Strategy manager europe

🌍 Strategy Manager – Europe

Leeds (UK) or Cologne (Germany)
Hybrid / Field‑Based ¦ International Strategy Team

Are you ready to shape the future of automotive transformation across Europe?
Cox Automotive is looking for a strategic thinker, collaborative partner, and analytical problem‑solver to join our International Strategy team as Strategy Manager – Europe.

Whether you’re based in Leeds or Cologne, you’ll play a pivotal role in guiding leadership decisions, influencing key growth initiatives, and helping define how we invest, innovate and win across the UK and Continental Europe.

🚀 Why this role matters

Europe is one of the most exciting growth regions for Cox Automotive. With a mature UK operation and rapidly expanding Continental European businesses, this role puts you at the heart of the decision‑making that shapes our future.

You’ll work directly with senior leaders, support high‑impact strategic projects, and bring clarity to complex questions around markets, opportunities, diversification, and M&A.

This is a role for someone who thrives on influence, insight, and meaningful impact.

🎯 What you’ll do

In this role, you will:

* Lead strategic projects that inform where we play, how we win, and what we prioritise.
* Conduct market, customer and competitor assessments across Europe.
* Develop insights that cut through ambiguity and support critical business decisions.
* Build financial and strategic models to guide investment choices.
* Partner with business leaders across multiple markets to shape strategic plans.
* Support M&A analysis and due‑diligence activities.
* Create compelling presentations and storylines for executive audiences.
* Work with cross‑functional teams across Europe, and collaborate with global teams in the US, ANZ and Brazil.

No two days are the same—this is a role where curiosity, drive and influence truly matter.

✅ What you’ll bring

* 3–5+ years’ experience in strategic planning, management consulting, or a similar analytical role.
* Strong analytical, modelling and critical‑thinking skills.
* Experience working with complex data and turning it into clear, actionable insights.
* Excellent communication and storytelling skills, especially with senior leaders.
* Ability to lead projects independently and manage multiple workstreams.
* A collaborative mindset and the ability to influence across functions.
* Comfort working in a fast‑paced, ambiguous environment.

Nice to have: experience in automotive, international markets, or M&A.

🌐 Language Requirements & Location Options

You can be based in either of our European hubs:

🇬🇧 Leeds (UK) – English required

Work closely with the UK business and wider European teams.

🇩🇪 Cologne (Germany) – Fluent German & English required

Support continental European teams, business leaders and market assessments.

Both locations involve around 30–50% travel across the UK and Europe for workshops, planning sessions and strategic engagements.

💼 About Cox Automotive

Cox Automotive is the world’s largest automotive services and technology provider. In Europe, we’re growing quickly and investing heavily in innovation, data, digital solutions and mobility transformation. You’ll be joining a team with huge opportunity to shape what comes next.

🌟 Ready to make an impact?

If you're a strategic thinker who loves solving big problems, influencing leaders and creating clarity in complexity, we’d love to hear from you.

STRICTLY NO AGENCIES PLEASE

We kindly ask that agencies do not contact us regarding this vacancy. We work with a carefully selected and trusted group of recruitment partners.

We do not accept unsolicited CVs sent to the recruitment team or directly to a hiring manager. We will not be responsible for any fees related to unsolicited submissions.