Kearney Associate, Agentic Procurement, Digital & Analytics

Kearney•Chicago, IL

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

As an Associate within Kearney's Digital & Analytics (D&A) practice, you will be a core contributor to our Digital Operations team, specializing in Agentic Procurement Transformation. In this role, you will help global organizations reimagine and optimize their procurement functions using data science, advanced analytics, and best-in-class procurement platforms. You will work with clients across industries to solve complex sourcing and procurement challenges, deliver high-impact consulting engagements, and generate measurable cost and efficiency value. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to one of Kearney's fastest-growing capabilities at the intersection of strategy, procurement, data science, and digital transformation.

Requirements

An MBA (preferred) and 5–10 years of professional experience, ideally within management consulting or a Fortune 500 procurement or supply chain environment.
Deep understanding of end-to-end procurement processes (category strategy, strategic sourcing, supplier management, S2P/P2P), with experience driving transformation programs across industries such as consumer goods, healthcare, retail, and industrials.
Hands-on experience with procurement platforms and analytics tools (e.g., Coupa, SAP Ariba, Jaggaer, GEP, Ivalua, Zip, Oro, Tableau, Power BI, etc).
Understand how to integrate procurement data, platforms, and analytics into large-scale operational transformations.
Thrive in managing cross-functional teams and partnering closely with clients at every stage of the journey.
Can navigate ambiguity, break down complex sourcing and supplier challenges, and create clear, actionable solutions.
Master's degree in Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, Business Analytics, Finance, or a related field.
Curious and entrepreneurial: Eager to build, scale, and influence a high-growth capability within a global firm.
Are located near or willing to relocate to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Southfield, New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Washington D.C.

Nice To Haves

Added weighting for those also experience in Agentic procurement tools to include Zip, Oro, Level Path and or many others.
Agentic or AI experience a plus.
MBA preferred.

Responsibilities

Collaborate on end-to-end agentic procurement transformation projects using traditional SaaS enterprise tools like Coupa, SAP Ariba, Jaggaer, GEP SMART, Ivalua to design efficient, resilient, and cost-optimized source-to-pay processes.
Serve on client engagements, ensuring delivery quality, managing workstreams, and fostering trusted advisor relationships.
Translate executive priorities into analytical models and digital tools that support decision-making across sourcing, category management, contract lifecycle management, and supplier risk functions.
Work with large spend datasets, enterprise systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle), procurement platforms, and cloud analytics solutions to enable agentic procurement transformation.
Collaborate with practice leadership to develop client proposals, participate in business development, and shape proprietary procurement offerings.
Help drive innovation in the firm's procurement approach—developing new IP, reusable assets, and thought leadership in areas such as autonomous procurement, AI-powered spend analytics, supplier risk management, ESG-driven sourcing, and should-cost modeling.

Benefits

Structured and on-the-job learning and development opportunities
Generous retirement/pension savings contributions
Comprehensive medical insurance for employees and their families
Non-partner equity-based awards (for consulting managers and above)
Personalized opportunities including talent mobility, flexible work programs, and externships to help you chart a unique career journey to pursue your own personal and professional goals
paid time off
401(k) match and profit sharing
medical, dental and vision coverage
healthcare concierge
backup child/adult care
annual employer HSA contribution
home office stipend
subsidized Gympass and annual wellness program
leaves of absence when needed to support employees' physical, mental, and emotional well-being