Military & Athlete Talent Placement - Strategy and Planning Manager

Role

Military & Elite Athlete 2026 Talent Placement – Strategy & Planning Manager

Full‑time 12‑month fixed‑term contract (UK wide, hybrid). The placement is designed for military service leavers and elite athletes to develop strategic planning skills within a FTSE
100 organisation.

The Strategy and Corporate Development team sets the strategic vision for Centrica Business. Working closely with the Director of Strategy and Planning, you will be primarily accountable for:

• Translate strategic ideas into a comprehensive Strategic Plan for the Business Unit.
• Work with Strategy, Commercial, Operations and Tech teams to understand business vision, ambition and objectives.
• Coordinate cross‑functional input and alignment to ensure the plan is executable.
• Report progress against the Strategic Plan to the MD and Centrica Business Leadership Team.
• Deliver high quality stakeholder management across the spectrum of senior and peer stakeholders to ensure buy‑in.
• Continuously challenge and improve ways of working, seeking to optimise efficiency while delivering commercial success.
• Operate in a complex, ambiguous environment, solving problems that are not clearly defined.
• Apply structured, logical thinking to bring clarity to ambiguity.
• Make informed decisions on planning approach, milestones, sequencing and prioritisation.
• Work autonomously to identify risks, issues & dependencies, taking proactive action.
• Adapt plans in response to changing priorities or emerging information.
• Balance competing priorities and trade‑offs (e.g., speed vs rigour, ambition vs deliverability).

We’re looking for potential, not perfection. We would love to see:

• Deep experience within strategic and campaign planning.
• Proven ability to translate high‑level strategy into concrete plans, milestones and deliverables.
• Experience leading planning processes, turning strategy into a fully executed, successful plan.
• Exceptional digital literacy; ability to structure complex strategic inputs into clear, useable datasets and plans.
• An ability to design the planning system – not just operate it.
• Expert use of Excel and Powerpoint, building robust planning tools and exec‑ready visualisations.
• Experience in project management toolsets:
  Microsoft Planner, Project, Visio/Miro, Power
  
  BI.
• Strong ability to integrate and exploit AI to maximise efficiency and output.
• Expert communicator – able to structure written reports and presentations for a full range of stakeholders, ensuring informed, risk‑aware, agile decision‑making.
• An absolute, resolute focus on delivery.
• PM qualifications or experience operating within environments using methodologies such as Agile or Scrum is desirable.

• £50,000 salary for the 12‑month placement.
• Real project & transformation experience in a FTSE
  100 organisation.
• A dedicated mentor to help you build commercial skills.
• Flexible working and travel to office locations when collaboration is needed.
• Access to our Employee Networks and a Buddy from our Ex‑Military or Athlete communities.
• For Service Leavers: the chance to begin placement during your final four resettlement weeks.

• Military Service Leavers: leaving the Forces or within the 2‑year CTP window at application.
• Elite Athletes: international competition experience and/or professional UK sports experience within the last three years.