Project Manager, Management Consulting (Retail)

Position Summary

The Project Manager leads client-facing delivery of retail operations management consulting engagements, providing project and people leadership across multiple concurrent projects in locations throughout the U.S. and internationally. This role owns day-to-day execution against the agreed Statement of Work, including project governance, stakeholder management, and coordination with subject-matter experts to deliver measurable outcomes across workforce management, engineered labor standards, productivity improvement, and operational assessments. The Project Manager is instrumental in ensuring high-quality client delivery and presentations, supporting account management and client satisfaction, and identifying and pursuing future business development opportunities. Industrial engineering experience is valued as an enabling skillset, though not the primary focus of the role.

Duties and responsibilities:

Our expectation is that you model the core values by which Connors Group operates:

• Always demonstrate professional and ethical behavior
• Provide exceptional value to our clients
• Provide the highest quality of service through your work
• Contribute to making Connors Group a great place to work
• Contribute to helping make our communities better places to live

Job responsibilities:

• Manage delivery across multiple projects and workstreams by owning integrated workplans, milestones, resourcing, and day-to-day execution, providing daily leadership to the delivery team.
• Manage client engagements end-to-end (scope, schedule, budget, quality), translating SOWs into team deliverables and running stakeholder management and governance (weekly status, steering committees) with executive-ready communications to deliver on time and within budget
• Provide industrial engineering and operations expertise, including time and motion studies, work measurement, sampling approaches, cost-benefit analysis, and process re-engineering to support evidence-based recommendations.
• Lead operational assessments and current-state diagnostics, synthesizing findings into prioritized opportunities and practical improvement plans.
• Design and deliver engineered labor/time standards (ELS/ETS)—including study approach, standards development, documentation, and rollout—while leading Lean continuous improvement using root-cause tools (5 Whys, Pareto) to prioritize drivers and deliver measurable performance gains
• Drive productivity improvement initiatives across labor productivity, utilization, and performance management, with measurable impact tracking.
• Redesign operating models and business processes, developing standard work and sustainment mechanisms to embed changes.
• Support account management by identifying follow-on opportunities and developing proposals and presentations
• Partner with SMEs to develop productivity improvement initiatives (e.g., labor planning, performance routines, standard work) and quantify benefits.
• Translate strategy and customer journey insights into operational requirements and process changes, developing an executable roadmap and implementation plan
• Ensure deliverables are “client-ready” (clear narrative, defensible analysis, and practical implementation steps)
• Ability to quickly understand several client industries, environments, and ability to create strategies and implementation plans that align with client and project goals
• Reviews and approves all travel expenses, travel coordination, and project reviews
• Coaches and develop project team by providing proper support and direction, from both project and career perspective; ability to provide and engage in feedback, performance, and personal development conversations
• Facilitate cross-functional workshops (Ops, HR, IT, Finance) to align objectives, validate requirements, and drive decisions
• Responsible for self-time management, progress reporting of tasks to direct project lead and to stay productive whether onsite with a team, by yourself or working remotely
• Actively participate in trade shows, networking and recruiting opportunities
• Travels extensively (60-80%), and sometimes independently, throughout the US and Internationally

Competencies:

• Leads multiple projects and large engagements; earns the respect of clients as an expert consultant; models the standard for effective communication to all stakeholders
• Develops a clear understanding of each clients' business and how our services can help; guides teams to focus on what matters; develops meaningful business relationships with clients
• Develops comprehensive presentations at the appropriate level of detail
• Effectively acts as a technical expert and technical leader, leads complex analytical work, and writes comprehensive client reports and internal standard practices
• Demonstrates the role of the professional consultant and the technical skills required to be an effective Industrial Engineer
• Demonstrates initiative, responsibility, and analytical thinking
• Demonstrates understanding of Top-Down ELS development, including Rt/Allowed Deviation and use of sensitivity analysis
• Effectively writes technical summaries to explain your work
• Demonstrates strong Excel-based abilities, use of regression analysis and other data-mining techniques
• Flexibility to work alternative hours, including evenings and weekends

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering or equivalent
• 7+ years’ experience in a consulting role using Industrial Engineering principles, having led and managed client engagements across multiple industries
• Demonstrate success managing fixed-scope, time-boxed projects and small delivery teams
• Familiarity with workforce management (WFM), labor planning, productivity programs, or operational excellence
• Strong executive communication and presentation skills (PowerPoint), analytical problem solving (Excel), and stakeholder management, with the ability to drive deadlines across multiple projects
• Ability to create and manage project budgets, with a strong understanding of travel coordination and travel expense policies
• Knowledge of change management principles, ability to create influence in implementing recommended solutions
• Knowledge of and experience in implementing end-to-end project solutions, including industry and customer research, creating strategy and project vision, design and development of solution meeting SOW, and associated change management practices
• Demonstrated leadership – with internal teams and clients, maintaining a positive attitude
• Demonstrated ability to assess and solve problems
• Strong work ethic and capability to work independently
• Excellent knowledge of MS Office including: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook
• Mastery of core IE principles, including Labor Standards, MOST, time studies
• Exposure to industrial engineering methods (work measurement, time studies, capacity modeling, Lean), preferred
• Access to reliable auto transportation and a major US airport

Working conditions

Project Managers, at times, must work in challenging, non-standard environments. This could include:

• Time of day: Evenings (5 PM - 10 PM), overnight shifts (10 PM – 6 AM),
• Day of week: Weekends (Saturday/Sunday)
• Strenuous Activity: Continuous walking throughout the shift, standing on your feet the entire shift
• Environmental: Client sites with abnormal temperatures, such as but not limited to, above 70°, between 37° and 50°, and below 32°

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employee may perform other related duties as assigned to meet the on-going needs of the organization.