UK

United Kingdom · International business · Director/VP (16-20 years)

Director, Global Insights & Strategy

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

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  • Experience bandDirector/VP (16-20 years)
  • Direct reports25-100+ reports
  • Reports toVP, Global Corporate Strategy
  • UK framework levelUsually a director, accountable for a division and its numbers

Also advertised as VP, Market Intelligence · Head of International Research · Global Strategy Director

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

NCC Education Level 7 Diploma in Business Management NCC Education Limited · Level 7 · covers 1 of 6 standards
OTHM Level 7 Diploma in Data Science OTHM Qualifications · Level 7 · covers 1 of 6 standards
iCQ Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership iCan Qualifications Limited · Level 5 · covers 2 of 6 standards
City & Guilds Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management City & Guilds Limited · Level 5 · covers 2 of 6 standards
City & Guilds Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management City & Guilds Limited · Level 5 · covers 2 of 6 standards
City & Guilds Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management City & Guilds Limited · Level 5 · covers 2 of 6 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Information Systems and Knowledge Management NCC Education Level 7 Diploma in Business Management
Data Analysis and Visualisation OTHM Level 7 Diploma in Data Science
Managing Information and Knowledge iCQ Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership
Managing Information City & Guilds Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
Foresight Fluency seeing round the corner
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Your Plan Illustration

Built for Director, Global Insights & Strategy

4 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Information Systems and Knowledge Management NCC Education Limited · covers 1 of 6 standards Level 7
  2. Data Analysis and Visualisation OTHM Qualifications · covers 1 of 6 standards Level 7
  3. Managing Information and Knowledge iCan Qualifications Limited · covers 2 of 6 standards Level 5
  4. Managing Information City & Guilds Limited · covers 2 of 6 standards Level 5
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Director, Global Insights & Strategy?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

  • Geopolitical Risk Modelling & Integration
  • AI-Driven Strategic Scenario Planning
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Director, Global Insights & Strategy plan as you set up, starting with a Future Fluency module on using AI in your job. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

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3What this role really is

This job involves analysing global markets, competitor moves and business strategy to guide international growth decisions.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Euromonitor Passport & Statista (Strategic) Strategic

Evaluating and selecting new platform subscriptions, managing vendor relationships, and setting the strategic direction for how these platforms are used across the team to inform global strategy.

Qualtrics / SurveyMonkey (Strategic) Strategic

Setting global standards for primary research methodologies, approving large-scale survey budgets, and ensuring the integrity and cultural relevance of all primary data collection programmes.

Microsoft Excel (Strategic) Strategic

Overseeing the modeling standards for the team, critically reviewing the assumptions and implications of complex market opportunity models, and ensuring data integrity for executive reporting.

Tableau / Power BI (Strategic) Strategic

Defining the key performance indicators (KPIs) and data stories for executive-level dashboards that inform C-suite and Board decisions, ensuring clarity and strategic relevance.

Microsoft PowerPoint / Diligent Boards (Strategic) Strategic

Presenting high-stakes findings and strategic recommendations to the C-suite and Board, and using tools like Diligent Boards to disseminate pre-read materials for critical strategic reviews.

Anaplan / Adaptive Planning (Advanced) Advanced

Partnering closely with Finance leadership to build and stress-test multi-year market opportunity and investment models directly within enterprise planning tools, ensuring alignment with financial strategy.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Strategic Market Entry/Exit N/A N/A You'll lead the full analysis, present the recommendation to the C-suite and Board, and drive the final 'go/no-go' decision, with ultimate approval from the CEO/Board.
Research Budget Allocation N/A N/A Full authority over the annual research budget (£2M-£10M+), including vendor selection, platform subscriptions, and resource deployment across your global team.
Team Hiring & Structure N/A N/A Full authority to define the organisational structure of your global insights team, make all hiring decisions (up to 100+ people), and manage performance and career progression.
Strategic Partnership Evaluation N/A N/A You'll lead the market intelligence assessment for potential strategic alliances or joint ventures, providing the critical 'market fit' recommendation to the C-suite.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

New Market Entry Success Rate
The percentage of new market entries (based on your team's recommendations) that meet or exceed their Year 1 revenue and profitability targets.
Target · >80% of new market entries meet Year 1 targets

If we entered 5 new markets this year, and 4 of them hit their revenue goals, that's an 80% success rate. We'll dig into the 'why' for any misses, of course.

Strategic Initiative Influence
The number of major corporate or business unit strategic pillars that directly incorporate and cite your team's market insights as foundational.
Target · Insights cited in at least 3 of 5 annual corporate strategic pillars

Our Q1 board meeting approved five key strategic initiatives for the year. Your team's research was explicitly referenced as a key driver for three of them, influencing the direction of £5M+ in investment.

