Consulting Manager-Trade Promotion Management and Trade Promotion Optimization in Retail, CPG experience

Cognizant North America

life insurance, parental leave, paid time off, paid holidays, 401(k)

United States, Texas, Dallas

Nov 24, 2024

Manager of TPx, Cognizant Consulting

Management Consultant

United States

ABOUT US

Cognizant is one of the world's leading professional services companies, transforming clients' business, operating, and technology models for the digital era. Our unique industry-based, consultative approach helps clients envision, build, and run more innovative and efficient businesses. Headquartered in the U.S., Cognizant, a member of the NASDAQ-100, is ranked 195 on the Fortune 500 and is consistently listed among the most admired companies in the world. Learn how Cognizant helps clients lead with digital at www.cognizant.com.

COGNIZANT CONSULTING

Within Cognizant is Cognizant Consulting, a global consulting organization delivering strategic and domain consulting through industry and technology expertise. With over 6,000 consultants worldwide, Cognizant offers high-value consulting services that improve business performance and operational productivity, lower operational expenses and enhance overall performance. Clients draw upon our deep industry expertise, program and change management capabilities, and analytical objectivity to help improve business productivity, drive technology-enabled business transformation and increase shareholder value. We provide a number of Business/IT Consulting Services including Business Strategy, IT Strategy & Roadmap Development, Process Re-Engineering & Transformation, Enterprise Architecture & Technology Selection, and Domain Solutions. The Cognizant Consulting team is a high performing organization that is continually expanding our client base and increasingly being recommended by analysts such as Forrester and Gartner. And we're growing!

The Role

Our Retail Consumer Goods Consulting Practice is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Manager of Trade Promotion Management and Optimization (TPx) Consulting to join our team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in the Retail/Consumer Goods industry and a proven track record in implementing and consulting TPx software systems. This role involves leading consulting engagements, developing strategic recommendations, and driving trade promotion optimization initiatives for our clients.

We engineer modern businesses to improve everyday life. Cognizant Consulting is the Cognizant business analytical and advisory group that drives Cognizant's digital innovation and transformation strategy. Our Consultants apply industry-specific domain knowledge and understanding of Cognizant's horizontal solutions to address client needs and requirements, to advise on and shape client strategies, to deliver optimum solutions that delight clients, and achieve client business goals. We work on some of the most exciting projects in the marketplace across our 7 verticals and 3 horizontals. We are looking for pure-play management consulting leaders with expertise in Retail/Consumer Goods.

To be successful, we're looking for candidates who exemplify Cognizant's Five Pillars of Consulting: 1) Project Execution, 2) Expertise, 3) Business Development, 4) Practice Development, & 5) People Development. At the Director Level, this means driving cost effective end-to-end execution of consulting engagements, cultivating practice innovations, achieving financial targets (utilization, expenditures, revenue, margin), promoting Cognizant Consulting's vision & mission, and building high performing teams across the organization. In addition to enabling consulting excellence through the Five Pillars of Consulting, the specific requirements for this position are below.

Our solutions are in demand and we're passionate about making a difference. If you have experience with the above, are a selfless leader, and are committed to client-facing environment; if you want to grow your career with a team that wants to build something great together, we want to hear from you! Apply now!

Responsibilities

Client Engagement: Lead and manage TPx consulting projects for Retail / CPG clients, ensuring the delivery of high-quality solutions that meet client objectives.
Strategic Analysis: Conduct in-depth analysis of market trends, TPx software vendor landscape, and promotional effectiveness to identify opportunities to optimize trade spending ROI.
Solution Development: Develop and implement Trade Promotion Optimization strategies, including data and AI technology, business process, and organizational strategies.
Stakeholder Management: Build and maintain strong relationships with key client stakeholders, acting as a trusted advisor on TPx matters.
Team Leadership: Mentor and guide junior consultants, fostering a collaborative and high-performance team environment.
Thought Leadership: Contribute to the development of thought leadership materials, including whitepapers, case studies, and industry presentations.
Business Development: Support business development efforts by identifying new opportunities, preparing proposals, and participating in client pitches.

Qualifications

* Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Economics, Marketing, or a related field. MBA or advanced degree preferred.

