Consultant - Strategy and Operations (Advisory) at PricewaterhouseCooper - PwC

PricewaterhouseCooper provides industry-focused Assurance Tax and Advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for our clients and their stakeholders.

PwC  is recruiting to fill the below position:

Job Title: Consultant - Strategy and Operations (Advisory)

Job Ref: NI4125223546

Location: Lagos

Job Description
The power-house of the team – integral to the project, taking a “get it right first time” approach to research, analysis and output. The Consultant’s key role revolves around ensuring sound data collection, analysis, interviewing and presentation as well as adding additional value through drawing out the “so what” and supporting the manager in basic project management tasks. Consultants also apply these skills and drive outside of the project environment to support & develop our practice.

Comfortable with dealing with targets or clients, the Consultant is also beginning to develop relationships within and outside of the firm.

Project Delivery & Management

1.) Business & Industry analysis

• Quickly gets on top of industry issues (e.g. regulation, drivers, threats), understands their relevance to and forms an opinion on target/client business.
• Identifies, forms an opinion on and articulates client/target strategy from e.g. business plan/performance.

2.) Data gathering and handling

• Able to scope and execute primary research using all relevant research providers
• Aware of key sources of data – where to find it, how to access it etc – and able to identify/find new sources of data specific to a given project (incl. market sources and previous projects)
• Aware of alternative methods for data gathering e.g. interviewing to verify/supplement published market research
• On top of all internally and externally available data and their limitations
• Able to synthesise key messages and trends and their implications for the client/target from large volumes of data and sources
• Sense-checks and triangulates research and output with other data sources
• Presents data candidly, accurately and completely – “Right first time” approach
• Demonstrates ability to conduct qualitative and quantitative analyses
• Communicates effectively with team members – e.g. changes to hypotheses, data problems, new issues, timing

3.) Financial analysis

• Understands drivers of revenues and profitability
• Understands key ratios – e.g. profitability margins
• Able to perform basic analysis of business plan/performance – e. g.  key drivers,  trend  analysis, CAGRs

4.) Excel skills

• Can set up clear, easy to  follow and fully sourced spreadsheets
• Data manipulation using simple formulae and techniques – e.g. vlookups, pivot tables
• Able to construct basic  models
• Able to gain understanding of how models have been constructed and use these models
• Able to understand the limitations of individual models

5.) Interviewing skills

• Professional approach to interviewing
• Designs  interview programme – identifying contacts, writing questionnaires
• Able to hold in-depth  conversations  –  i.e.  not just  sticking  to  the  script,  making interviews focused on the key questions to be resolved
• Extracts key messages and implications from interviews
• Suitable documentation  of interview feedback to a client-ready standard
• Strongly contributes to Client Team Meetings having the ability to present sections of findings   internally
• Supports senior staff at meetings by having grasp of all data and findings – and framing opinions on their basis

Reporting 

• Prepares concise, well written documents using appropriate business and technical language
• Understands key differences   between e.g.  strategy   project   and  key propositions in strategy consulting and drafts reports appropriately
• Uses clear simple slides – using appropriate graphics
• Understanding of strategy consulting environment and roles of various parties within it
• Effective time management – prioritisation of issues, understands & executes 80/20, research vs. reporting, meets agreed deadlines
• Appreciation of importance and principles of risk management / attendance of all updates

Business and team development

• Able  to  conduct  oneself  professionally  at  client  meetings  and  on  client location  –  e.g.  Appropriate language, dress, and interpersonal skills, takes notes & circulates in good time
• Assists in proposal preparation & research, making an active effort to spend available time on Business Development activities
• Begins to build an internal network of contacts, e.g. business and community, cross-functional, cross-LoS and communicates relationships to appropriate partners or leaders.
• Understands and can communicate broad range of services provided by PwC and begins to identify needs client may not recognize.
• Communicates the importance of knowledge of roles and responsibilities and standards to team members
• Demonstrates importance of quality by reviewing work products of others and making necessary modifications
• Contributes to industry teams – e.g. presentations on past projects, sector   research, keep up to date with sector news, knowledge management e.t.c
• Contributes to wider team – e.g. Induction, buddying, peer group & social activities

Other

• Utilisation of approximately 80 -85% (i.e. 1,390 – 1,480 hours)
• Proactively defines and discusses development objectives on- and off-projec ts
• Demonstrates ability to work cross various sectors – at least 40%-50% of projects outside the home sector
• Demonstrates ability to work across consulting and strategy assignments
• Asks for upward and downward feedback in timely manner, takes feedback on-board positively and takes action to address areas for growth and improvement
• Provides  constructive  and  honest  upward  (and  where  appropriate  downward)  feedback  in  a  timely manner
• Maintains a focus on project economics – e.g. hours, recovery etc – and submits timesheets on a timely basis. Also identifies and recommends opportunities for improved efficiency.
• Understands risk management procedures and implements them in day to day work .  Able to create drafts/handle key risk management procedures (e.g. engagement letters).
• Assists manager in filing & keeping order during projects (incl. MAP)  and  takes  responsibility/active  role in project close-down and archiving process
• Keeps up to date with current business events and issues – e.g. economic trends, sector news
• Basic understanding of Strategy products & services / Consulting products and services and how our work fits into the wider firm’s offering

Application Closing Date
21 November, 2012

How To Apply
Interested and Qualified candidates should:
Click here and apply online