Research Budget Efficiency
How well your team manages and allocates the significant research budget, ensuring maximum value for money and staying within agreed spending limits.
Target · Deliver annual research plan within 98% of allocated budget

Your annual budget was £5M. You managed to deliver all planned research and key ad-hoc requests, spending £4.9M. That's a 98% efficiency, showing smart resource allocation.

Team Retention & Development
The ability to attract, retain, and develop top-tier talent within your global insights team, measured by voluntary turnover and internal promotions.
Target · <10% voluntary turnover and 20% internal promotion rate within the team annually

Over the last 12 months, your team of 50 saw only 4 voluntary leavers (8% turnover) and 12 people were promoted internally or took on significantly expanded roles (24% promotion rate). This shows a healthy, growing team.

Board & C-Suite Confidence
The level of trust and reliance placed on your team's insights by the most senior leaders, evidenced by proactive consultation and acceptance of recommendations.
  • You're regularly invited to C-suite strategy sessions, your opinions are actively sought on major investment decisions, and your recommendations are typically accepted without significant challenge. They'll call you before making a big move.
Strategic Foresight
The ability of your team to identify and flag emerging market shifts, competitive threats, or untapped opportunities well in advance, allowing the company to proactively respond.
  • Your team's quarterly briefings consistently highlight future trends that later become critical. You're credited with identifying a major regulatory change in a key market six months before it impacted competitors, allowing us to pivot.
Organisational Impact & Adoption
How effectively your team's insights are integrated into and drive tangible changes across business units, product development, and sales strategies.
  • Business unit leaders regularly reference your team's work in their own strategic plans. Product teams actively seek your input on new feature development for specific markets. Your insights are shaping actual decisions, not just sitting in a report.
External Reputation & Thought Leadership
Your standing and the team's reputation within the industry as a credible source of global market intelligence.
  • You're invited to speak at major industry conferences on global market trends. External partners and even competitors recognise your team's publications or analyses as authoritative. We're seen as a leader in understanding global markets.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Shaping Enterprise Strategy

You thrive on seeing your team's insights directly influence major company decisions, from M&A targets to multi-year global expansion plans. You're motivated by the idea that your work is a core input to the CEO's next big move.

Leading the research that convinces the Board to enter a new continent, and then seeing that strategy successfully implemented over the next three years.

Leading & Developing Global Talent

You get a real buzz from mentoring and developing a large, diverse team of market intelligence professionals across different geographies. You enjoy building capabilities, fostering a culture of excellence, and seeing your team members grow into senior roles.

Seeing one of your managers, whom you've coached for years, successfully present a complex market entry strategy to a Business Unit MD, completely independently.

Solving Complex Global Puzzles

The ambiguity and sheer scale of international markets excite you. You love wrestling with incomplete data, conflicting geopolitical signals, and diverse cultural nuances to arrive at a clear, defensible strategic recommendation. It's like a grand chess game, but with real-world stakes.

Successfully forecasting the impact of a new trade agreement between two major blocs on our supply chain and market demand, when no one else saw it coming.

What frustrates people
  • Presenting objective data that contradicts a C-suite executive's pet project, and then having to defend your methodology under intense scrutiny.
  • Dealing with significant 'scope creep' on strategic projects, where the goalposts shift constantly, and you're expected to deliver more with the same resources.
  • Navigating internal politics and turf wars between business units when trying to get alignment on a global strategy.
  • Having to make critical strategic decisions with incomplete or highly ambiguous data, and then owning the risk of those assumptions.
  • The sheer volume of information you and your team need to process daily, distinguishing 'signal' from 'noise' in a constantly changing global landscape.
What this role does not give you
  • A predictable, routine work schedule with clear-cut answers and minimal ambiguity.
  • The luxury of always having perfect, complete data for every strategic question.
  • A role where you're solely focused on individual contribution without significant people leadership responsibilities.
  • An environment free from high-stakes political discussions and executive-level disagreements.

8Who you work with

This role has a direct, profound impact on the company's long-term growth trajectory and market position. You'll be responsible for identifying multi-year market opportunities and risks, influencing investment decisions of £2M-£10M+, and ensuring our international strategy is built on solid, defensible intelligence. Your insights will drive major M&A considerations and business unit transformations.

