Senior Managing Director, Joint Ventures & Partnerships

Ankura Consulting Group • Philadelphia, PA

2d

About The Position

Ankura’s Joint Ventures & Partnerships (JVP) practice advises organizations on using collaboration—including joint ventures, strategic alliances, consortia, ecosystems, and other partnerships—to achieve business outcomes. The practice helps clients structure, launch, govern, improve, restructure, and exit collaborations, addressing their strategic, commercial, operational, and governance challenges. JVP serves boards, CEOs, corporate development leaders, business executives, and JV management teams, and is part of Ankura’s Performance Improvement team.

The Senior Managing Director is an executive-level leader responsible for originating, leading, and delivering advisory engagements involving joint ventures and other forms of business collaboration. Depending on experience, the successful candidate will build and lead an offering in an adjacent partnership area or deepen and expand JVP’s transaction advisory capabilities. The role is supported by an established specialist team, client relationships, proprietary data and benchmarks, thought leadership, and Ankura’s broader M&A, value creation, and performance improvement capabilities.

The position focuses on developing client relationships and revenue, delivering $2.5 million–$5 million within 12 months (at least 50% related to JVs, partnerships, consortia, alliances, or other collaboration), and helping grow JVP’s capabilities and market position. The SMD will advise clients across partnership strategy, partner selection, deal structuring and negotiation, launch, governance, operating models, performance improvement, restructuring, and exit. They will also develop team members, collaborate across Ankura, and contribute to the practice’s leadership and market visibility.

Requirements

• 15 or more years of relevant consulting, advisory, corporate development, alliance management, transaction, or operating experience.
• Substantial experience advising on or leading joint ventures, strategic alliances, partnerships, consortia, or related collaboration models for middle-market through Fortune 500 companies.
• Demonstrated ability to personally originate, sell, and expand significant advisory engagements with senior executives.
• A portable network of executive-level client relationships and credible near-term revenue opportunities.
• A substantial share of recent engagements focused on JVs, alliances, or other partnerships.
• Deep understanding of partnership structuring, governance, operating models, and/or the practical execution of partnership arrangements.
• Track record of building or scaling a team, capability, offering, or market position.
• Collaborative and entrepreneurial leadership style suited to a close-knit specialist team and a broader multidisciplinary advisory platform.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills to drive top-line growth through an established referral network, and ability to coordinate and deliver Ankura services to new and existing clients.
• Ability to travel as needed, including internationally.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future.

Nice To Haves

• Senior role at a strategy consulting firm, Big 4 or advisory firm, or specialist JV/alliance advisory firm.
• Experience serving clients in partnership-intensive sectors such as energy and natural resources, power, healthcare and life sciences, technology, aerospace and defense, automotive, industrials, infrastructure, real estate, or financial services.
• Published thought leadership or a visible profile in partnership circles, such as the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals.
• Experience expanding an offering into new sectors, buyer groups, or geographic markets.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across practices and convert adjacent client relationships into multidisciplinary engagements.

Responsibilities

• Originate and close advisory engagements with senior executives at corporations, joint ventures, private capital firms, and other partnership-reliant organizations.
• Develop and manage a sustainable pipeline of revenue opportunities using personal relationships and JVP’s and Ankura’s existing clients and market presence.
• Deliver $2.5 million–$5 million within 12 months, with at least 50% of revenue related to JVs, partnerships, consortia, alliances, or other forms of collaboration.
• Build and lead a differentiated offering within JVP or deepen and lead JVP’s transaction advisory capabilities, including service design, intellectual capital, market positioning, and go-to-market strategy.
• Advise clients on partnership strategy, partner selection, deal structuring and negotiation, Day 1 launch, governance, operating models, alliance and portfolio management, performance improvement, restructuring, and exit.
• Staff and develop JVP team members on originated engagements and mentor the team in business development to increase sales pull-through.
• Collaborate with M&A advisory, value creation, and other Ankura teams on cross-practice opportunities.
• Strengthen JVP’s market visibility through thought leadership, executive roundtables, and industry relationships.
• Help shape JVP’s strategy, capabilities, talent, and market position as a senior member of its leadership team.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed