Senior Manager, Strategy & AI (Hiring Immediately)

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Job reference 340651
Senior Manager, Strategy & AI
Competitive salary plus £5,500 car allowance, healthcare, 18% annual bonus potential, 27.5 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising with service and a company pension scheme with highly competitive contribution rates
Permanent, Full time
185 Farringdon Road, 4 days in office

International Distribution Services (IDS), the parent company of Royal Mail and GLS, is looking for an exceptional Senior Manager, Strategy & AI to join the CEO Office.

This is a rare opportunity to work at the centre of decision-making for a major international organisation, partnering directly with the Chief of Staff, Group CEO, and senior leadership team to shape the future direction of the Group.

Operating at IDS level, you'll work across both Royal Mail and GLS, helping define Group strategy, evaluate growth opportunities, strengthen M&A capability and establish how artificial intelligence can create value across the organisation. This role offers a unique combination of strategic influence, executive exposure and ownership of some of the Group's most important priorities.

About the Role

As Senior Manager, Strategy & AI, you'll help shape the next chapter of growth for IDS by leading strategic projects that span multiple businesses, markets and functions.

You'll play a central role in developing the Group's long-term strategy, assessing acquisition and portfolio opportunities, and building the framework for AI adoption and governance across Royal Mail and GLS. Working within the CEO Office, you'll translate complex analysis into clear recommendations for senior leaders, helping the organisation make informed decisions on where to invest, grow and transform.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the development of IDS Group strategy and help translate strategic ambitions into actionable priorities across Royal Mail, GLS, and beyond.
• Lead the development of AI strategy and governance frameworks at group level, supporting business-wide adoption and investment decisions.
• Design and implement a new AI-first ways of working across the CEO Office.
• Support M&A and portfolio activity through strategic assessments, value creation analysis, commercial due diligence and business case development.
• Lead complex strategic projects from scoping through to recommendation, delivering high-quality analysis and executive-ready outputs.
• Develop market intelligence capabilities, monitoring competitors, industry trends and emerging opportunities to support strategic decision-making.

About You

You are intellectually curious, highly analytical and comfortable working in ambiguous environments. You enjoy breaking down complex problems, developing clear recommendations and influencing senior stakeholders.

You have the credibility and confidence to work directly with executive leaders, balancing rigorous analysis with commercial judgement and pragmatic thinking. You are excited by the opportunity to help shape strategy across an international business while leading conversations around the future use of AI.

What You'll Bring

• 4+ years' experience within a leading management consultancy, corporate strategy, transformation or CEO Office environment.
• Experience delivering strategy projects, portfolio reviews, M&A assessments, commercial due diligence, growth strategy or value creation initiatives.
• Strong financial modelling, business case development, market analysis and quantitative problem-solving capability.
• Experience producing executive-level recommendations and presenting complex analysis to Board, C-suite or senior leadership audiences.
• A demonstrable track record of applying AI tools to improve business outcomes, and experience developing AI strategy, AI governance frameworks, AI-enabled transformation initiatives.
• Exceptional structured problem-solving skills and the ability to frame and solve ambiguous business challenges.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence senior decision-makers.
• Degree-level qualification essential.
• MBA, ACA, ACCA, CFA or equivalent postgraduate/professional qualification desirable.
• Experience at a top-tier strategy consultancy would be highly advantageous.

Role Impact

This is a Group-wide role with visibility across both Royal Mail and GLS and direct exposure to the most senior decision-makers in the organisation. The recommendations and analysis produced will influence Group strategy, AI investment priorities, M&A activity and long-term growth plans.

The role offers a unique opportunity to help shape the future of IDS while building exposure to executive leadership, major corporate decisions and international business strategy.

Extra Benefits

• Family friendly support - enhanced maternity pay, paternity leave, adoption leave and shared parental leave
• Supportive and generous company sick pay
• Funded Dental – As a manager you are eligible to a level of employer funded dental insurance*
• Health Assessment – As a manager you are eligible to an employer funded health assessment every 2 years*
• Benefits Account – You will have access to your personal benefits account on our ‘My Bundle+’ platform. There are more than 800 retail offers to help you save on things like groceries, days out, holidays and your household bills as well as employer provided and voluntary benefits to suit your lifestyle.
• Your Wellbeing - you and your family have 24/7 access to services and tools to help you get the most out of life. From your physical and mental health to financial and social support and advice. It’s free, and it’s for everyone.

*Available only to permanent employees

Next Steps

The next stage of the selection process will be an initial virtual interview with the hiring manager.

Trust is the foundation of IDS. We aim to be transparent about the qualities we seek and what a career with us entails, building trust from the start of your journey with us. Your interview is the first step, and we want you to shine. To help you prepare, we’ll provide your interview questions in advance, so you can have your best examples ready. At IDS, we value trust and our people.

We understand that candidates may not meet all the criteria for the role. If your experience is different, but you have relevant skills we’d love to hear from you.

IDS Group is committed to inclusion and representing the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals. As a proud Gold signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, we especially encourage applications from the Armed Forces community, including cadet instructors and spouses/partners.

We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process. If you require any adjustments to support you during the hiring process, please discuss these with your recruiter when contacted.

We are Forces family friendly and a Gold signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant. We welcome applications from ex-Armed Forces personnel, reservists, veterans, cadet instructors and military spouses/partners.

For more information on Royal Mail Group and our values please click here: