Director, Performance Improvement

Ankura is a team of excellence founded on innovation and growth.

Practice Overview

Our Performance Improvement practice leads the market in providing extensive industry expertise combined with data-driven, objective, and innovative approaches to the most complex business challenges. We help the world’s most sought-after clients solve problems our competitors can’t.  Our significant experience working with companies at critical inflection points in their lifecycles has informed our approach and instilled a sense of urgency in solving problems.  

Our collaborative, high intensity team works with clients around the globe to build value across the life cycle and accelerate business performance through strategy setting and execution, business and operating model design, acquisition and merger support, market-entry strategy, and channel and product strategy.  We connect the sky to the ground by driving strategy into execution.

We generate higher performance for clients across every industry sector and functional area working from the shop floor to the C-Suite.  If you’re ready to learn and grow your career at an accelerated pace you’ve found the right place, and we’d love to meet you!

Role Overview

The ideal candidate for this role will be based in Chicago or New York. When not traveling for clients, this role would be working in a dynamic office environment 3-4 days per week (hybrid).

Responsibilities

Rapidly understand client data and operations

• Work directly with Client to obtain relevant data

• Lead executive interviews to understand complex company operations concepts

• Understands various operating concepts informed by prior experience (i.e. pattern match to what you’ve seen before) and able to clearly articulate those early views to others

Lead teams through often complex analyses:

• Independently develop understanding of analytic tools including and outside of Excel to bring an

experienced/informed view on how to structure required analyses

• Bring your top insights to independently identify patterns in complex data and drive hypotheses

• Independently disaggregate complex problems into simpler parts

• Critique and provide guidance on complex analyses developed by your delivery teams

• Demonstrates clear understanding of different workstreams

• Helps to set priorities across multiple work streams

Independently identify patterns in complex data and drive hypotheses

Develop executable recommendations into high quality deliverables and present to client:

• Actively challenges assumptions and hypotheses

• Analyzes risks to existing or proposed operations

• Understands key elements of advisory consulting

• Coordinates with team on schedules to meet agreed upon deadlines

• Identifies key milestones and manages accordingly

• Directly manages work of Associates and Senior Associates

• Lays out an effective approach to a presentation with guidance from more senior teammates

• Prepares full decks and presents sections of a report both internally and to clients

• Presents effectively to C Suite level clients and other professionals related to basic and moderately complex analyses/issues

• Handles client interactions at multiple levels

• Provides guidance and feedback to early career professionals

• Maintains constant communications with senior professionals to ensure coordination of activities and manage expectations

Requirements

• The ideal candidate will bring a minimum of 5 years of relevant consulting and line management experience focused in one or more of the following areas:

  • Merchandising & Category Management

  • Sales & Marketing effectiveness, processes, incentives

  • Distribution & Logistics, Network Modeling

  • Manufacturing and Contract Manufacturing

  • Direct & Indirect Procurement

  • SG&A cost reduction

  • M&A: Divestitures/Carve-Outs and Integration

• An undergraduate degree from a top academic institution with a strong GPA

• Advanced degree(s) and applicable professional certification(s) are preferred

• Intense curiosity and a relentless hunger toward lifetime learning

• Ability and willingness to travel is required

• Willingness to work at times, long hours during the week and on weekends due to client demands may be necessary