Senior Specialist. Bain Executive Network Operations (Contract)

Company Overview: 

Bain & Company is a global consultancy that helps the world’s most ambitious change makers define the future. Across 67 offices in 40 countries, we work alongside our clients as one team with a shared ambition to achieve extraordinary results, outperform the competition, and redefine industries.

We complement our tailored, integrated expertise with a vibrant ecosystem of digital innovators to deliver better, faster, and more enduring outcomes. Our 10-year commitment to invest $2 billion in pro bono services brings our talent, expertise, and insight to organizations tackling today’s urgent challenges. We earned a platinum rating from EcoVadis, placing us in the top 1% of consulting firms globally. Since our founding in 1973, we’ve measured our success by the success of our clients, and we proudly maintain the highest level of client advocacy in the industry.

The firm established several functions in the Indian market early 2000s and its remit across functions has expanded over time. Since 2019, these functions have become part of Global Business Services (GBS). Global Business Services (GBS) is a network of five interconnected business-function hubs across India, Poland, Malaysia, Mexico and Portugal, serving Bain globally to run our business, support other functions, and help drive innovation internally. We are over 1000 business professionals – serving functions in operations, HR, finance, legal, tech, marketing, research, and data analytics – who support our offices globally.  Our mantra of “shared innovation, seamless execution,” underpinned by a passion for results, teamwork, and creativity, helps Bain stay at the top of our game operationally.
 

WHAT MAKES US A GREAT PLACE TO WORK

We are proud to be consistently recognized as one of the world’s best places to work. We are currently the top ranked consulting firm on Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work list and have earned the #1 overall spot a record seven times.
  
Extraordinary teams are at the heart of our business strategy, but these don’t happen by chance. They require intentional focus on bringing together a broad set of backgrounds, cultures, experiences, perspectives, and skills in a supportive and inclusive work environment. We hire people with exceptional talent and create an environment in which every individual can thrive professionally and personally.

Bain Executive Network

The Bain Executive Network (BEN) is a capability created to support our most valued clients - individual executives and client organizations - to help them generate better results.  The BEN team: 

• Provides senior business leaders with customized career advice and coaching during critical inflection points in their careers; and
• Advises client organizations on talent strategy, as success often requires increasing the quality and capability of a company’s human capital – its people.   

  The global BEN team brings deep experience in strategy consulting, executive search, and executive coaching.
 

Position Summary

The (senior) Specialist serves as an integral part of the global Bain Executive Network team, with a particular focus on supporting APAC and EMEA client facing team members due to alignment of time zones, but also supporting AMERS through global delivery model, coordinating with fellow global BEN Operations team members. 

The (senior) Specialist is responsible for executive and client support related activities, priority research efforts, and ad hoc projects. The (senior) Specialist is expected to work effectively and efficiently on multiple, simultaneous requests through a combination of solid project management, proactive and high-quality search execution, and strong, team-oriented delivery against specific client needs. The client-facing team will look to the (senior) Specialist for his or her expertise in general Operations requests (e.g., CVs, recruiter decks), developing IP and planning / executing on activity reporting for the BEN team.

The (senior) Specialist is expected to demonstrate a steady upward trajectory in the depth and scope of his/her contributions over time, and to be viewed as the BEN operations leader and go-to expert to the BEN EMEA/APAC client facing team.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

• Executive support 
  • Go-to expert for EMEA/APAC BEN client-facing team members in creating valuable information materials for executives in transition, including but not limited to best demonstrated practice format CVs and Board Bios, curated and up to date relevant lists of search consultant contacts, job specifications (either updated or new creations), etc.
• Talent advisory support
  • Compile calibration profiles of executives in PPT for select client facing talent advisory situations 
  • Research and create recruiter decks (in format of PPT or excel, request depending)
• IP
  • Support on the research and development of IP to support executives and clients: collaborate with the global BEN team to regularly update high-priority IP and support materials for BEN’s executives and Bain clients.
    • Involves conducting online research, and designing and performing analyses to develop, update, and codify IP incl. competitor analysis, search firms, leadership changes etc. 
    • Own creation and send-out of monthly external IP newsletter in collaboration with S&O senior manager
• Reporting support
  • In collaboration with AMERs Ops team member, maintain and keep up-to-date internal team database of executive support activity, and document all search and candidate activity as required by BEN’s current protocols using internal team database.
  • Review and update BEN CFO and executive landings tracker on rolling monthly cadence 
  • Support analyzing activity data to identify meaningful trends, and report key insights in presentation form for key internal stakeholders (e.g., Office Heads, Practice Area leaders).
  • Design and produce, in partnership with the global Strategy & Operations BEN team, high-quality presentations as per Bain standards and support ad hoc projects.
• Systems support
  • In collaboration with AMERs Ops team member, serve as first point of contact for EMEA and APAC client facing team members systems related questions (including but not limited to Avature, Cortex).
• AI adoption and usage
  • Experience and comfort using AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT and others) to improve efficiency and problem-solving across operations, in addition to elevating client facing materials (e.g., CVs and Board Bios).
  • An interest in continuing to learn and experiment with new AI technologies to enhance day-to-day-work
• Anticipate, track, and resolve operational issues, make tradeoffs and manage escalations to meet committed delivery timelines. 
• Take full ownership of all tasks assigned and execute work independently, using a solutions-based approach to trouble shoot any challenges on projects.
• Provide regular written and verbal updates on status of projects directly with stakeholders. Proactively communicate any potential issues with deadlines or problems with data accuracy.
• Identify and participate in team initiatives, such as training, process/tool improvements and introduce new ideas/processes to tackle challenges faced by the team.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

The successful candidate will exhibit an enthusiasm for research (both candidate research and research for IP) and data management. S/he will possess strong organizational and project management skills, as well as a proven background of problem-solving. Given our collaborative business orientation, the successful candidate will possess a track record of collaborative and solutions-oriented business practices. The ideal profile will bring the following experience:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, with exposure to database or list management, complex data analysis, and excellent secondary research skills
• Ideally minimum of 3-5 years of experience working in a business research / consulting capacity at a global consulting firm, executive search firm, or in a senior knowledge / research function; familiarity with executive search firms strongly encouraged
• Proficient in using online secondary research sources including but not limited to LinkedIn, Factiva, OneSource, BoardEx
• Advanced knowledge and use of Microsoft Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint, and collaboration tools such as MS teams and SharePoint. For Excel in particular, experience designing and executing analyses, and using advanced functions such as pivot tables and vlookups.
   

CORE CAPABILITIES

• Flexible to collaborate with and accommodate colleagues across offices and geographies
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written) and a strong customer service orientation
• Works independently, with a proactive mindset, anticipating needs and taking initiative to move work forward
• Demonstrates meticulous attention to detail, a zero-defect approach, and a commitment to producing polished, highly accurate and client-ready deliverables 
• Collaborative, team-oriented working style and ability to work with a diverse range of internal and client team members; highly recommended by former colleagues
• Intellectually curios with a growth-focused attitude to learn and develop. Desires to push individual boundaries, and an enthusiasm to discover creative solutions
• Demonstrated success in working with senior level stakeholders and exhibiting sound judgment
• Keen interest in talent acquisition and cultivation
• Brings positivity, curiosity and energy - makes work fun