Head of Strategy

About the Company

The Barton Partnership is a leading digital maritime platform committed to enhancing safety, environmental sustainability, and crew welfare throughout the maritime supply chain by leveraging data and technology.

Role Overview

Reporting directly to the Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer (CSTO), the Head of Strategy will be a key leader responsible for driving major enterprise-wide strategic projects, transformation initiatives, and inorganic growth efforts. This position functions as a critical extension of the CSTO, guiding complex, high-impact initiatives from definition to completion while engaging executive leadership, Board members, and cross-functional teams to deliver measurable business results.

The role focuses on unearthing and advancing value creation opportunities, overseeing strategic governance within the Value Creation Program (VCP) framework, and supporting significant M&A and post-merger integration activities. It demands a highly analytical and structured strategic thinker with notable execution strength, stakeholder influence, and financial expertise.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage enterprise-wide value creation and transformation initiatives.
• Define clear strategic problems, hypotheses, actionable business cases, and measurable outcomes.
• Organize and control intricate cross-functional transformation programs with transparent governance, timelines, milestones, and responsibilities.
• Identify and mitigate bottlenecks, risks, and gaps during execution, escalating issues when necessary.
• Act as a strategic advisor and execution driver for senior leaders on key business objectives.
• Continuously identify new strategic subjects, operational inefficiencies, and opportunities for enhanced value creation.
• Ensure all initiatives focus on delivering tangible commercial and operational impacts.
• Engage and influence senior stakeholders, including the Executive Leadership Team, C-suite executives, and Board members.
• Lead executive steering committees, governance forums, and strategic workshops to align priorities.
• Translate complex strategic, operational, and financial matters into succinct recommendations for executives.
• Drive alignment and collaboration across diverse business units and functions within highly matrixed organizations.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, advisors, and partners.
• Support strategic M&A activities through opportunity evaluations, rationale development, and value planning.
• Lead or assist with commercial due diligence, synergy identification, operating model design, and integration planning.
• Oversee post-merger integration programs involving multiple workstreams, stakeholders, and entities.
• Set up governance frameworks, track synergy progress, plan for Day-1 readiness, and execute integration strategies.
• Manage complexities of unifying differing organizations, cultures, operating models, and stakeholders.
• Collaborate closely with Finance, Legal, Technology, Operations, HR, and external advisors during transactions and integrations.
• Develop detailed financial models, build investment cases, conduct scenario analysis, and perform valuations as necessary.
• Conduct thorough strategic market analysis, competitor reviews, and commercial evaluations.
• Facilitate strategic decision-making with data-backed insights and structured problem solving.
• Assess build, buy, or partner opportunities that align with the company’s strategic objectives.

Candidate Profile

• 15 or more years of professional experience in top-tier strategy consulting, corporate strategy, transformation, corporate development, or M&A roles.
• Previous tenure at a leading strategy consulting firm is highly preferred.
• Proven track record of managing complex enterprise transformation projects.
• Extensive experience in M&A, including due diligence, synergy planning, and post-merger integration.
• Comfortable operating in complex stakeholder environments with frequent senior executive and Board interactions.
• Experience in private equity-backed, fast-growing, transformation-intensive, or multinational organizations is a plus.

Skills and Competencies

• Outstanding strategic problem-solving abilities and structured analytical thinking.
• Strong program management skills with disciplined execution.
• Excellent communication capabilities geared towards executives and stakeholder influence.
• Resilience and ability to perform under ambiguity and high-pressure conditions.
• Advanced proficiency in financial modeling and commercial analytics.
• Sound business judgment balancing visionary strategy and practical implementation.
• High ownership mindset, accountability, and perseverance.

Educational Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Engineering, or related field required.
• MBA or comparable advanced postgraduate qualification preferred.