* Experience: 8+ years of experience in the CPG industry with hands-on experience as TPx user and/or TPx SaaS software implementation projects.

* Expertise: Deep understanding of TPx closed loop process including trade budget setting, promotion and account planning, claims and settlement, and trade promotion ROI analyses.

* Analytical Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and develop actionable insights.

* Communication: Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex concepts to diverse audiences.

* Leadership: Proven leadership experience with the ability to manage and develop a team of consultants.

* Client Focus: Demonstrated ability to build and maintain client relationships, with a focus on delivering exceptional client service.

Work Authorization

* Cognizant will only consider applicants for this position who are legally authorized to work in the United States without company sponsorship (H-1B, L-1B, L-1A, etc.)

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Project Execution

* Drives cost-effective end-to-end execution of consultant engagements within area of control

* Acts as a value champion for client success in delivering consulting engagements (e.g., solution-delivery-to-plan, clear engagement governance accountabilities, profitability, and overall client satisfaction)

* Manages practice operational financials, including budgets and profitability tracking

* Assesses proposed solutions from an opportunity expansion and strategic growth perspective, including partner / alliance involvement

* Drives collaborative solutioning across cross-functional teams (e.g., aligns interests and priorities, builds shared goals, establishes cadence, enforces governance)

* Monitors and manages as required the daily activities of project staff, including consulting and non-consulting team members

* Reviews project deliverables across workstreams from the perspective of QA and requirements alignment and solution integration

* Leads or drives project post-mortems to extract lessons learned and to identify potential intellectual property for repurposing

* Works directly with clients as an engagement lead to validate and leverage project success as the basis both for reinforcing positive client relationships and stimulating pull-through or repeat business

Expertise

* Cultivates practice innovations and promotes standardization on best practices

* Acts as a thought leader for a technical or industry focal area, and serves as a gatekeeper to consulting resources and expertise networks

* Drives consultative IP research and development among consultants within a practice area (e.g., white papers, articles, case studies)

* Participates in industry forums and conferences to establish thought leadership and enhance Cognizant's brand

Business Development

* Exercises financial accountability in area of control, including P&L, pipeline growth, operational efficiency, and the achievement of the practice's financial targets (utilization, expenditures, revenue, margin)

* Collaborates effectively across business verticals and technical horizontals to break down stovepipes and effectively integrate Cognizant's go-to-market solutions

* Ensures critical assessment of existing engagements for greater strategic possibilities for consulting (e.g., transformative analysis, innovative solutioning, stepwise improvements)

Practice Development

* Supports Cognizant Consulting's vision and mission, and collaborates with leadership to diffuse Consulting's values throughout the corporation (e.g., use of data-driven insights, striving for individual excellence, seamless organizational collaboration)

* Drives market research for the extraction of marketable consulting solutions

* Continually assesses business data for practice revenue and margin growth and institutes remedial interventions where required

* Actively participate in the practice community using events and achievement recognition opportunities

* Promotes the documentation and sharing of IP and innovative practices (e.g., blogs, white papers, case-studies, articles)

* Drives process improvement activities and standardization on consulting tools and methods

* Contributes to the development and implementation of one or more practice initiatives or service offerings (e.g., Strategic Control Points (SCP), consulting assets, solutions)

People Development

* Manages a hierarchy of reports within Cognizant Consulting to ensure business continuity and long-term growth at all levels

* Recruits, hires, develops, and manages consulting talent

* Manages employee performance processes, reviews, and documentation (e.g., conducts quarterly check-ins and Performance Evaluation Audits (PEAs), implements Year End Appraisal (YEA), completes Goal Setting Documentation) for a managed group of consultants

* Participates in career growth and job satisfaction activities, and facilitates exposure to the larger organization

* Mentors and supports the career development of promising candidates and interns

* Coordinates the orientation, guidance, and resource support for incoming or less experienced consultants and business school interns

* Acts as a support resource for team members and colleagues, based on extensive consulting and management experience, and industry expertise

Salary and Other Compensation:

The annual salary for this position is between $150,000 - $160,000 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant's discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant's applicable plans.

Benefits: Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
401(k) plan and contributions
Long-term/Short-term Disability
Paid Parental Leave
Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

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