How to Become a Strategy Manager: Career, Courses After 12th, Scope, Salary, Jobs

• The male and female ratio of employees working as a Strategy Manager in the Business and Management industry is 61% and 33% respectively.
• According to Zippia, in 2021, female Strategy Managers (in US) earned more than 94% of what the male strategy managers earned.
• Around 63% of these Strategy managers hold a Bachelor’s degree in Business or Management disciplines.
• In the initial years of the career, a Strategy Manager can earn an income of around INR 10,00,000 to INR 14,00,000 annually.
• A survey by Zippia (in the US) has stated that around 67% of the Strategy Managers prefer to work in Public sectors, while 31% of the professionals work in Private sectors.

Check: MBA Specializations

Types of Strategy Managers

The responsibilities of the Strategy Manager includes a varied number of job roles. Based on Profession, Strategy Managers includes some of the following job roles mentioned below:

• Financial Analyst: The work of a financial analyst as a strategy manager includes looking after and managing the finances of a company. Not only managing the finances, but the job responsibility aims at making the company succeed in the financial area. It includes achieving the goals of the company and maximizing the shareholders.
• Project Strategist: The project strategist acts as the creative head of every project and provides information to the team. Thinking beyond the project is essential as a project strategist needs to interpret and identify clients needs and help the prepared plans to succeed.
• Product Strategist: The job opportunities of a product strategist include identifying new opportunities, assessing the performance of the product formed by the company. It helps in developing long term strategic plans for future product lines. The main focus lies in making the product profitable and accessible to the company.

Check: MBA in Finance

Steps to Become a Strategy Manager

Some of the crucial steps that must be followed in order to become a Strategy Manager are listed below for your reference,

Pursue Bachelor's Degree

• Candidates with any subject combination at graduation can pursue the course. 
• However, as a Strategy Manager involves a lot more regarding business and related aspects. 
• Candidates can get their undergraduate degree in the field of Finance, Management and Economics and other relevant degree programs.
• Candidates can also go pursuing their bachelor's program in commerce or arts background.

Entrance Exam Preparation 

• CAT/CMAT/GMAT is conducted at the National level and lakhs of aspirants apply to each other. 
• Candidates need to prepare themselves for the earlier graduation in logical reasoning, general ability, Mathematics as these entrance exams involve a lot more questions from these sections. 
• After pursuing the Management course, the candidate can go for choosing the Strategy Manager work position. Almost all Management colleges across India accept CAT scores.

MBA Degree 

• Candidates need to complete their PG in Economics, Management or a related field to pursue a career as a Strategy Manager. 
• After qualifying for the degree examination, the candidate can work with many MNCs, Business firms, Insurance companies to gain experience and then apply for the job position of Strategy Manager. 
• Candidates with prior work experience or internship are preferred more due to their experience and prior knowledge in the related field.

Internship or Work Experience

• The position of strategy manager generally recruits a person with a good background in internships and possesses more experience. 
• The candidate should try to inculcate the various skills needed to be a strategy manager via working at various MNCs and business firms.

Additional Certifications in Management

• Candidates can get a post-graduation diploma or certificate course in the various specialisations of the Management field. 
• Pursuing additional programs, a candidate can inculcate various skills and his/her profile and can become one of the experts in the Management field.
• Getting trained in the right skills is a necessity to be a strategy manager.

Check: BSc Finance

How to Become a Strategy Manager in India

India has a lot of opportunities when it comes to making a career as a Strategy Manager. As soon as one decided to become a Strategy Manager, one should start preparing for the same. Mentioned below are some of the essential steps that needs to be taken up by students aspiring to be Strategy Managers.

How to become a Strategy Manager after Class 12th

A candidate cannot become a direct strategy manager after passing class 12th. One needs to have at least a post-graduation in the required field to be a strategy manager. However, correct subject combinations are needed to be a strategy manager. Candidates with any subject combination in the higher secondary level can pursue the career of Strategy Manager. The various subject Combinations for pursuing the Career of Strategy Manager are mentioned below:

• Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology
• Business, Accounts, Mathematics(optional), Economics
• Geography, History, Political Science, Economics

Candidates with any of these or related subjects can become Strategy Manager in India. There are no particular specific subjects required to pursue the career of Strategy Manager. However, Commerce/Business background in class 12 can help a candidate to get her basics clear and can excel in strategic management.

Strategic Management Courses

After completing their higher secondary education or class 12, candidates need to undergo their graduation and postgraduation degrees. Below is the information mentioned regarding the UG and PG courses for becoming a strategy manager:

BA Finance

Candidates with BA in Finance can learn the financial aspects and various other modulations associated with the Financial aspects. Candidates who have completed class 12 in any stream are eligible to pursue BA in Finance course. Students get to learn the different theories and applications associated with Finance. A candidate gets to learn regarding the principles such as investments and financial management.

Course Details

• BA in Finance is an undergraduate program and has a total duration of three years.
• The course fee for the BA in Finance varies from INR 50,000-4 LPA. It also depends upon the institute to which the candidate has taken admission.
• The top colleges offering BA in Finance course includes SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, LBSIM, KJ Somaiya Institute of Management and Research and many more.
• Admission into the BA in Finance course is done based on the merit or entrance exam conducted by the concerned institute.

