2019 Strategy Salary Guide

January 22, 2019 3 mins read
2019 Strategy Salary Guide

Expected salary ranges in 2019 for Strategy professionals in Shanghai.

Contents:
M&A  | Strategy
Commentary on Strategy Roles and Remuneration in Shanghai for 2019

 

Basic Salary Per Month (¥‎)

Accounting, Finance & Strategy

Strategy (Per Month)
M&A
Role Low High
 
VP 120,000 -
Director 70,000 120,000
Senior Manager 48,000 80,000
Manager 28,000 48,000
Junior Staff 15,000 28,000
 
Strategy
Role Low High
 
VP 120,000 -
Director 80,000 120,000
Senior Manager 48,000 80,000
Manager 28,000 48,000
Analyst 15,000 28,000
 
 

Commentary on Strategy Roles and Remuneration in Shanghai for 2019

2018 Trends in Strategy Recruitment in Mainland China

Since the launch of the strategy recruitment desk in Mainland China two years ago, we have seen robust growth in demand for strategy talent. Professionals at the top of their strategy careers remained an in-demand commodity in 2018 as organisations sought out those with specialist knowledge and programme and change management skills.

This year, the majority of open strategy positions were replacement hires. It remained a job seekers’ market and with a large number of organisations looking to hire candidates of a similar profile, competition for strategy talent was particularly intense. Hiring managers faced longer-than-average lead times of around 3-6 months to find the right candidate.

In-demand Roles, Skills and Qualifications for Strategy Professionals

The highest growth in demand for strategy professionals came from the TMT, Healthcare and Consumer goods sectors. With the number of startups on the rise, combined with higher competition in the market and a tightening of funding in the past year, Internet companies were keen to hire strategy talent to support long-term business planning and their efforts to secure investment from private equity firms.

Healthcare is one of the market’s fastest growing sectors, and large pharmaceutical and healthcare companies continued to seek replacement hires for their long-established strategy teams. With the rapid evolution of the commerce landscape, from the rise of e-commerce to omnichannel retailing, consumer goods companies are increasingly relying on strategy talent to help them accelerate the digitalization of their processes, tackle diverse challenges and remain competitive. 

In general, organisations looked to acquire talent with high levels of adaptability, intelligence and experience in the relevant commercial market. In addition to the usual long-term strategic planning skills, we increasingly saw hiring managers look for those with digital transformation skills and the know-how to leverage new technology to best drive business performance.

Workplace Trends Impacting Strategy Professionals in Mainland China

With high competition for talent in the market, companies offered a range of incentives to entice top-level talent. Internet companies generally offered stock options in addition to attractive base salaries, and healthcare and consumer goods companies implemented long-term retention plans as well as stock incentives to keep talent on their books.

Salaries continued on their upward trend in 2018, and overall, those with digital transformation skills commanded the highest wages and most attractive compensation packages.

What Does the Future Hold for Strategy Professionals? Predictions for 2019 and Beyond

2019 will be another strong year for strategy recruitment. With ongoing demand for strategy talent and a relatively small group of candidates from which to draw from, organisations will find it increasingly difficult to pin down their ideal candidates. Advice for hiring managers is to avoid placing too much emphasis on a candidate having the exact industry specialisation; high-calibre strategy talents are fast learners with strong transferable skills and will therefore quickly get up to speed with new sectors. Companies that are willing to be more flexible in regards to industry experience criteria can expect shorter hiring lead-times and a wider pool of well-qualified talent from which to choose from.

With intense workloads and heavy travel burdens, strategy talents often have little time to consider or take action towards their next career step. Advice for candidates is to seek out the help of a recruitment consultant who can help them efficiently find their ideal role.

Tracy Luo's picture
Tracy Luo
Associate Director | Finance & Strategy Recruitment
tluo@morganmckinley.com