Inside the business
  • C-Suite (CEO, CFO, COO)
  • Board of Directors
  • Business Unit Managing Directors
  • Heads of Product Development
  • Global Sales & Marketing Leadership
Outside the business
  • Key Industry Partners & Alliances
  • External Consultants & Research Agencies
  • Investors & Financial Analysts
  • Government & Regulatory Bodies (where applicable)
  • Major Clients & Strategic Accounts

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • Extensive experience (16+ years) leading global market research or strategic insights functions within a large multinational organisation or top-tier consulting firm.
  • Proven track record of influencing C-suite and Board-level strategic decisions with data-driven insights.
  • Significant experience managing and developing large, geographically dispersed teams (25+ people, including managers).
  • Demonstrable expertise in designing and overseeing complex, multi-country primary and secondary research programmes.
  • Strong commercial acumen and experience managing substantial departmental budgets (£2M+).

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Ethical AI in Global Research

As we use more AI in research, ethical considerations around data privacy, algorithmic bias, and responsible data collection across different jurisdictions become paramount. You'll need to set the standards and ensure compliance.

Understanding AI bias in data collection and analy · Data governance for AI models (ensuring compliance · Transparency and explainability in AI-driven insig · Ethical considerations for AI in primary research · Developing internal policies for responsible AI us

  • This quarter: Review our current data governance policies and identify gaps related to AI use.
  • Next 6 months: Commission an internal audit or external review of our AI tools for potential biases or compliance issues.
  • Next 12 months: Develop and roll out a comprehensive 'Responsible AI in Research' policy for your global team.
  • Ongoing: Stay informed on evolving AI ethics guidelines and regulations globally.

Quick win: Host a team discussion on a recent news article about AI bias in market research to kickstart awareness and critical thinking.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly attend and speak at major international business and market research conferences (e.g., ESOMAR, World Economic Forum).
  • Publish thought leadership articles or white papers on emerging global market trends or research methodologies.
  • Participate in executive coaching or leadership development programmes focused on global strategy and team management.
  • Engage with industry peer groups and networks to stay abreast of best practices and emerging challenges in global insights.
  • Undertake continuous learning in areas like AI, advanced analytics, and geopolitical studies to stay ahead of the curve.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

Geopolitical Risk Modelling & Integration

Global markets are more volatile than ever. Geopolitical events (trade wars, elections, conflicts) can wipe out market opportunities overnight. We need to move beyond static PESTLE analysis to real-time, predictive modelling of these risks, integrating them directly into our strategic forecasts.

  • Real-time data feeds for political stability and e
  • Scenario planning for various geopolitical outcome
  • Quantifying the financial impact of political risk
  • Integrating geopolitical intelligence with traditi
  • Working with external geopolitical intelligence pr

AI-Driven Strategic Scenario Planning

Traditional scenario planning is slow and often limited to a few variables. AI, particularly advanced LLMs, can quickly generate and analyse hundreds of plausible future scenarios based on vast datasets, helping us anticipate market shifts and competitive moves much faster and with more nuance.

  • Using LLMs to generate diverse market narratives a
  • Prompt engineering for strategic foresight (e.g.,
  • Integrating internal and external data into AI mod
  • Evaluating the plausibility and implications of AI
  • Developing 'red teaming' exercises with AI to chal

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Strategic Market Sizing (TAM/SAM/SOM)
  • Advanced Competitive Intelligence (CI)
  • Macro-level PESTLE Analysis
  • Primary Research Programme Design & Oversight
  • Strategic Data Triangulation & Synthesis
  • Market Entry & Growth Strategy Formulation

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Principal Market Researcher / Lead Market Intelligence Strategist

    3-5 years at the L4/L5 level

    Skills to master

    • Architecting complex research methodologies, managing high-stakes projects, influencing senior stakeholders (VP level), and beginning to manage small teams or programmes.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Consistently delivering strategic insights that lead to significant business decisions.
    • Demonstrating strong leadership in cross-functional projects.
    • Proactively identifying and solving complex, ambiguous market problems.
    • Mentoring junior colleagues effectively and showing potential for people leadership.
  2. 2

    Head of Regional Insights (e.g., EMEA, APAC)

    4-6 years in a regional leadership role

    Skills to master

    • Managing a regional insights team, owning regional market strategy, adapting global frameworks to local nuances, and building strong relationships with regional business unit leaders.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully growing and leading a regional insights function.
    • Consistently exceeding regional market intelligence objectives.
    • Demonstrating deep understanding of regional market dynamics and competitive landscapes.
    • Effectively balancing regional needs with global strategic alignment.
  3. 3

    Senior Strategy Consultant (from a top-tier firm)

    6-8 years in a strategic consulting role with a focus on international markets

    Skills to master

    • Client management at the C-suite level, structuring complex strategic problems, developing robust market entry/growth strategies, and leading project teams.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Proven ability to deliver high-impact strategic recommendations to diverse clients.
    • Strong experience in international market analysis and competitive intelligence.
    • Excellent communication and presentation skills for executive audiences.
    • Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate project teams under pressure.

