Operations Consultant - Reporting Solutions Group at Information Resources, Inc. in Chicago, Illinois

Job Description:

Operations Consultant - Reporting Solutions Group

At IRI, we deliver growth to clients based on big data-our predictive analytics and forward-thinking insights help CPG, OTC, health care, retailers, and media companies remain relentlessly relevant, capture marketing share, connect with consumers, and deliver market-leading growth. The convergence of our proprietary, on-demand cloud-based technology and our client-focused colleagues leads to a seismic shift in drivers of success in all industries.

For IRI colleagues, we focus on the moments that matter. From meaningful work and impact to continuous improvement we challenge ourselves to grow both professionally and personally. You'll feel a true sense of connection and purpose in your work and will craft the direction of your career in a highly personalized way. No matter the department you join, you'll find yourself constantly growing and developing the skills of the future to deliver client growth. We believe in the undeniable strength that diverse people, culture, thought and skill bring to our business, our clients, our people and our communities. We are committed to nurturing a dynamic culture that embraces and celebrates openness, collaboration, creativity, equity, inclusivity and growth for all.

What will I do as an Operations Consultant - Reporting Solutions?

The Consultant on the Design Team will engage new Advantage application clients along with the implementation team and provide consultative value both internally and with the client. The role includes several major contributions to the project, with the goal of delivering a valuable solution at rollout. These include data model design, report content development, and user engagement. This role will require an in-depth understanding of key business issues and data analysis for manufacturers, and how they interact with retailers. You will use a consultative approach to leverage a detailed knowledge of Advantage solution capabilities to meet the needs of the client organization and user base. This role is crucial to ensuring a successful implementation and to demonstrate the power and value of the Advantage applications. It is a heavily client-facing position, but will also require some technical expertise, coordination and team work across multiple internal teams. It is also a relatively high-profile position as the expert who will be making recommendations and key decisions.

The right candidate must be organized and know how to prioritize schedules and tasks in order to handle multiple clients, projects and deadlines. You should enjoy working in a collaborative team environment, be a self-starter and manager, and be able to both seek and give input when necessary.

Strong listening, observational, consultative and interpretive skills are a must. You will be required to effectively and confidently communicate with clients in executive and high-level positions. You will need to be able to set and manage expectations both with the client and internally, and coordinate with a cross-functional team in order to execute and deliver on time and above expectations. Approximately 20-30% travel is expected in this role.

Executing successfully in this role directly contributes to engagement, adoption and usage by the application end users, as well as value and ROI for the client stakeholder.

What are the responsibilities of an Operations Consultant - Reporting Solutions?

Client Engagement
- Educates internal Client Insights and external client teams on best practices and full suite of IRI tools
- Work collaboratively with Dimension Architecture to develop attribute and hierarchy design that supports client reporting needs
- Set expectations and drives the client toward reporting satisfaction
- Conducts discovery, rationalization and design meetings with Client
- Acts as the representative of the larger Reporting Solutions team
- Consults and advises on reporting best practices

Reporting Management
- Creates Reporting Project Plan
- Coordinates with Implementation Project Manager on reporting timelines and scope
- Constructs spec documents for Build Team
- Determines optimal reporting solution (online, offline, extracts) for each client request
- Conducts internal user acceptance testing of completed reports

Change Management
- Ensure alignment and communication between reporting solutions and IRI team and client users regarding end deliverables
- Works to meet goals for post-implementation world of reporting
- Transitions completed solution to Client Service
- Stay up-to-date with IRI's latest technology capabilities, and continue to use industry knowledge and client learning to ensure the standard content library for all IRI solutions contains industry best practices and top thinking
- Support process improvement projects and initiatives, such as consultation on standard content for MA, CSIA and other data sources.

What are the qualifications?
- A background of the CPG industry, specifically from the manufacturer perspective, is crucial. Knowledge of the retailer business side is a plus. Knowledge of key business issues for retailers and manufacturers with experience in data analysis is required.
- Knowledge of both POS and Panel data Store level and loyalty data is desired but not required
- Familiarity with directly pulling and analyzing data from general data analysis applications such as Unify and Unify Office. Familiarity of competitive solutions (Nitro or Answers) is desirable but not necessary.
- Excellent verbal and written communication
- Confidence communicating with and presenting to high-level clients
- Ability to maintain composure under pressure, and make critical decisions and come up with creative solutions on the spot, as the implementation process contains many elements which are not in your control
- Strong time-management skills and ability to manage multiple clients, projects, and changing timelines
- A high level of expertise with Microsoft Office, including working with pivot tables, v-lookup, and macros is desirable, but not necessary

About Us
As one of the original innovators in Big Data, IRI integrates the world's largest set of otherwise disconnected purchase, media, social, causal and loyalty data to help CPG, retail, over-the-counter health care and media companies grow their businesses. We combine this data with predictive analytics to uncover new consumer insights and integrate them on the most technologically-advanced, cloud-based visualization platform. Learn more about us here and on YouTube.

Our Benefits
We offer a comprehensive benefit package (health, paid time off, 401(k), etc.) with additional unconventional offerings such as volunteer time off, flexible work arrangements, virtual doctor access, etc., along with the unrivaled benefit of working with our people - the best in the business.

Our Culture
We're thrilled we get to work on the most interesting business challenges facing the CPG and retail industries. We regularly uncover new "aha moments!" by closely collaborating with our colleagues and developing competencies centered around the following values: Collaboration, Personal development, Executional excellence, Client growth, Innovation and creativity.

IRI is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. The EEO is the Law poster is available here: DOL Poster. IRI is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to Talent.Acquisition@iriworldwide.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

About Vestar Capital Partners
Vestar Capital Partners is a leading U.S. middle-market private equity firm specializing in management buyouts and growth capital investments. Vestar invests and collaborates with incumbent management teams and private owners to build long-term enterprise value, with a focus on Consumer, Healthcare, and Business Services & Industrial Products. For more information on Vestar, please visit www.vestarcapital.com.