Head of Strategy

About the role As The Very Group enters its next phase of growth, the Head of Strategy will play a key role in helping deliver the Group's growth ambitions. Working closely with the CEO, Executive Committee and senior leaders, the role is responsible for ensuring the business remains focused on the strategic priorities that will create the greatest long‑term value. Acting as a trusted partner to senior leaders across the Group, the Head of Strategy helps shape strategic choices, identify opportunities to accelerate growth and ensure the organisation maintains focus on the initiatives that matter most. Leading a talented team of Strategy Managers, the role sits at the centre of the business, bringing together strategic insight, customer understanding and commercial judgement to help the organisation make better decisions, focus resources on the opportunities that matter most and deliver sustainable growth and shareholder value. What you'll be doing: Partner with the CEO, Executive Committee and senior leaders to evaluate strategic opportunities, investment choices and business trade-offs. Lead the development and evolution of the Group strategy and five-year plan, ensuring priorities remain aligned to customer, market and shareholder needs. Bring together customer, market, commercial and operational perspectives to provide insight and challenge on the choices that will shape the future success of the business. Ensure strategic priorities are translated into clear plans, measurable outcomes and aligned business actions. Drive understanding and engagement with the Group strategy, ensuring priorities are embedded across the organisation and reflected in decision-making. Maintain focus on the Group's most important strategic priorities, identifying barriers to delivery and helping leaders navigate trade-offs and competing demands. Assess progress against the Group's strategic objectives and value creation ambitions, helping leaders identify where to accelerate, adapt or intervene. Use customer, commercial and operational insight to strengthen decision-making, prioritisation and resource allocation. Champion a customer-first, evidence-based and test-and-learn approach to growth and value creation. Lead, develop and inspire a talented team of Strategy Managers. Create a high-performance culture characterised by curiosity, challenge, collaboration and accountability. Ensure the team operates as a trusted partner to the Executive Team and wider organisation. About you We're looking for an experienced strategy leader who combines commercial acumen, intellectual curiosity and the ability to influence at the most senior levels of the organisation. You'll be comfortable operating in a highly visible role, partnering with Executive leaders to solve complex business challenges, shape strategic choices and drive long‑term value creation. You'll bring a balance of strategic thinking and practical execution, helping turn ambition into action and ensuring focus remains on the opportunities that matter most. You'll likely bring: Significant experience in strategy, management consulting, corporate development or a related commercial leadership role. A proven track record of shaping business strategy and influencing major investment, growth and transformation decisions. Strong commercial judgement, with the ability to assess opportunities, trade-offs and value creation drivers across a complex business. Exceptional strategic thinking and problem‑solving capability, with experience structuring and solving ambiguous, high-impact business challenges. Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to distil complex information into clear insights, recommendations and actions. Outstanding communication and stakeholder management skills, with experience partnering with Executive teams and senior leaders. Experience leading, developing and inspiring high‑performing teams. The ability to influence and drive alignment across multiple functions and competing priorities. A strong customer focus and belief in evidence-based, data‑driven decision making. Experience working in fast‑paced, dynamic environments where adaptability and prioritisation are critical. Most importantly, you're a strategic leader who can bring clarity to complexity, challenge constructively and build the alignment, focus and momentum needed to help The Very Group deliver its growth ambitions. Some of our benefits Flexible, hybrid working model Inclusive culture and environment, check out our Glassdoor reviews £10,000 flexible benefits allowance to suit your needs 30 days holiday + bank holidays LinkedIn learning access Bonus potential (performance and business-related) Up to 25% discount on Very.co.uk Matched pension up to 6% More benefits can be found on our career site Diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities We're building a culture of everyday inclusion, and welcome applications from anyone who believes they can do the job. We don't discriminate based on age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. We want our recruitment process to be accessible to everyone. If you need reasonable adjustments to apply, interview, or perform a role, let us know via View email address on click.appcast.io. We'll be happy to support you. We're proud to be a Disability Confident Committed Employer and have nine brilliant colleague networks— including DAWN (Disability Awareness at Very) and Think (Neurodiversity at Very) — that help make Very an even more inclusive place to work. #J-18808-Ljbffr The-Very-Group