Strategy and Execution Manager

Join one of the UK's fastest-growing education businesses.

At Paragon Skills, we're transforming lives through education, as one of the UK's leading apprenticeship and training providers.

We're on an exciting growth journey, continually investing in innovation, technology, data and exceptional people. As we scale, we're looking for intellectually curious, commercially minded individuals who enjoy solving complex business challenges and influencing strategic decisions. If you're someone who naturally asks "Why?", thrives on turning data into action, and enjoys working alongside senior leaders to shape business performance, this could be the opportunity you've been waiting for.

Location: Remote

Working Hours: Monday - Friday (36.5hours) Flexible options considered

Salary: Competitive (depending on experience)

As Strategy & Execution Manager, you'll work directly with our CEO and Senior Leadership Team to ensure our strategic ambitions become measurable business outcomes. You'll bring clarity from complexity, create meaningful insight from data, and drive accountability across the organisation.

You'll become the engine behind strategic execution combining analytical thinking with commercial awareness to identify opportunities, remove barriers and ensure our highest-value initiatives are delivered. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys operating at both strategic and operational levels equally comfortable analysing business performance dashboards as they are challenging senior stakeholders or leading cross-functional improvement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and continually develop executive-level business performance dashboards across key organisational KPIs
• Analyse complex business data to identify trends, risks, opportunities and commercial insights
• Translate business strategy into clear priorities, measurable objectives and deliverable action plans
• Drive structured performance reviews with the CEO and Senior Leadership Team
• Lead cross-functional projects that improve business performance, operational efficiency and learner outcomes
• Work across Commercial, Delivery, Operations and Quality teams to improve alignment and accountability
• Identify operational bottlenecks and lead problem-solving initiatives that deliver measurable impact
• Support product innovation by tracking initiatives from concept through pilot to implementation
• Prepare high-quality reports, presentations and strategic insights for Executive and Leadership meetings
• Act as a trusted advisor to the CEO, providing constructive challenge and helping prioritise business focus on what matters most

You will enjoy this role if you:

• Enjoy solving complex business problems
• Are naturally curious and always looking for better ways of working
• Like connecting data, strategy and commercial outcomes
• Can switch effortlessly between detailed analysis and big-picture thinking
• Thrive in fast-moving environments where priorities evolve
• Enjoy influencing senior leaders and seeing your ideas implemented
• Want genuine visibility and the opportunity to shape the future direction of a growing organisation

If you're looking for a role where your analytical capability, intellectual curiosity and strategic thinking will genuinely make a difference, we'd love to hear from you.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for someone who genuinely enjoys thinking differently, intellectually curious, highly analytical and motivated by solving difficult business problems. We are looking for someone who naturally questions assumptions, enjoy interpreting data and has the confidence to influence senior stakeholders through evidence rather than opinion.

Ideal Qualifications Or Academic Background

• Degree (or equivalent experience) in Engineering, Business, Strategy, Economics, Data Analytics, Finance, Operations, Mathematics or a related discipline is desirable
• Professional qualifications in business improvement, project management or strategy would be advantageous
• MBA would be advantageous

Experience, Skills And Knowledge

• Experience in a Strategy, Business Performance, Operations, Consulting, Commercial or Transformation role
• Proven experience using data to influence strategic decisions
• Experience developing executive dashboards and performance reporting
• Demonstrable experience working with senior leadership teams and presenting business insights
• Confident managing multiple strategic initiatives simultaneously
• Exposure to high-growth, scaling or fast-paced organisations would be highly desirable
• Experience within education, apprenticeships or other regulated sectors is beneficial but not essential
• Exceptional analytical and structured problem-solving capability.
• Advanced Excel and strong data analysis skills.
• Confident interpreting KPIs and commercial performance metrics.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to connect data to business outcomes.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication.
• Strong planning, prioritisation and organisational skills.
• Ability to challenge constructively while building strong relationships.
• Comfortable working with ambiguity and creating structure where none exists.
• High levels of accountability, ownership and resilience

Why you should join us at this incredible period of impact, growth and change.

This is an opportunity to join an ambitious organisation where your work will directly influence business performance and strategic direction. You'll work alongside an experienced executive team, gain exposure to organisation-wide decision-making and play a key role in shaping the next stage of our growth journey.

We are proud to offer a suite of Paragon Choices which are optional benefits alongside our core benefits below!

25 days annual leave - plus 8 bank holidays

• Holiday purchase scheme

Up to 3 days of paid volunteering leave and corporate conscience initiatives

Recognition and long service awards to celebrate our colleagues'

Perkbox - a suite of discounts, lifestyle benefits and wellness tools

• 3% matched Employer Pension contribution
• In person team meetings and 1:1s
• Enhanced Maternity leave after 2 years of service
• Income protection and Life Assurance
• Recommend a colleague incentive schemes, where you can benefit £500 for referring great people to work with us
• CPD and training opportunities
• 4pm Friday finish with flexible working opportunities available
• Flexible and supportive team and with a great culture
• Employee Assistance Programme, with a dedicated People Team to support all colleagues

We are a Disability Confident Employer and have a guaranteed interview scheme in place to ensure that nobody is overlooked or discriminated against because of their disability. If you meet the minimum criteria when you apply and you have informed us in your application that you have a disability, you will be guaranteed an interview for that role.

To promote and maintain an inclusive working environment, as part of your application process we will ask you to share data on certain characteristics. These answers will not form part of the selection and recruitment process and will not be shared with anyone outside of the People Team.

Paragon Skills is committed to the safeguarding and wellbeing of our learners and colleagues and we implement robust safer recruitment practices to support this. Dependant on the role you are applying for, we may undertake a number of necessary checks to confirm you are suitable to work with children and vulnerable adults, which may include a Disclosure and Barring Service check. We are also committed to promoting equality and inclusion throughout our colleague and learner populations.