Senior Consultant

Seniority: Mid-level

• Closing: 5:00pm, 2nd Sep 2024 CDT

Job Description

Background:

CIL is an international management consultancy that helps clients to grow their businesses, build value and invest wisely across a wide range of sectors. Our engagements are typically short (4-6 weeks) and involve an M&A element, primarily to advise private equity firms who are looking to invest in high growth businesses. Increasingly, we follow these engagements with strategy work to help investors and management teams make the most of the growth opportunities available to their businesses.

Although we work in structured project teams, we are socially very equal, lively and inclusive. There are no corner offices, no cliques – we work in open-plan offices and are not political. We think ‘a culture’ is something other firms have to invent. Ours is the product of the individuals we employ.

The role:

CIL is looking for exceptional people to join our team as Senior Consultants. If hired, you will manage teams and projects of all shapes and sizes. You will be expected to take significant responsibility from an early stage, working directly for a CIL Partner and in a client-facing role from the outset. The Senior Consultant role has four key components:

1. Project Management: Run complex projects autonomously through leading and conducting detailed, rigorous analysis and helping your team overcome any roadblocks. You will also be expected to provide strategic advice to clients who routinely demand the highest standards.
2. Career Management: Mentor and develop junior managers in the firm. Career managers hold regular informal catch-ups with their reports, as well as conducting twice yearly reviews and additional meetings when required.
3. Business Development: Play a key role in formal pitches and develop and grow your own professional networks through ad-hoc marketing meetings and events.
4. Internal Operations: Support CIL’s internal operations by getting involved in one aspect of the internal operations of the firm, whether it is marketing, recruitment, training or developing our IP.

Our offices:

We have five offices – one in the US (Chicago), two in the UK (London and Frome), one in Germany (Munich), and one in France (Paris). Our Chicago office is located in the heart of downtown Chicago and has grown to include ~30 people since launching in 2018. The office is dynamic and entrepreneurial, while still enjoying the support of an established, international business.

We are committed to being the best consultancy to work for in our field. As well as the benefits below, we pride ourselves on being flexible to the needs and personal circumstances of every single employee. The main benefits we offer include:

• Rapid, meritocratic progression, with exposure to investors and management teams right from the start
• A high-quality training program delivered within a hugely supportive learning environment (including structured training modules to take you from analyst to partner and financial support to study for relevant qualifications)
• Participation in our generous company bonus scheme
• Option to participate in medical, dental and vision insurance plans
• 401(k) contributions (4.5% of base salary matched with no vesting period)
• Generous PTO time with the option to purchase additional days each year (19 paid vacation days, 10 federal holidays and option to take 9 days unpaid)
• A hybrid working model with little requirement to travel
• Initiatives to limit weekend working and to give time back in lieu of long hours worked
• Regular company events & socials
• An incredible company culture, with support to pursue activities & interests outside of work
• Sabbatical and secondment opportunities as you progress through the company – including opportunities to spend time in our international offices

What CIL people are like:

We have a team of over 200 highly qualified, highly skilled people across our five offices. Successful CIL people share some key attributes:

• Strong academic background (we are degree agnostic) from a world-class university
• Intellectual horsepower and curiosity for solving business problems
• Motivation and ambition, able to stand on their own two feet
• Strong team working and people skills
• Outstanding numeracy, written and verbal communication skills
• Humility and quiet self-confidence – we are not an ‘alpha’ environment
• A good sense of humor and broad shoulders

In the past, we’ve successfully taken on people from the following backgrounds as experienced hires:

• Strategy consultancy (with experience in M&A & growth strategy)
• Analytical / strategy roles within corporates
• Corporate finance
• Accountancy (particularly within an M&A context – experience of financial due diligence an advantage)

Typically, our Senior Consultant hires have between four to eight years of combined experience, however we encourage all candidates who feel they meet our criteria to apply, regardless of the number of years of experience they currently hold.

Specific requirements of applicants:

• Managerial-level experience at a relevant organization (particularly from accounting, strategy consulting, corporate finance or corporate backgrounds). With some experience of managing teams of 2-5 people; carrying out qualitative and quantitative analysis; and interaction with clients / external stakeholders
• Excellent numeracy and completely fluent written and spoken English – other languages an advantage
• Previous exposure to private equity and / or commercial due diligence an advantage
• At the time of starting their employment, the successful candidate must have the right to work in the US – unfortunately we are not able to sponsor visas

We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. CIL commits to creating and maintaining a culture where every employee feels included and respected; to countering discrimination through our recruitment and training processes and our interaction with other stakeholders; and to celebrating the diverse contributions of all our employees and stakeholders.