Summary
KAYALI is a fragrance brand founded by Mona Kattan. The Strategy Manager will support the Strategy & Corporate Development Director by building financial and commercial models, performance dashboards, and executive materials, while tracking strategic initiatives. The role also covers global fragrance and beauty market intelligence and coordination across teams on strategic projects. Applicants should have 5 years of experience in strategy consulting or an in-house strategy, insights, or commercial role; experience in beauty, fragrance, luxury, or premium consumer categories is preferred. The role is based in Dubai.
The posting
As published on kayali.com. Pulled from the employer's site and shown as they wrote it.
Who We Are
Fueled by passion, KAYALI was founded in 2018 by beauty mogul and fragrance fanatic, Mona Kattan. Translating to ‘my imagination' in Arabic, KAYALI provides a modern fragrance experience inspired by Mona's rich Middle Eastern heritage and the art of layering scents to help you create your mood; where sharing scents is a ritual and smelling good is both an act of goodwill and self-love.
Mona collaborates with some of the world's most renowned perfumers and sources the finest ingredients to create unique juices that are infinitely memorable, long-lasting, and cruelty-free. Each luxurious fragrance is an ode to true craftsmanship and tells a special story, from the addictive notes to the multi-faceted jeweled bottles.
Our Mission
To make everyone feel like the diamond they are! To build a global community of fragrance lovers through the power of scent and by providing them with the most innovative & luxurious fragrances, education and sharing our Middle Eastern fragrance rituals with the world.
Role Summary
The Strategy Manager is the right hand to the Strategy & Corporate Development Director, extending the reach of the strategy function across decision support, execution tracking, market intelligence, and cross-functional alignment.
This is a hands-on, output-driven role. You will own the engine behind Kayali's strategic agenda: building the models, dashboards, and materials that inform executive decisions; running the tracking rhythm that keeps high-impact initiatives on course; and producing the insights and intelligence that shape where the business plays and how it wins in the global fragrance and beauty space.
Core Responsibilities & Deliverables
1. Business Performance & Decision Support
• Build and maintain financial and commercial models that support strategic decisions: business cases, scenario modelling, market sizing, channel and portfolio economics
• Own recurring business performance reporting, turning data from across the business into clear, decision-ready views of growth, margin, and operational health
• Pressure-test assumptions and recommendations with data; deliver structured go/no-go inputs for new market, channel, and category opportunities
• Prepare high-quality executive and board-level materials that turn complex information into clear insights and recommendations
2. Strategic Initiative Management & Tracking
• Run the tracking and reporting rhythm for the strategic project portfolio: milestones, owners, risks, dependencies, and status against plan
• Drive follow-through on actions and decisions from leadership forums, keeping initiatives moving between reviews
• Flag risks and slippage early, with proposed fixes rather than just status updates
• Support the Director in the design and operation of the business operating rhythm (leadership forums, strategy reviews, planning cycles)
3. Insights & Intelligence
• Own ongoing market, competitor, and consumer intelligence for the global fragrance and beauty category: launches, pricing, distribution moves, M&A activity, and category trends
• Deliver regular, sharp “so what” intelligence briefings tied directly to Kayali's positioning and strategic choices
• Build and maintain the data and insight infrastructure of the strategy function, including AI-enabled research and monitoring workflows
4. Cross-Functional Alignment & Execution Support
• Act as connective tissue across Marketing, Commercial, Product Development, Operations, Tech, People and Culture and Finance on strategic initiatives, aligning priorities, timelines, and interdependencies
• Prepare and coordinate materials, pre-reads, and follow-ups for cross-functional and leadership meetings
• Support high-priority projects for the Director and CEO office, from expansion feasibility work to investor and board preparation
Key Outputs
• Business cases & feasibility studies
• Strategic project tracker & initiative reporting
• Market & competitive intelligence briefings
• Business performance dashboards
• Executive & board-level materials
• Leadership forum coordination & follow-through
Requirements
• 5 years of experience in strategy consulting or an in-house strategy, insights, or commercial role at a high-growth consumer brand; strong finance backgrounds (FP&A, corporate finance, commercial finance) are also welcome
• Exposure to beauty, fragrance, luxury, or premium consumer categories strongly preferred
• Track record of producing executive-grade work at pace and to a high quality bar
• Comfortable with ambiguity, minimal supervision, and shifting priorities in a fast-moving, founder-led environment
• Low ego, high ownership: equally willing to build a business case, chase down a project owner, and polish a board slide
Benefits
- Premium Medical/Dental/Vision coverage
- Find your Magic Days
- Volunteer Day
- Birthday Leave
- Employee discounts on all KAYALI products
- Quarterly product gifting
Kayali is committed to building diverse and inclusive teams and upholding an equal employment workplace that is free from discrimination. We hire stellar individuals regardless of their race, color, ancestry, religion, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, medical conditions, disability, or veteran status. If you need reasonable accommodations at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know.