Director, Consulting

KANTAR • Boston, MA

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Consulting role within Kantar Consulting Team is focused on profitably growing the business by managing and delivering high-quality, high-impact brand strategy and consulting solutions in a dynamic, collaborative environment. This role involves honing client relationship and consulting skills to establish oneself as a trusted and strategic advisor to existing and new clients. The scope of the role includes managing the delivery of various consulting projects such as brand strategy, market structures, consumer & demand segmentations, brand valuations, brand portfolio strategy, brand architecture, brand purpose, organizational performance, front end innovation, and commerce strategy. The Director will assist senior team members with designing custom approaches, engaging with clients to understand their context and challenges, and ensuring project objectives are met. They will function as the main point of contact for clients, develop overall project workplans, oversee day-to-day management of project activities, and lead the development of consulting solution deliverables. The role involves overseeing the team's execution of project tasks, ensuring outputs are meaningful and actionable, conducting data analysis, synthesizing data from multiple sources, and demonstrating critical and analytical thinking skills. The Director will play an active role in storytelling by identifying compelling insights, translating learnings into recommendations, and packaging deliverables and presentations to be clear, relevant, and impactful. They will keep project leadership informed, solicit input, lead client conversations, facilitate decision-making, and translate decisions into clear next steps. The role includes leading client presentations and workshops, proactively identifying and solving project issues, ensuring accuracy and efficiency in project stages, and helping to build successful project teams through mentoring and support. Responsibilities also include staff utilization, financial management of projects, demonstrating a high-level understanding of Kantar's data sources, tools, and practice areas, and staying updated on the latest developments. The Director will support senior leadership in identifying and securing new client opportunities, developing proposals, and winning work, working closely with senior partners to design proposals and pitch solutions. They will provide feedback across the team, take ownership of building their own skills through training, challenge the status quo, look for opportunities to improve processes (including incorporating AI), demonstrate curiosity about Kantar's capabilities, and proactively build relationships with colleagues for support and feedback. Understanding and actively participating in Kantar's culture, including ERG/Social Community meetings, is also expected.

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional experience in similar capacity – Management consulting, brand strategy consulting, or custom market research experience preferred with exposure to quantitative methodologies
• Strong academic background: Bachelor’s degree (preferred major or concentration in marketing / market research, social science, mathematics or other analytic fields), Masters preferred
• Proven experience performing custom research / analytics / consulting for multiple strategic research or consulting projects; experience presenting insights and recommendation to clients
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) with ability to use logical reasoning and problem solving
• Demonstrates ownership, a can-do attitude and experience managing complexity and challenging situations
• Is curious and driven, proactive mindset, takes initiative to work independently and within a team
• Strong project and time management experience, organized while delivering against multiple/competing deadlines
• Proficient computer skills in Microsoft office tools and ability to master other needed business tools (e.g., SPSS, Survey Reporter, data management / cross tab tools and other proprietary tools)
• Experience with AI tools and openness to exploring more ways to incorporate AI into our work and processes
• Strong business acumen; brand savvy
• Interest in mentoring and fostering junior team members
• Managerial Skills: Plans complex engagement / job planning
• Excellent project management skills
• Motivates / leads individuals and teams, stewards team culture
• Communication: Clear and effective written and verbal communication skills
• Confidently delivers messages and exemplifies Kantar values
• Technical / Analytical: Command of marketing research methods, tools, and science
• Provides technical and analytical leadership for maximum client impact
• Ability to master business tools
• Interest / intellectual curiosity in learning the various Kantar solutions

Responsibilities

• Manage delivery of a variety of consulting projects such as brand strategy, market structures, consumer & demand segmentations, brand valuations, brand portfolio strategy, brand architecture, brand purpose, organizational performance, front end innovation, commerce strategy etc.
• Assist senior team members with design of custom approaches to address client questions; engage with the client to properly understand client context and challenges and ensure we achieve project objectives
• Function as the main point of contact for clients
• Develop overall project workplan to deliver on scope; oversee day-to-day management of all project-related activities and maintain progress against workplan
• Lead development of consulting solution deliverables (e.g., questionnaire, sample design, analytic plan, reporting)
• Responsible for overseeing the team on execution of project tasks; ensuring outputs are meaningful and actionable for clients
• Conduct data analysis, synthesizes data from multiple sources, displays critical and analytical thinking skills
• Take an active role in storytelling by identifying and bringing together compelling insights from the research and translating learnings into “so what” recommendations and next steps for clients
• Package deliverables and presentations to ensure they are clear, relevant and impactful - use vast knowledge of account / industry to logic check deliverables
• Keep project leadership apprised of progress and thoughtfully solicit input to ensure available expertise is fully leveraged
• Lead project related client conversations, facilitate decision making and translate decisions into clear next steps for the team
• Starting to lead client presentations and facilitate client workshops
• Proactively identify and solve project issues as they arise
• Ensure a high level of accuracy in all stages of the project, help the team optimize efficiency of delivery without sacrifice of quality
• Help build successful project teams, mentoring and supporting junior team members
• Responsible for staff utilization and financial management of projects
• Demonstrate a high-level understanding of Kantar data sources, tools, and practice areas, and follow the latest developments.
• Exhibit good critical and analytical thinking skills, actively share ideas and point of view
• Support senior leadership in identifying and securing new client opportunities, development of proposals and winning work
• Work closely with senior partners to design proposals and pitch solutions for client marketing problems. Actively look for opportunities to apply all Kantar solutions in service of our clients.
• Provide feedback across the team (managing up and down) where opportunities to improve exist
• Take ownership of building your own skills through training and asking questions
• Challenge the status quo, look for opportunities to improve, automate, streamline processes – including incorporating the use of AI to improve efficiency and work processes.
• Demonstrate curiosity and a commitment to building an understanding of our capabilities, solutions, data sources and analytic methods.
• Proactively build relationships with consulting colleagues to receive support and feedback
• Understand our culture and how to take an active role on the team (e.g., attending/participating in ERG/Social Community meetings/activities/training

Benefits

• Medical plans with comprehensive, affordable coverage for a range of health services
• Health Savings Account/FSA
• Dental, Vision and benefits to cover unique healthcare needs
• Wellness Program
• 401k with match
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Commuter benefits
• Unlimited PTO

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director