Strategy & Special Projects Lead

Role Overview

The Strategy & Special Projects Lead plays a crucial role in managing complex, time-sensitive initiatives, guiding projects from initial concept through to full execution. Partnering closely with the CEO and senior leaders, this role spans across various functions, regions, and business units to tackle challenges, expedite priorities, and transform ideas into actionable outcomes.

This position transcends traditional project management; it demands adaptability between strategy and hands-on execution, structure creation amidst ambiguity, critical questioning of assumptions, engaging senior stakeholders, and independently propelling projects forward. The ideal candidate exhibits outstanding judgment, business insight, strong analytical skills, and a determination to act decisively.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver essential strategic initiatives endorsed by the CEO and leadership team.
• Convert broad strategic goals into detailed workstreams with defined milestones, assigned owners, deadlines, and measurable objectives.
• Manage projects that overlap various departments or require cross-team collaboration.
• Detect potential barriers early, troubleshoot effectively, and escalate when needed.
• Maintain continuous momentum from project ideation through to tangible business results.
• Collaborate directly with the CEO on select strategic and operational priorities.
• Transform loosely defined goals into structured, implementable plans.
• Execute rapid research and analysis to inform key decisions.
• Develop succinct recommendations, business cases, presentations, and decision support documents for senior leadership.
• Serve as a reliable execution partner by understanding goals, filling gaps, and driving projects forward with minimal supervision.
• Assess new products, markets, partnerships, commercial ventures, and strategic projects.
• Build business cases, financial models, market analyses, and rollout strategies as needed.
• Support the launch and early operations of new initiatives before handing them to appropriate business units.
• Assist in fostering strategic partnerships, market growth, major commercial pursuits, and other high-impact opportunities.

Experience Requirements

• Between 2 and 5 years of relevant experience in domains such as strategy, consulting, investment banking, private equity, technology startups, fintech, corporate development, or Chief of Staff roles.
• At least 1 to 2 years of management consulting experience within the United Arab Emirates.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in fast-moving, agile settings lacking established procedures.
• Direct exposure to European market expansion and related strategic ideation.