Business Strategy & Operations Associate at BURN

About the role

• BURN is seeking a highly analytical and execution-oriented Business Strategy & Operations (BizOps) Associate to support the scale-up of our Partnerships and Business Development unit.
• As a key member of the team, the Associate will operate as a strategic and operational partner to the HOD, helping shape and influence business strategies (pricing, brand architecture, channels, products, markets, business models…) to grow BURN’s market share in biomass, LPG, and electric cookstoves across Africa and Asia.
• This role sits at the intersection of strategy, analytics, and execution—ideal for a commercially minded professional who thrives on turning insights into action and building the systems, processes, and tools that power scale.

Duties and Responsibilities

Strategy and Analytics

• Conduct regular market research and strategic analyses on industry trends, client pain points, and competitor activities—including product portfolios, technical specifications, pricing, and commercial terms—to generate actionable insights that guide product and business development activities.
• Lead TAM analysis, segmentation, and opportunity sizing to identify and inform new growth opportunities—spanning product offerings and positioning, channels, geographies, and customer segments.
• Refine product and partnership positioning by developing clear value propositions, messaging, and pricing models tailored to each channel.
• Lead business case development, scenario planning, and financial modelling— evaluating resource allocation, expected returns, and key success metrics (sales, margins, break-even, ROI) for new market entries and product launches.
• Prepare executive and board-level presentations articulating the strategic and financial rationale for new initiatives.

 Deal Strategy and Execution

• Collaborate with Business Development Managers to develop and optimize channel strategies (acquisition, retention, upsell) for both existing and new markets.
• Support the structuring, evaluation, and negotiation of commercial and partnership deals with carbon developers, wholesalers, OEM customers, and other strategic partners.
• Develop financial and strategic models to assess deal ROI, volume potential, pricing structures, margin impacts, and potential carbon-finance linkages.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Legal, Operations, and Supply Chain teams to ensure smooth and timely execution of partnership agreements.

 Commercial Enablement and Performance Management

• Partner with Marketing to design brand-building and demand-generation campaigns targeting key customer segments (e.g., carbon developers, NGOs, B2B clients).
• Develop sales enablement tools—case studies, pitch decks, FAQs, and commercial proposals—to support business development efforts.
• Build and maintain dashboards to monitor business unit performance (sales, margins, channel growth, profitability, etc.) and lead internal reporting for other strategic initiatives.
• Drive operational efficiency by improving internal processes, data flows, and performance tracking frameworks.
• Lead quarterly reviews of strategic initiatives to assess progress, learnings, and adjustments needed for scale-up.

Skills and Experience

• 2–4 years of experience in corporate strategy, business operations, or commercial planning, with experience at top-tier strategy consulting firm (e.g., McKinsey, Bain or BCG).
• Experience or strong exposure to consumer goods, manufacturing, or related sector.
• Strong analytical skills (Excel, financial modelling, market analysis) and proven ability to turn data into clear strategic insights.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, including experience preparing and presenting executive-level materials.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to work independently, prioritize effectively, and deliver high-quality outputs under tight timelines.