Strategic planning manager to policy manager
A strategic planning manager already meets 40% of what the policy manager role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
67.5/ 100
1 How much of what a policy manager is expected to do is already part of a strategic planning manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the policy manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A policy manager role treats 10 of its required skills as things a strategic planning manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on communication strategies
- advise on efficiency improvements
- business analysis
- corporate social responsibility
- develop company strategies
- ensure compliance with policies
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 25 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A policy manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a strategic planning manager background worth leading with.
- already held lead managers of company departments management skills
- already held management department processes business, administration and law
- already held promote organisational communication communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operations assisting and caring
- already held legal department processes business, administration and law
- already held implement strategic management communication, collaboration and creativity
All 25 carried skills, including the 10 the policy manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 46 missing skills fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn create advocacy material required
- still to learn design advocacy campaigns required
- still to learn advise on drafting policies required
- still to learn promote environmental awareness required
- optional, not held implement environmental action plans optional
- optional, not held advise on environmental remediation optional
- optional, not held advise on legal decisions optional
- optional, not held advise on sustainable management policies optional
- optional, not held advise on waste management procedures optional
- optional, not held analyse legal enforceability optional
- optional, not held implement policy in healthcare practices optional
- optional, not held liaise with government officials optional
- optional, not held liaise with politicians optional
- optional, not held provide legal advice optional
- optional, not held report on environmental issues optional
- still to learn comply with legal regulations required
- still to learn ensure compliance with company regulations required
- optional, not held plan measures to safeguard natural protected areas optional
- optional, not held apply company policies optional
- optional, not held coordinate environmental efforts optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with legal requirements optional
- still to learn monitor legislation developments required
- optional, not held analyse environmental data optional
- optional, not held measure sustainability of tourism activities optional
- optional, not held monitor policy proposals optional
- optional, not held analyse legislation optional
- optional, not held analyse the context of an organisation optional
- optional, not held draft tender documentation optional
- optional, not held perform market research optional
- optional, not held track key performance indicators optional
- still to learn quality standards required
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held international trade optional
- still to learn set organisational policies required
- optional, not held manage advocacy strategies optional
- optional, not held manage government policy implementation optional
- optional, not held supervise advocacy work optional
- still to learn policy analysis required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a policy manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 create advocacy material practise this
- 02 design advocacy campaigns practise this
- 03 advise on drafting policies practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 25 skills that carry over
- already held advise on communication strategies skill
- already held advise on efficiency improvements skill
- already held business analysis knowledge
- already held corporate social responsibility knowledge
- already held develop company strategies skill
- already held ensure compliance with policies skill
- already held integrate strategic foundation in daily performance skill
- already held monitor company policy skill
- already held organisational policies knowledge
- already held strategic planning knowledge
- already held accounting department processes knowledge
- already held apply strategic thinking skill
- already held company policies knowledge
- already held develop environmental policy skill
- already held develop organisational policies skill
- already held follow the statutory obligations skill
- already held government policy knowledge
- already held implement strategic management skill
- already held implement strategic planning skill
- already held integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operations skill
- already held lead managers of company departments skill
- already held legal department processes knowledge
- already held management department processes knowledge
- already held promote organisational communication skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held environmental threats optional
- optional, not held environmental policy optional
- optional, not held pollution prevention optional
- optional, not held public health optional
- optional, not held perform data analysis optional
36 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manage advocacy strategies optional
- optional, not held analyse environmental data optional
- optional, not held environmental threats optional
- optional, not held implement environmental action plans optional
- optional, not held measure sustainability of tourism activities optional
- optional, not held monitor policy proposals optional
- optional, not held plan measures to safeguard natural protected areas optional
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held advise on environmental remediation optional
- optional, not held advise on legal decisions optional
- optional, not held advise on sustainable management policies optional
- optional, not held advise on waste management procedures optional
- optional, not held analyse legal enforceability optional
- optional, not held analyse legislation optional
- optional, not held analyse the context of an organisation optional
- optional, not held apply company policies optional
- optional, not held coordinate environmental efforts optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held draft tender documentation optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with legal requirements optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held environmental policy optional
- optional, not held implement policy in healthcare practices optional
- optional, not held international trade optional
- optional, not held liaise with government officials optional
- optional, not held liaise with politicians optional
- optional, not held manage government policy implementation optional
- optional, not held perform data analysis optional
- optional, not held perform market research optional
- optional, not held pollution prevention optional
- optional, not held provide legal advice optional
- optional, not held public health optional
- optional, not held report on environmental issues optional
- optional, not held supervise advocacy work optional
- optional, not held track key performance indicators optional
29 held skills the policy manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on financial matters skill
- not needed by the target role business process modelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role collaborate in company's daily operations skill
- not needed by the target role corporate sustainability knowledge
- not needed by the target role define organisational standards skill
- not needed by the target role develop business plans skill
- not needed by the target role develop strategy to solve problems skill
- not needed by the target role disseminate internal communications skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate performance of organisational collaborators skill
- not needed by the target role financial department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role gather feedback from employees skill
- not needed by the target role hoshin kanri strategic planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role human resources department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify undetected organisational needs skill
- not needed by the target role impart business plans to collaborators skill
- not needed by the target role implement operational business plans skill
- not needed by the target role imprint visionary aspirations into the business management skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role make data-driven decisions skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role management consulting knowledge
- not needed by the target role marketing department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role operations department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role operations management knowledge
- not needed by the target role process commissioned instructions skill
- not needed by the target role program management knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide feedback on job performance skill
- not needed by the target role revise drafts made by managers skill
- not needed by the target role sales department processes knowledge
10 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn policy analysis required
- still to learn quality standards required
- optional, not held environmental threats optional
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held environmental policy optional
- optional, not held international trade optional
- optional, not held pollution prevention optional
- optional, not held public health optional
Other moves recorded from strategic planning manager
Common questions about this move
Can a strategic planning manager become a policy manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A strategic planning manager already covers 40% of what a policy manager is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 10 of which the policy manager role treats as required.
What skills does a strategic planning manager need to become a policy manager?
10 required skills are missing, plus 36 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is create advocacy material.
How hard is the move from strategic planning manager to policy manager?
Its learning distance is 67.5 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.