Director, Business Value Architecture (Financial Modeling)

dentsu•Chicago, IL

3d•Remote

About The Position

WE WELCOME REMOTE U.S. BASED CANDIDATES Merkle is seeking a Director, Business Value Architecture (BVA) to guide clients in achieving growth and optimizing ROI while improving customer experience in a digital-first world. BVA's mission is to bridge uncertainty into action. Reporting into senior leadership, you will partner across departments to elevate strategic decision-making and drive measurable business impact. You will lead the development of compelling business cases and comprehensive financial models including P&L projections, ROI analysis, and budget forecasting that are critical to client success. You will join a group of problem-solvers who draw inspiration from everywhere and build solutions that make clients say 'wow'– including FP&A practitioners, data analysts, consultants, and business analysts. Together, you will articulate and measure the value of dentsu and Merkle solutions, driving higher close rates and revenue through credible business valuation approaches. You'll begin as a detective, uncovering the hidden value in client challenges. You'll evolve into an architect, designing frameworks that turn ambiguity into advantage. You'll become a translator, helping executives see the future through the lens of data.

Requirements

A Bachelor's degree (this is required, but all majors will be considered. Preference for degrees in Business Administration, Finance, Marketing, Data Analytics, or related fields)
7+ years of experience in FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis), corporate finance, strategy/consulting, business transformation, or digital transformation
5+ years of experience creating financial models , analyzing data, and working with large datasets in Excel or similar tools
Experience translating insights into relevant recommendations and presentations – proficiency in PowerPoint required
Comfortability and experience working within a matrixed organization in roles with a wide degree of latitude

Nice To Haves

Curiosity and a broad mindset that draws inspiration from unexpected places including literature, nature, and human psychology.
Experience interpreting analytical and financial results to craft strategic recommendations.
Ability to present complex concepts in clear and persuasive formats for executive audiences.
Experience working in a creative, collaborative environment and navigating evolving business needs.
Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity with a constructive and solutions-oriented approach.
A growth mindset that embraces learning, asks thoughtful questions, and seeks opportunities to innovate.

Responsibilities

Build comprehensive financial models from scratch in Excel to quantify business impact, project ROI, and demonstrate the value proposition of proposed solutions to clients
Partner with our consulting teams to lead individual deliverables related to Business Value projection, transformation engagements, often coordinating with concurrent Merkle data, technology, or digital experience implementation teams.
Plan and facilitate client discovery through client interviews, document review, surveys / questionnaires, or marketing data analysis
Manage daily consulting delivery efforts, including client meetings, discussions, workshops, deliverable reviews, or readouts
Plan and manage business prioritization workshops applying a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies to select top recommendations
Use market and competitive research to uncover trends, benchmarks, and best practices to inform recommendations
Facilitate work sessions and interviews with our teams and partners to assess gaps, gather requirements, and validate recommendations
Develop executive-level presentations, summarize findings into common themes that inform client recommendations.
Identify main data points and measurements to show the impact of our approach and strategy on our client's business
Support business development activities including identification, proposal development, and other pursuit activities
Collaborate and build relationships with our teams (account management, creative, analytics, operations) and partner agencies to determine feasibility and understanding of strategic plans