Group Strategy Manager H/F

The world’s leading supplier of mineral-based specialty solutions for industry with 14,000 employees, operations in more than 40 countries, and €4.3 billion in revenue in 2022.

Imerys delivers high-value-added, functional solutions to a great number of sectors, from processing industries to consumer goods. The Group draws on its understanding of applications, technological knowledge and expertise in material science to deliver solutions by beneficiating its mineral resources, synthetic minerals and formulations. Imerys’ solutions contribute essential properties to customers’ products and their performance, including heat resistance, hardness, conductivity, opacity, durability, purity, lightness, filtration, absorption and water repellency. Imerys is determined to develop responsibly, in particular by fostering the emergence of environmentally-friendly products and processes.

KEY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Group Strategy Manager is in charge of developing the key steps of strategic reflection, serving the Group and its businesses:

• Key strategic initiatives: identifying potential strategic opportunity or challenge, frame the approach, run the analysis and deliver the results with a multifunctional project team (e.g.; 5-year plan, targets origination and strategic due diligence in M&A projects, support to Imerys decarbonation roadmap, Open innovation, identification of implications of market trends on Imerys strategy, etc.)

• Market definition, assessment and competitive dynamics: define the relevant segmentation axes to analyse a market. Estimate market / segments size, identify and position Imerys competitors, estimate their market shares and dynamics, estimate and explain markets growth rates (historical / forecasted evolution)

• Economics: monitor industry performance and news, understand the industry economic rules and logics (how can we be profitable in such market?) through economic / financial analyses (in particular revenue and cost structures, profit pool)

• Strategic options: Identify growths areas for Imerys, formalize strategic investment rationale, action plan and key financial impacts

 

The Group Strategy Manager summarizes the analyses in a written and synthetic format, and discusses conclusions with other members of the Strategy team, or top managers at Group or Business Area level.

 

The Group Strategy Manager leads these analyses in various contexts, and works in team with other functions at Group or Business Area level:

• Group-level strategic reviews, business Strategy with support of relevant Business Areas

• M&A transactions (acquisitions or divestments), in partnership with Group M&A team, where he / she brings a strategic perspective in the rationale for the acquisition - equity story - and support in the execution (e.g. providing input for a business plan, synergies)

• Ad-hoc requests from Imerys Senior Management (notably the CEO and the Chief Strategy Officer)

 

The Group Strategy Manager contributes or leads full projects and workstream, involving multiple stakeholders (internally and externally), from project design to data collection (from reports, database, Imerys sources, interviews with internal / external experts), interpretation and challenge, synthesis of the recommendation and presentation to Senior Management

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Education and Experience requirements

Education: 

 

• Top level Business or Engineering graduate degree

 

Previous professional experience: 

• 3 years total work experience as a minimum

• of which ideally some experience in corporate strategy in a leading consulting firm or as part of an inhouse strategy team

• Appetite or knowledge for the industry

 

Technical skills:

• Strong analytical skills

• Synthetic mind

• Knowledge of Strategic analysis concepts and methodologies

• Skills in Corporate Finance and Economy

• In-depth knowledge of Google suite or Microsoft Office

 

Languages: 

• Fluent English

 

Knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics

 

• Business acumen and curiosity

• Quantitative analysis, supported by a factual, rigorous and logical mind

• Critical mind, to challenge received wisdoms

• Synthetic mind, to summarize simply complex problems

• Fluent in English, fluency in other languages is a strong plus

• Leadership (Leads Self), to be autonomous and drive selected workstreams of strategic initiatives (Leads Others) (supported by the team Vice-President)

• Team spirit (Communicates & Collaborates)

• Interpersonal communication, especially to be able to interact with both Group top executives and operational divisions