Consulting Manager, Retail, C&IP Value Creation

West Monroe•Chicago, NY

13d•Onsite

About The Position

West Monroe is seeking a Manager to join the Retail team within our Consumer & Industrials Value Creation group in the Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) practice. Our Consumer & Industrials Value Creation team helps corporate and private equity clients identify, quantify, and realize value creation opportunities before, during, and after transactions. We work alongside management teams and investors to improve operating performance, accelerate transformation, and deliver measurable business outcomes. Our retail-focused professionals bring deep industry expertise and practical execution experience to help clients improve profitability, productivity, customer experience, and operational effectiveness. We are seeking candidates who bring experience improving business performance in a retail or retail-adjacent environment, with demonstrated ability to identify, quantify, and implement value creation opportunities across people, process, and technology. Successful candidates will combine retail operating knowledge, process improvement methodologies, analytical modeling capabilities, and consulting leadership skills to drive measurable EBITDA improvement, margin expansion, labor productivity gains, inventory optimization, and service-level improvements. Managers are expected to lead engagements from planning through execution, manage project economics, shape workplans and proposals, oversee executive-level client communication, and coach consulting teams. They serve as trusted advisors to clients and are responsible for translating strategic objectives into measurable value creation outcomes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required
6+ years of experience working for a consulting firm or within a retail, consumer products, distribution, or other retail-adjacent operating environment
Demonstrated experience leading consulting engagements, operational improvement initiatives, or value creation programs
Strong understanding of retail value levers, including labor productivity, inventory optimization, margin improvement, merchandising effectiveness, customer experience, store operations, and supply chain performance
Experience identifying, quantifying, and implementing value creation opportunities across people, process, and technology
Advanced analytical and financial modeling capabilities with experience developing business cases, value creation plans, and executive-level recommendations
Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage multiple workstreams in complex client environments
Experience facilitating executive workshops, stakeholder alignment sessions, and strategic decision-making discussions
Strong project management skills, including workplan development, staffing, risk management, budgeting, and engagement economics
Ability to communicate complex operational and financial concepts to executive audiences
Experience integrating AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) into day-to-day workflows to enhance productivity and insight generation, coupled with strong critical thinking to assess accuracy, mitigate bias, and ensure high-quality outputs.
Demonstrated success coaching and developing consulting teams
Ability to travel to client-site up to 75%

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting private equity clients, M&A transactions, operational due diligence, or post-acquisition value creation initiatives preferred
Prior consulting experience strongly preferred
Experience with Lean, continuous improvement, operational excellence, or productivity improvement methodologies preferred
A commitment to inclusion and diversity, and openness to new ideas and perspectives

Responsibilities

Own overall engagement delivery, including workplan development, project execution, quality management, staffing, risk management, and client satisfaction
Identify, quantify, prioritize, and communicate value creation opportunities that drive EBITDA growth, margin expansion, productivity improvements, inventory optimization, and operational effectiveness
Lead executive-level client interactions, steering committee meetings, management presentations, and key stakeholder discussions
Develop and oversee complex operational and financial analyses, business cases, value creation models, and implementation roadmaps
Guide teams through operational assessments, process evaluations, benchmarking analyses, and KPI performance reviews
Translate operational findings into actionable recommendations and implementation strategies that align with client objectives and investment theses
Manage engagement economics, including budgeting, forecasting, resource planning, scope management, and profitability
Lead teams of consultants and senior consultants, providing coaching, mentorship, performance feedback, and professional development support
Facilitate client workshops, working sessions, and strategic planning discussions to align stakeholders and drive decision-making
Support business development activities including proposal development, client pursuits, solution design, thought leadership, and relationship management
Partner with practice leadership to enhance methodologies, build intellectual capital, and expand Retail Value Creation capabilities
Contribute to recruiting, onboarding, and retention efforts while fostering an inclusive, people-first culture
Leverage AI tools to accelerate analysis, synthesize complex information, and support data-driven recommendations for clients, exercising sound judgment in evaluating outputs. Apply AI technologies (e.g., generative AI, automation tools, data models) to enhance insights, improve delivery efficiency, and elevate the quality of client outcomes.