BA Economics

BA in Economics graduates generally has a high employability rate. Candidates get to learn a wide range of skills and teaches the core fundamentals of the economic field. The main aspects covered under the Economics course includes Macro and Micro Economics, Econometrics, Economic Statistics, History of Economics and many more. Candidates with any stream at class 12 are eligible to pursue the course of BA in Economics.

Course Details

• BA in Economics is a three-year undergraduate program and has a duration of three years.
• The course fee for the BA in Economics varies from INR 2.5-3 LPA.
• The top colleges offering BA in Economics include Loyola College, Christ College, Madras Christian College, Fergusson College, Presidency College, St.Xavier's College, IP College of Women and many more.
• Admission is done on merit/entrance exam conducted by the specific institution.

Business Administration 

Bachelors in Business Administration imparts entrepreneurship and managerial skills in the candidates pursuing Management course. Candidates from any stream can pursue the course of Business Administration. Along with it, candidates get to study the various topics from the sections of Organizational Behaviour, Accounting, Managerial Economics.

Course Details

• Bachelors in Business Administration is an undergraduate course and has a duration of three years.
• The admission is done based on the entrance exam or merit prepared on the last qualifying examination.
• The course fee for the BA in Economics lies anywhere between INR 50,000- 2 LPA.
• The top colleges offering Business Administration course includes Jamia Milia Islamia, Amity University, Lovely Professional University, Chandigarh University, Nirma University and Alliance University.

B.Com 

B.Com is the field chosen by most students from a commerce background. However, non-commerce background students are equally eligible to pursue B.Com. The eligibility criteria are to have class 12 passed from a recognized board. In some institutions, the candidates must have Mathematics as a subject to pursue B.Com. It imparts managerial skills to candidates in a particular arena of business.

Course Details

• Bachelors in Commerce is a three years course and is conducted at the undergraduate level.
• Admission into B.Com is done both on merit and entrance based by the concerned colleges/universities.
• The course fee for the B.Com course lies anywhere between INR 40,000-2 LPA.
• The top colleges or universities offering B.Com course are Shri Ram College of Commerce, Jain University, Hindu College, Loyola College, Woxsen University.

B.Sc

B.Sc is offered in many specialisations such as Chemistry, Physics, Biotechnology, Genetics and many other areas covering both medical and technological field. Candidate can get admission into the B.Sc course based on the marks scored in the Science stream or the entrance exam conducted by the particular college/university. In courses such as B.Sc in Information Technology, candidates from non-science background are equally eligible.

Course Details 

• Bachelors in Science is a three years course and is commenced as an undergraduate program.
• Admission into the B.Sc course is done as per the merit scored by the candidate in the last qualifying examination or entrance exam conducted by the concerned statutory body.
• The course fee for the B.Sc varies with the specialisation chosen by the candidate. However, the average fee structure lies anywhere between INR 20,000-2 LPA.
• The top colleges for pursuing a B.Sc degree includes Miranda College, Hindu College, Hans Raj College, St. Xaviers College, Loyola College and Presidency College.

MBA

• MBA aims at providing knowledge related to the field of imports, exports, international Business finance policies, logistics and marketing.
• A candidate will get to learn new tactics and can get enough experience to handle the finance and make a strategic plan for the companies.
• Pursuing HRM involves mergers and acquisitions, international leadership skills and emerging economics.
• Candidates can get internships and job opportunities with many big companies and Multinational companies by pursuing an MBA program.
• Candidates need to have completed their graduation in any field to pursue Masters in Business Administration.
• The course fee for the MBA program varies for the specialisations chosen and can lie between INR 2-15 LPA.
• The top colleges for pursuing MBA includes IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Jammu, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Amritsar, University of Delhi, Jamia Milia Islamia, Banaras Hindu University.

M.Com

• Candidates upon completion of their B.Com or relevant degree can go for pursuing M.Com to gain more knowledge and expertise in the economic field.
• The specialisations for M.Com other than M.Com(General) includes the field of Mathematics, Finance, Banking, Accounting, Business Management and Taxation.
• The course fee for the M.Com lies between INR 60,000-1,20,000 LPA and can vary as per the specialisation chosen by the candidate.
• The top colleges for the M.Com field include Loyola College, Hindu College, Presidency College, Madras Christian College, Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce etc.

PG Certificate Course(Strategy Management)

• For getting additional knowledge, expertise and experience related to Strategy Management, candidates can further go for the PG Certificate course available in Strategy Management.
• The course is offered to the candidates who have completed their MBA or relevant Masters Degree course from a recognized institute.
• The course fee for the PG certificate course varies from INR 2-10 LPA.
• The top institutions for pursuing a PG Certificate course in Strategy Management are IIM Trichy and IIM Kozhikode.

