Job Description

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Job Description

Job Name - GDS Consulting Strategic Transformation Partner - Retail

Position Summary

Strategic Transformation Partner aligned to the Retail sector, will be responsible for origination, deal shaping, and execution sponsorship of large-scale transformation programs across omnichannel retail, customer experience, merchandising, and supply chain.

Essential Functions of the job

• Lead and sponsor large, complex pursuits, actively shaping deal strategy, solution architecture, and executive engagement across omnichannel commerce, pricing and promotions, and store network performance.
• Design and lead high impact commercial programs across retail accounts, including initiatives in store operations and in store execution,
• merchandising and assortment planning, digital commerce and marketplace growth, and customer engagement.
• Direct development of differentiated proposals that clearly articulate commercial impact, integrating inputs across levers such as pricing, promotions, assortment, and channel mix into a cohesive narrative.
• Oversee solution design, ensuring alignment between customer and channel economics, operating model choices, and delivery feasibility.
• Sponsor and steer key programs across retail value chains, including store networks, distribution, and digital channels
• Lead executive level client discussions, translating complex retail challenges such as conversion, basket size, footfall, and digital growth into clear, actionable priorities.
• Oversee development and scaling of sector specific offerings, including store productivity frameworks, retail media models, and digital selling approaches.
• Drive thought leadership and market engagement across retail sales enablement, omnichannel commerce, and frontline effectiveness.
• Align and coordinate cross functional teams, ensuring seamless execution across commercial, supply chain, marketing, and digital functions within retail organizations.
• Identify and develop next generation leaders with strong retail commercial and sector expertise, particularly across sales enablement and customer facing functions.

Analytical/Decision Making Responsibilities

• Evaluate and qualify large, complex pursuits, applying judgment on market attractiveness, client priorities, competitive positioning, and win probability to define pursuit strategy.
• Make strategic decisions on solution architecture and value definition, considering retail levers such as pricing, promotions, channel mix, operating model choices, and customer and channel economics.
• Direct commercial modelling and deal shaping decisions, including pricing structures, margin expectations, and delivery approaches for multi‑tower retail programs.
• Analyze sector trends and disruption themes, including shifts in consumer behaviour, retail formats, and channel dynamics, to guide account strategy, offering evolution, and investment priorities.

Education & Experience

• 25+ Years in Consulting (Big 4, strategy consulting) or retail industry with a strong track record of leading large, complex transformation or commercial programs in retail, consumer, or adjacent sectors.
• Deep retail sector expertise across key sub-sectors, including grocery, fashion and apparel, specialty retail, consumer electronics, and e commerce, with experience spanning store networks, marketplaces, and direct to consumer models.
• Proven experience in originating, shaping, and closing large deals, with the ability to operate credibly at the C suite level and influence senior stakeholders.
• Strong academic background, with an MBA or equivalent preferred; undergraduate degree in business, engineering, or a related field required.
• Global exposure across markets and clients, with the ability to operate across geographies and bring integrated perspectives across sectors, regions, and solution areas.

Knowledge and Skills Requirements

• Strong commercial acumen with deep understanding of retail business drivers, including pricing, promotions, assortment, channel economics, and store performance levers.
• Ability to shape integrated solutions across business and technology, bringing together commercial, supply chain, digital, and data capabilities into coherent client propositions.
• Advanced deal shaping and financial modelling capability, with the ability to structure complex engagements, articulate business impact, and align commercial constructs to client objectives.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and executive communication skills, with the ability to influence C-suite leaders and translate complex concepts into clear, outcome focused narratives.
• Strong sector insight and market awareness, with the ability to interpret retail trends, competitive dynamics, and evolving customer behaviours to inform positioning and solution direction.

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