, Management, or a related field.
• MBA or other relevant postgraduate qualification strongly preferred.

Experience

• Minimum of 12–15 years of progressive experience in corporate strategy, management consulting, corporate development, business transformation, investment analysis, or executive leadership.
• Proven experience developing and executing enterprise-level growth strategies in high-growth, multinational, or emerging-market organizations.
• Experience working directly with executive leadership teams, boards, investors, and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success leading complex cross-functional strategic initiatives and organizational transformation programs.
• Experience in clean energy, climate technology, consumer products, financial services, development finance, or emerging markets is highly desirable.

Core Competencies

Strategic Leadership

• Ability to define and communicate a compelling long-term vision.
• Strong enterprise thinking and ability to align multiple business units around shared objectives.

Commercial Acumen

• Deep understanding of business drivers, growth strategies, market economics, and competitive positioning.
• Strong ability to translate strategic opportunities into measurable business outcomes.

Analytical Excellence

• Advanced financial modelling, scenario planning, business case development, and investment analysis skills.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative problem-solving capabilities.

Executive Influence

• Exceptional stakeholder management and ability to influence decisions at executive and board levels.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.

Change & Transformation Leadership

• Proven ability to lead organizational change and strategic transformation initiatives.
• Strong project governance and execution capabilities.

Personal Attributes

• Entrepreneurial mindset with strong ownership and accountability.
• High level of integrity, resilience, and adaptability.
• Comfortable operating in dynamic, fast-paced, and evolving environments.
• Independent, proactive, and capable of managing ambiguity.
• Courage to challenge conventional thinking and drive innovative solutions.

• Lead the development, refinement, and execution of BURN’s corporate strategy, ensuring alignment with the company’s mission, growth ambitions, and financial objectives.
• Partner with the CEO and Executive Leadership Team to define long-term strategic priorities and enterprise-wide goals.
• Develop and oversee the annual strategic planning process, translating strategic priorities into actionable business plans.
• Establish and monitor company-wide strategic objectives, key results (OKRs), and performance metrics.
• Identify and evaluate new growth opportunities, including geographic expansion, new product categories, customer segments, and business models.
• Lead market assessments, feasibility studies, and strategic business cases to support investment decisions.
• Drive strategic initiatives that accelerate revenue growth, market penetration, and operational scalability.
• Evaluate emerging market trends, regulatory developments, competitive dynamics, and technology innovations that could impact the business.
• Develop and manage high-impact strategic partnerships that enhance market access, distribution capabilities, innovation, financing, and customer reach.
• Lead strategic negotiations and relationship management with key external stakeholders, including corporate partners, development agencies, investors, and government institutions.
• Assess potential acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, and other corporate development opportunities.
• Lead enterprise-wide business modelling and financial analysis to support major strategic decisions.
• Evaluate investment opportunities, capital allocation decisions, and growth initiatives through robust financial and commercial assessments.
• Partner with Finance leadership to develop long-range financial plans and scenario analyses.
• Support fundraising activities through the development of investment cases, strategic narratives, and investor presentations.
• Drive cross-functional strategic initiatives and transformation programs from concept through implementation.
• Monitor execution of strategic priorities and intervene where performance gaps or execution risks emerge.
• Establish governance structures to ensure accountability and delivery against strategic objectives.
• Lead post-implementation reviews and continuous improvement efforts to maximize strategic outcomes.
• Oversee strategic market intelligence efforts to identify industry trends, customer insights, and competitive threats.
• Develop differentiated value propositions and strategic positioning for BURN’s products and services.
• Provide actionable insights and recommendations to support executive decision-making.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO and Executive Leadership Team on critical business decisions.
• Prepare board presentations, strategic updates, business performance reviews, and investment recommendations.
• Support board-level discussions regarding growth strategy, organizational priorities, and long-term value creation.
• Facilitate executive alignment on strategic priorities and resource allocation decisions.
• Build and lead a high-performing strategy function capable of supporting enterprise-wide strategic initiatives.
• Develop internal strategic planning capabilities across the organization.
• Foster a culture of data-driven decision-making, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Mentor and coach team members to strengthen analytical, strategic, and leadership capabilities.

• Ability to define and communicate a compelling long-term vision.
• Strong enterprise thinking and ability to align multiple business units around shared objectives.
• Deep understanding of business drivers, growth strategies, market economics, and competitive positioning.
• Strong ability to translate strategic opportunities into measurable business outcomes.
• Advanced financial modelling, scenario planning, business case development, and investment analysis skills.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative problem-solving capabilities.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and ability to influence decisions at executive and board levels.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• Proven ability to lead organizational change and strategic transformation initiatives.
• Strong project governance and execution capabilities.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with strong ownership and accountability.
• High level of integrity, resilience, and adaptability.
• Comfortable operating in dynamic, fast-paced, and evolving environments.
• Independent, proactive, and capable of managing ambiguity.
• Courage to challenge conventional thinking and drive innovative solutions.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Engineering, Strategy, Management, or a related field.
• MBA or other relevant postgraduate qualification strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 12–15 years of progressive experience in corporate strategy, management consulting, corporate development, business transformation, investment analysis, or executive leadership.
• Proven experience developing and executing enterprise-level growth strategies in high-growth, multinational, or emerging-market organizations.
• Experience working directly with executive leadership teams, boards, investors, and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success leading complex cross-functional strategic initiatives and organizational transformation programs.
• Experience in clean energy, climate technology, consumer products, financial services, development finance, or emerging markets is highly desirable.