15Where this role leads

The long view: The skills built in this role can lead to running a business unit as CEO or Managing Director, or serving as a board member or non-executive director.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Director, Global Insights & Strategy is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

The record names a next step, but the catalogue has no page for it yet:

  • VP, Global Corporate Strategy
  • Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) / Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Information Systems and Knowledge Management, worked against Director, Global Insights & Strategy.

Information Systems and Knowledge Management Level 7

Applied to your work in Director, Global Insights & Strategy

This unit aims to enable learners to examine the strategic role of information and knowledge management in achieving organisational goals and objectives. Learners will critically assess how information and knowledge management strategies can be aligned with business strategy to create competitive advantage. Furthermore, learners will evaluate the tools and techniques available to organisations to support the development of information management systems (IMS) and knowledge management systems (KMS) strategies and plans.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

Start my Director, Global Insights & Strategy plan, free
See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Director, Global Insights & Strategy
  • Strategic Market Sizing (TAM/SAM/SOM)
  • Advanced Competitive Intelligence (CI)
  • Macro-level PESTLE Analysis
  • Primary Research Programme Design & Oversight
  • Strategic Data Triangulation & Synthesis
  • Market Entry & Growth Strategy Formulation
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Director, Global Insights & Strategy is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. VP, Global Corporate Strategy

    3-5 years in the Director role

    From L6 to L7

    • Holistic enterprise risk management (beyond market-specific)
    • Advanced financial modelling for corporate valuation and investment decisions
    • Public speaking and media engagement on corporate strategy
    • Leading cross-functional executive teams on strategic initiatives

  2. Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) / Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)

    5-8 years in the Director role, potentially with a VP step in between

    From L6 to L7

    • Advanced sales forecasting and pipeline management
    • Global brand strategy and marketing leadership
    • Customer relationship management (CRM) at an executive level
    • Product portfolio management and innovation strategy
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, at the Director level, your time is gold. You're not meant to be sifting through hundreds of pages of reports or manually tracking every competitor. That's where AI comes in. We're building out an AI Productivity Hub to help you and your team cut through the noise, accelerate strategic analysis, and focus on what truly matters: making big, impactful decisions.

Imagine distilling vast amounts of global data, identifying subtle macro trends, and even generating first drafts of strategic scenarios in a fraction of the time. Our AI tools are designed to amplify your strategic thinking, giving you more bandwidth to lead, influence, and shape our future, rather than getting bogged down in data collection or initial drafting. It's about working smarter, not just harder.

Automated Global Data Scraper

Use advanced AI agents to automatically scrape and compile real-time public data – think central bank statistics, trade publications, news sentiment across multiple languages – creating dynamic, up-to-date baseline datasets for any country. This means less time on manual 'desk research' and more time on analysis.

Sentiment Analysis Accelerator

Leverage AI tools to perform rapid, multi-lingual sentiment analysis on local social media, product reviews, and news articles. Get an instant qualitative pulse on consumer perception, brand health, and competitive buzz in any target market, helping you quickly spot emerging risks or opportunities.

AI Strategic Summariser

Feed dense, multi-hundred-page industry reports, academic papers, or even internal strategic documents into an AI model. It'll generate concise executive summaries, extract key statistics, and identify major themes, drastically cutting down on your (and your team's) reading and synthesis time for board pre-reads.

First-Draft Strategic Narrative Generator

Provide an AI model with your key data points, high-level insights, and an outline, and have it generate a first draft of a board presentation, strategic white paper, or executive summary. This frees you up to focus on refining the narrative, adding your unique strategic implications, and ensuring the message lands perfectly.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Director, Global Insights & Strategy?

Common routes in include Principal Market Researcher / Lead Market Intelligence Strategist (3-5 years at the L4/L5 level), Head of Regional Insights (e.g., EMEA, APAC) (4-6 years in a regional leadership role) and Senior Strategy Consultant (from a top-tier firm) (6-8 years in a strategic consulting role with a focus on international markets). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Director, Global Insights & Strategy progress to?

This role can lead on to VP, Global Corporate Strategy (3-5 years in the Director role) and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) / Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) (5-8 years in the Director role, potentially with a VP step in between), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Director, Global Insights & Strategy?

Increasingly, Geopolitical Risk Modelling & Integration and AI-Driven Strategic Scenario Planning. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

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Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

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17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 7

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

 More jobs in international business

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.
If you leave this industry

Understanding of global markets, strategic planning and leadership carries across sectors. It can lead into leadership roles in other multinational organisations, private equity due diligence work, international development organisations, or setting up an independent global strategy consultancy.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my Director, Global Insights & Strategy plan, free What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.