We are looking for a high-potential Strategy & Executive Office Associate to work closely with the President & Managing Director of deSter and the Leadership Team.
This role is designed for an analytically strong and highly structured professional who has gained a first experience in management consulting, corporate strategy or a similarly demanding analytical environment and is looking to move into an operational business environment.
The Strategy & Executive Office Associate will support the President and Leadership Team in shaping, analysing and executing strategic priorities, while also contributing to the effective functioning of the Leadership Team.
This is a highly exposed role offering a unique opportunity to gain a broad understanding of the business at global level, work directly with senior executives and contribute to key strategic and operational decisions.
Key responsibilities
Strategic analysis & decision support
- Support the President and Leadership Team on key strategic initiatives and business priorities.
- Conduct structured analyses to support strategic and operational decision-making.
- Develop business cases and evaluate different strategic scenarios.
- Build financial models and cost simulations to assess the implications of different business options.
- Analyse business performance, market information and internal data and translate findings into clear recommendations.
- Support ad hoc strategic questions and special projects initiated by the President.
Strategic projects
- Support and, over time, independently coordinate selected cross-functional strategic projects.
- Structure complex business questions and ensure appropriate data and input are collected from relevant stakeholders.
- Track progress against agreed priorities, milestones and deliverables.
- Identify issues requiring Leadership Team attention and support the development of potential solutions.
- Follow up on strategic decisions to ensure appropriate implementation.
Leadership Team support & governance
- Coordinate the Leadership Team meeting calendar and agenda in close collaboration with the President and leadership members.
- Prepare high-quality presentations, analyses and decision materials ahead of Leadership Team and other key management meetings.
- Attend Leadership Team meetings, capture key discussions, decisions and actions, and prepare concise minutes.
- Maintain a structured follow-up of actions and commitments arising from Leadership Team meetings.
- Help ensure that Leadership Team discussions focus on the most important strategic and business priorities.
Executive communication
- Prepare presentations and briefing materials for internal and external meetings.
- Turn complex information into clear, concise and executive-ready presentations.
- Consolidate input from different functions into coherent materials and recommendations.
- Support the President in preparing for important business reviews and other key meetings.
Profile
Experience
- 2 to 4 years of professional experience, ideally including an initial experience within a management consulting firm, corporate strategy team, transaction/advisory environment or similar.
- Experience working on strategic analysis, business cases, financial modelling or performance improvement projects.
- Exposure to an industrial, manufacturing, consumer products or international B2B environment would be an advantage, but is not essential.
Education
- Master’s degree in Business, Economics, Finance, Engineering or a related field.
- Strong academic track record.
Skills
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
- Strong financial acumen and confidence working with numbers.
- Advanced Excel modelling skills, including scenario analysis and cost simulations.
- Excellent PowerPoint skills with the ability to structure a compelling management-level storyline rather than simply produce slides.
- Ability to quickly understand complex business questions and break them down into manageable components.
- Strong project-management and organizational skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Fluent English. Additional languages relevant to deSter’s international footprint would be an asset.
Competencies
- Intellectually curious, with a genuine interest in how a business operates.
- Structured and analytical, able to bring clarity to ambiguous situations.
- Hands-on and pragmatic, comfortable moving from strategic thinking to very practical execution.
- Highly discreet, given the exposure to confidential and sensitive business topics.
- Proactive, anticipating what the President or Leadership Team will need rather than waiting for instructions.
- Highly reliable, with strong attention to detail and follow-through.
Environment and Safety
- Every deSter employee contributes to a safe and environmentally conscious work environment and assumes the following responsibilities:
- Act in a safe and environmentally conscious manner in all work activities.
- Contribute to deSter’s environmental and safety objectives and performance.
- Actively report deviations, hazardous situations, and incidents.
- Participate in analyses and initiatives related to the environment and safety that are relevant to the position