Senior Consultant, Strategy & Operations at PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) Nigeria

PwC firms help organizations and individuals create the value they are looking for. We are a network of firms in 158 countries with more than 180,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in Assurance, Tax and Advisory services.

PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) is recruiting to fill the below position:

Job Title: Senior Consultant, Strategy & Operations

Reference Number: 125-NIG00072
Location: Lagos
Department: Advisory

What we are looking for:
We are looking for a Manager to manage complex engagements that help our clients realize competitive advantage from operations by optimizing their business through strategy development, transformation and operational effectiveness. Specific area of focus include , network design, product innovation and development, sales and operations planning, strategic cost analysis and managements, business process reviews, strategic decision making and commercial and market due diligence.

Manager Role Description:

• Making the project happen – the Manager is the centre of any project, playing a leading role in structuring the output and directing the research of the team, while coaching the staff they look after. Managers are expected to make strong contribution to the development of the wider practice through thought-leadership, pitches, recruitment, etc

Project Delivery & Management:
Business & Industry analysis:

• Identifies issues, drawing on experience from previous projects
• Quickly draws out relevant industry trends affecting the assignment
• Forms an opinion/point of view and articulates client/target strategy from e.g. business plan

Assesses and proactively suggests the allocation of key responsibilities to team members as well as suggests staffing changes so that the team has the capability, competence and time to perform the engagement/project in accordance with standards:

• Takes development objectives of Assistant Consultants/Consultants into consideration
• Displays effective time management – prioritisation of issues, research, reporting, meets agreed deadlines
• Takes responsibility for the quality of the team’s work products and addressing the needs of the client, PwC and other stakeholders including compliance.

Coaches junior staff taking development needs into consideration – able to articulate to team how their work contributes to meeting project objectives:

• Has a discussion about objectives with team members on every assignment
• Plays key role in initial hypothesis generation – e.g. logic tree production
• Continuously sense-checks and updates team hypotheses

Data gathering and handling:

• Oversees data gathering process (covering previous projects, market research, broker notes etc)
• Challenges team on completeness/appropriateness/accuracy of gathered data
• Identifies key internal data requirements and writes accurate and clear information request list
• Exhaustive understanding of different sources and has pursued various options – presents these to the Director to make a decision on the purchase of more expensive market research

Sense-checks and triangulates research and output with other data sources:

• Continuously challenges and sense-checks Assistant Consultants/Consultants output for robustness and integrity

Financial analysis:

• Able to perform historical analysis – understanding of key business drivers
• Able to understand and discuss in detail financial trends & projections with the client and more senior team members
• Challenges business plan assumptions and develops strategies to test reasonableness of assumptions
• Able to create draft commentary and risk assessment of business plan/performance assumptions

Excel skills:

• Able to construct advanced models
• Advanced data manipulation
• Able to coach more junior staff in advanced analysis techniques

Interviewing skills:

• Performs more in-depth and difficult interviews with e.g. competitors, senior management of key target customers
• Designs and manages interview programme
• Extracts key messages and implications from interviews
• Communicates with impact and confidence, identifying key issues and articulating actions
• Communicates effectively with team members – e.g. changes to hypotheses, data problems, new issues, timing, runs part of Client/ Team Meetings:
• Supports senior staff at meetings with management or the client by having grasp of all data and findings and presenting parts of findings – i.e. relevant sections, complex analyses
• Comfortable sharing the current point of view with the team and the client – but flexible for this view to change over the course of the work
• Contributes to the development of new methodologies or approaches to address client or PwC needs
• Reporting / Output:
• Prepares or coordinates the preparation of complex written documents and presentations.
• Basic grasp of report writing principles – structures argument and sections appropriately
• Effective presentation of subject matters/issues using charts, tables and graphics
• Takes responsibility for reports – guided where necessary
• Understands principles of story boarding and hypothesis-led approach
• Demonstrates the ability to communicate a value proposition; issue, action, impact
• Demonstrates the ability to modify the content and delivery of communications depending on audience
• Takes responsibility for creating a sensible reporting structure and managing reporting flow
• Takes responsibility for output of team to client ready standard
• Monitors project costs on an ongoing basis and keeps senior staff informed of progress / deviations
• Understands and is up-to-date with strategy environment, latest thinking and roles of various parties within it
• Able to use and direct the usage of key strategic concepts – e.g. BCG matrix, BSC methodology, market / product expansion
• Able to create drafts/handle key risk management procedures (e.g. engagement letters) and take the lead e.g. on ethical wall reporting

Business and team development:

• Spends available time on Business Development activities e.g. pitches, thought leadership, sector development
• Sets positive example by providing timely, meaningful verbal and written feedback. Coaches others formally & informally on providing meaningful feedback.
• Makes the time and opportunity for staff members to discuss their aspirational goals and how they might be achieved.
• Contributes to Learning & Education design activity and/or instructs at training events.

Others:

• Utilization of approximately 50 – 70% (i.e. 1,000 – 1,390 hours)
• Takes responsibility/active role in project set-up – e.g. MAP files, job codes etc.
• Demonstrates ability to work cross various sectors
• Demonstrates ability to work across strategy assignments
• Provides constructive and honest upward (and where appropriate downward) feedback in a timely manner
• Maintains a focus on project economics – e.g. utilization, recovery, collections, etc – and recommends opportunities for improved efficiency.

Qualifications
Job Experience Requirements :

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in Strategy & Operations consulting in a professional services environment or 2 years relevant experience in a large/global organization.
• Experience outside market of operation will be an added advantage
• Experience in building and maintaining strong relations with senior level clients and key industry contacts
• Demonstrated experience in corporate and business strategy
• Experience in strategic planning and portfolio management
• Experience in innovation strategy: market entry, business design, growth and social strategies;
• Demonstrated experience in inorganic growth strategy, corporate development/venturing, target identification and prioritization, and commercial due diligence;
• Cost leadership strategy, ROI improvement, ruthless competitor strategy.
• Demonstrated leadership skills and experience leading projects and diverse teams
• Strong analytical and problem solving capabilities.
• Job Knowledge Requirements:
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of one of the following industries – Financial Services, Government Agencies, Consumer products and Telecommunication, Energy and Mining
• Working knowledge and understanding of compliance and risk review procedures, business processes and internal controls

Job Related Skills and Competencies:

• Flexibility in your approach to meeting goals as team manager
• Ability to communicate clearly with colleagues and senior clients
• A proven track record of establishing and maintaining strong relationships
• A proactive approach to problem solving, delivering results and meet client expectations
• Strong IT Skills and technical depth
• Project management skills – ability to manage across multiple and complex projects,
• Understand and live the PwC values
• Demonstrable creativity and innovation
• Presentation, communication and facilitation skills
• Adapting and responding to change

Education Requirements:

• First Degree in relevant field
• MBA/MSc (with business/accounting/finance/strategy orientation) is desirable
• CPA or ACCA (finalists) or other accredited accounting qualification

Application Closing Date:
19th November, 2014

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should
Click here to apply online