Principal Consultant – Financial Services & Insurance SME

Proxima•Chicago, IL

14d•Hybrid

About The Position

As a Senior Consultant at Proxima, you will lead complex Financial Services workstreams within the Professional Services category, manage senior stakeholders, deliver innovative solutions, and mentor junior consultants. You will work in client-facing teams on high-impact commercial and supplier initiatives, helping develop insights, contribute to solution design, and deliver outcomes. This subject matter expert role is for professionals with deep Financial Services industry experience who want to apply that expertise in consulting. You will help large corporate clients evaluate, negotiate, and optimize relationships with financial institutions and service providers. Proxima describes its approach as practitioner-consulting: consultants take early responsibility and work alongside clients to deliver measurable change. The role covers Financial Services areas including commercial banking, treasury and cash management, insurance and brokerage, payments and merchant services, financing and credit facilities, and other services used by large organizations. You will draw on industry knowledge to identify opportunities, assess suppliers, analyze commercial arrangements and markets, support client value and revenue growth, and lead negotiations. You will also coach junior consultants, contribute to category thought leadership and intellectual property, and engage directly with senior client stakeholders. The position operates in a flexible hybrid model, balancing client, home, and office-based work. Travel is required as needed to support client delivery and team collaboration.

Requirements

5–10 years of experience in the Financial Services industry, ideally in a commercial, sales, account management, commercial strategy, product, advisory, or consulting capacity.
Strong first-hand understanding of Financial Services products, providers, commercial models, and client relationships in areas such as banking, treasury, payments, insurance, brokerage, or financing.
Experience working in or supporting commercial banking, treasury and cash management, insurance and brokerage, payments and merchant services, financing and credit facilities, or other Financial Services relevant to large organizations.
Strong understanding of Financial Services providers, services, supplier landscapes, pricing structures, and commercial models, including how providers operate and manage client relationships.
Ability to apply first-hand industry knowledge to help clients evaluate providers, negotiate commercial relationships, and identify opportunities to drive value.
Experience supporting project delivery and managing stakeholder engagement across workstreams.
Strong analytical capability and confidence working with data.
Strong senior stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
A proactive, ownership-oriented approach and comfort working in a fast-paced, delivery-focused environment.
Willingness to travel as required.
Curiosity, adaptability, and a strong desire to learn and develop.
Motivation to build a long-term consulting career in a growing global firm.

Nice To Haves

Experience on the provider or supplier side of Financial Services, such as at a bank, payments company, insurer, broker, treasury provider, or other financial institution.
Consulting experience, particularly Financial Services consulting.

Responsibilities

Lead client engagements and complex Financial Services workstreams, building trusted relationships with stakeholders across Finance, Treasury, Procurement, Legal, and business leadership.
Apply Financial Services expertise across commercial banking, treasury and cash management, insurance and brokerage, payments and merchant services, financing and credit facilities, and related services.
Use knowledge of providers, products, services, and commercial models to identify opportunities, evaluate suppliers, conduct commercial analysis, and assess markets.
Identify opportunities that support client value and revenue growth.
Coach and develop junior consultants.
Contribute to Proxima category thought leadership and intellectual property.
Gather requirements from senior client stakeholders and align objectives.
Lead complex commercial negotiations with financial institutions, banking partners, insurers, brokers, payment providers, and other Financial Services suppliers.
Communicate findings clearly and professionally to team members and senior client stakeholders.
Lead workshops, working sessions, and day-to-day client interactions.
Travel as required to support client delivery and team collaboration.