Head of Strategy & Business Design
Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Strategy & Business Design
ATÖLYE is a community-powered creative services organization. Through strategy and design, we help organizations tackle complex challenges and create lasting impact.
Our teams of strategists, designers, and community builders work with a range of impact-focused partners including companies, academic institutions, NGOs, and governments.
At the same time, ATÖLYE identifies as a “community.” Our members, who are designers, thought leaders, and experts, get to collaborate with ATÖLYE on the projects we take on. Our community is also our source of inspiration and learning; aspiring to connect, learn, and grow around purpose-driven work.
Our work focuses on designing transformational journeys across scales and disciplines. For each challenge, we craft a unique approach that and lean on the power of co-design; aiming to uncover the needs and aspirations that drive change. ATÖLYE’s design offering spans the innovation cycle; igniting change, envisioning desirable futures, building transformative experiences, and growing through resilient teams and communities.
In 2019, ATÖLYE joined kyu (kyu.com), a collective of the leading creative organizations in the world whose purpose is to be a source of creativity that propels the economy and society forward. Also among the collective are leading organizations such as BEworks, C2, Gehl, Godfrey Dadich, IDEO, Kepler, Public Digital, RedPeak, Sid Lee, and SYPartners.
We curate diligently so we can better co-create.
We make informed decisions about the people we invite in, the projects we work on, and the organizations we collaborate with. They come in different shapes, sizes, and colors but they share one important trait: An insatiable desire to better themselves and the communities that surround them.
We live, work, and learn in a constant state of flow.
Our system has ill-defined boundaries by design, which allows for a steady flow of people, ideas, and perspectives. Our processes expand and contract to adapt to situations as needed, meaning we are always pushing the limits of our permeability—across geographies, projects, and industries.
We grow individually to mature as a whole.
We are committed to nourishing the notion of a “growth mindset” in a holistic way. We are invested in the development of individuals and organizations by co-creating the necessary tools, methods, and environments that allow us to continuously shift and grow together.
We are a community-centric organization. This means that our approach spearheads community-centered thinking in design and gravitates around the notion of an individual’s journey in relation to a community.
Every ATÖLYE team member, by default, is an ATÖLYE community member. Once you are a team member, you will be part of the ATÖLYE Community that consists of creative individuals and teams who aspire to connect, learn, and grow around purpose-driven work while having the opportunity to participate in community events, rituals, and social activities.
About the job - Head of Strategy & Business Design
At ATÖLYE, our work often includes collaborating with highly driven organizations that aim to take novel approaches to the problems they are facing. In journeying with our clients on their strategy-making, our job can involve creating exciting new offerings, transforming organizational structures, envisioning the future of industries, helping teams embark on journeys into unknown territories, or experimenting with new ventures or products.
As a Senior Lead and head of the Strategy & Business Design team, you will be working closely with leading organizations that are facing complex systemic issues. This role is responsible for leading projects to help cast a systemic lens to the issues at hand, while also bringing a community-driven approach to envision, design, test, and iterate solutions—in the end adding value to the entire ecosystem with a life-centered approach.
Main Responsibilities
On-team and Craft
Leading the Strategy & Business Design team, contributing to their growth, ensuring craft excellence, and ATÖLYE’s ability to deliver client facing work on this domain
Curating the Strategy & Business Design team and wider community including interviewing & evaluation process of hiring new team members or project-based partners
Bringing in and deepening an understanding of systems thinking, corporate innovation, design thinking, lean start-up frameworks and other emerging tools and methodologies
On client services
Leading projects with the scope of Strategy & Business Design, ensuring the delivery of high-quality outputs and outcomes that meet ATÖLYE’s and client’s expectations
Within the scope of above mentioned projects, structure new businesses, platforms and ecosystems in a holistic way at strategic, operational, and organizational levels.
Seeding and sustaining long-term relationships with clients that one interacts with and works for, developing strategies and proposals for new streams of work
Support organizations on their corporate innovation journeys by developing an innovation strategy, identifying leaders in the organization for capacity building, and rolling out defined initiatives that will help the organization to move forward in their plants to be innovation-led
On thought leadership
Host, organize and participate in events of the organization about the field of Strategy & Business Design, representing ATÖLYE as a thought leader in your field
Required Experiences & Skills
At least 10 years of experience in strategy consulting, management consulting, design consulting, organizational transformation, systemic change experience or a related field.
Proven relationship management skills both when facing internal teams or clients
Proven capabilities to understand and apply system design methodologies including the ability to map complex systems in order to spot leverage points for change
Ability to develop human-centric business strategies based on an offering that is desirable for the user, feasible within the limitations of a given ecosystem and that yields viable financial outcomes.
A track record of developing business strategies by analyzing and conducting quantitative and qualitative data sources, designing and hosting workshops, conducting stakeholder interviews, business intelligence gathering, creative brainstorms, visioning, assumption testing, analytical validation, KPI development
The ability to communicate the strategic narrative clearly to all stakeholders and utilize facilitation techniques to get buy-in to move forward.
Has proven capabilities to understand and apply organizational transformation and the experience to support the design and delivery of capacity-building programs
Preferred Skills & Qualities
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in design, innovation, business administration, sustainability, social and environmental studies from reputable academic institutions are preferable
Access to an established network of strategy, innovation, and business design practitioners
Experience creating or working with impact-oriented business models, services, products and ecosystems. Knowledge of sustainability, social innovation, impact investment and circular business models is a plus
Passion for the intersection of innovation and sustainability, prior experience, degree or knowledge about ESGs, regenerative systems, circular economy and/or social impact
Fluency in Arabic is a plus
What do we offer?
An inspiring and dynamic workspace as part of an interdisciplinary community
The opportunity to work in strategic projects with leading institutions in Turkey, UAE and beyond
A transdisciplinary workflow that promotes constant learning
Private health insurance & year-end bonus
Job location
The regular office location for this position is ATÖLYE’s Dubai’s space in the Emirates Towers. For this role specifically, travel and site visits to potential clients is required.
Apply Form
Head of Strategy & Business Design
Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Strategy & Business Design