Entrance Exams

The top entrance exams conducted for becoming Strategy Manager includes CAT, GMAT and XAT. The details regarding the entrance exams are mentioned below:

• CAT: CAT is a Common Admission Test conducted by the IIMs at National Level. It is a computer-based entrance exam. Candidates must have completed graduation in any stream from a recognized institute. General category candidates need to obtain 50% in the graduation while there is 5% relaxation to the reserved category candidates. Candidates in their final year are equally eligible to appear for the CAT 2023. However, they need to get a certificate from the Principal/Registrar of their college/university.
• GMAT: Graduate Management Admission Test is conducted by the GMAC(Graduate Management Admission Council). Candidates must have completed graduation in any stream to appear for the GMAT exam. It is a computer-based entrance examination conducted multiple times in a year. The questions asked in the GMAT exam are considered from the sections of quantitative skills, verbal and written English, Analytical, Writing, and Reading Skills. In the GMAT entrance exam, candidates need to complete the given section of questions in the allotted time frame.
• XAT: Xavier's Aptitude Test is very similar to CAT and GMAT and is conducted by XLRI. It is a computer-based entrance exam and carries a total of 100 questions. Each question carries one mark which makes the total entrance exam of 100 marks. The duration of the entrance exam is of three hours and Multiple-Choice questions are asked in the entrance exam. XAT exam includes allocation of 1 mark for every correct answer and deduction of -0.25 for every incorrect response marked. There is no negative marking for the GK section. The questions are asked from the sections of Logical Ability, Decision Making, Quantitative Ability, GK and Data Interpretation.

How to Become a Strategy Manager Abroad 

To become a Strategy Manager abroad, candidates need to follow some of the basic set of guidelines. Candidates need to earn a Bachelors degree, postgraduate program, work experience, professional work experience, and internship for pursuing Strategy Manager. The basic steps needed to follow are mentioned below:

• Get a Bachelors Degree: Candidates can get a bachelors degree in the field based on the high school GPA, SAT or ACT scores. Candidates can get Bachelors in Science(BS) in the field of Management as their undergraduate degree. There are many other specialisations of Management offered in the BS degree.
• Initial Work Experience: Candidates can further go for gaining initial work experience before getting a post-graduate degree in the Management field. These entry-level jobs can prove to be a great step in keeping a step towards the future.
• Earn an MBA degree: Candidates can join the one year to two-year post-graduate program in the Management field. Candidates will be able to make a professional network and may get a fee waiver or scholarship from the top companies.
• Additional Certification: Candidates can pursue further certificate or diploma courses in the Management field to add up in the career. this is result in providing more job opportunities along with gaining experience and knowledge in the concerned subject.
• Professional Experience: Candidates can afterwards work with different business firms, companies, industries as a beginner and upon developing an experience of at least more than 3-5 years, candidates can apply for the strategy manager position at various companies, firms and other areas. One cannot attain this direct position upon completing their MBA but candidates need to have prior experience to pursue this field.

How to Become a Strategy Manager in the UK

• Candidates can pursue strategic Management and relevant courses as a certificate or part-time course in the United Kingdom.
• Courses such as Oxford Leading Strategic Project Program can be chosen by professionals worldwide.
• The duration of the course is of six weeks and involves strategic planning, structural skills, sociopolitical complexities and many more modules.
• MiniMBA is another course that candidates can pursue in the UK. It is a full-time course offered in the field of MBA. The course requires a minimum of five years of professional experience along with an undergraduate or relevant degree.
• Advanced Strategic Management course is offered as a part-time course and includes a duration of three weeks.

Top Colleges

How to Become a Strategy Manager in USA

• Candidates can pursue Strategic Management Course both as full time and short-term online courses in the USA.
• Strategic Management online course is commenced for a duration of eight weeks and is conducted via online mode.
• Similarly, courses such as Strategic Implementation, Strategic Account Management, Strategic Planning and Implementation are conducted both as full-time and short-time courses at the various campuses.

Top Colleges

Top Recruiters for Strategy Managers

Strategy Managers are recruited mostly in the industrial sector followed by Business firms, Multinational Companies, and the private sector.

Below are some of the top mentioned recruiters of Strategy Managers in India:

Benefits of Becoming a Strategy Manager 

Being a strategy career carries a lot more advantages and help in inculcating a unique experience and other job peaks. Some of the benefits of being a strategy manager are mentioned below:

• High Salary: Strategy Managers are offered an attractive salary package. The average salary package for a fresher strategy manager can lie anywhere between INR 6 LPA - 10 LPA. A lot of aspirants get attracted to this job profile due to the high salary being offered to the strategy managers.
• Job Security: There is a high demand for strategy managers be it in MNCs, small companies, business firms and other agencies. They certainly make a basis for the entire startup or running of a particular industry or company. Hence, it job security of Strategy managers is as high as possible.
• Unique Experience: The strategy Manager's job is all about having experience. One gets to work with many companies, MNCs and industries and learn various skills. Exposure to different industries and firms obviously includes a lot more fun learning process and it never proves to be boring. There is a continuation of the learning process.

Skills Required to Become a Strategy Manager

Strategy Manager Salary

The salary package of strategy managers varies anywhere between INR 6-10 LPA. The salary varies with the type of firm or sector a company is working in. Along with it, experience and skills play an important role in deciding the salary of a strategy manager.

Average Annual Salary

Experience Wise