Careers

McMillanDoolittle is currently seeking a Retail Consulting Sr. Analyst.

Job Description: The Retail Consulting Sr. Analyst position is a consulting role at McMillanDoolittle. Two years prior consulting experience in retail or consumer products and/or retail experience in a financial analysis or analytical role is desired. Retail Consulting Sr. Analysts support the company’s client projects, business development, research, publications and presentations.

Key Job Responsibilities: Provide research, planning and analysis support for retail consulting projects working under the direction of McMillanDoolittle partners and senior staff. Activities include merchandise and operations analysis, financial modeling, project administration, preparing PowerPoint presentations, attending client planning meetings and providing support, and capturing and distributing planning meeting notes. A secondary role is to support the company’s marketing and business development activities, including study tours, seminars and speeches, conferences, multi-client studies, and special publications. Some travel will be required.

Reporting Relationship: Position will report to a consulting manager based upon area of responsibility and project. We work in a matrix environment where each project or business area reports to a different partner depending upon the project.

Compensation: Competitive compensation package with additional performance incentives.

Background and Skills Required: 

Skills: Strong Microsoft Office skills with proficiency in Excel, Word and PowerPoint. Experienced with secondary research and financial analysis. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills and attention to detail. Good writing skills and demonstrated ability to concisely communicate key ideas verbally and in written work. Able to complete assignments accurately and on time.

Personal Qualities: Quick study, critical thinker, creative and self-motivated. Able to work as team player in small company environment. Strong interpersonal skills. Passion for retailing.

Other Requirements: Undergraduate degree in Business or equivalent. Retail experience preferred. Fluency in Spanish a plus.

Location: Chicago, Downtown and Virtual

Please send your cover letter and resume to Felicia Greenbaum at fg@mdretail.com

About McMillanDoolittle: Headquartered in Chicago, we are a woman-owned retail consulting firm which has assembled a strong team of diverse individuals. Offering flexible working conditions and a collaborative environment, our team members have challenging roles with ever increasing levels of responsibility.

About the Role:  The Consumer Research Associate is an insights role at McMillanDoolittle. Two years prior experience in corporate marketing, consumer insights, or related consumer products and/or retail experience in a project management role is desired. The Consumer Research Associate will be responsible for providing planning and analytical support for the firm’s client engagements with a focus on consumer research activities, including qualitative and quantitative research studies. This individual will support the design and execution of primary research studies, analyze consumer data, and generate actionable insights for external client audiences. This position will collaborate with the Consumer Insights Director to support consulting projects and contribute to the firm’s retail thought leadership. This is a client-facing role that is instrumental in fueling our firm’s strategy business based on data and insights we receive directly from consumers.

Key Job Responsibilities: 

• Provides research support and business analysis for retail consulting projects under the direction of Partners and Consumer Insights Director
• Assists with quantitative consumer research, such as survey writing and programming, panel coordination and distribution, statistical analysis, report development, and insights generation
• Supports qualitative research activities from planning through execution, including focus groups, in-depth interviews, in-store customer intercepts and exit surveys, online bulletin boards, and accompanied shops
• Analyzes consumer-level data from additional sources, such as government databases, social media, online reviews, and external market research reports
• Creates client-ready reports and presentations, highlighting key trends, distilling concise insights, identifying patterns, and delivering actionable insights and recommendations
• Provides additional analytical project support as needed by contributing to merchandise and financial analysis, global retail benchmarking, and industry research
• Assists with general project management and administration, retail trends presentations, and business development activities, such as retail study tours, client proposals, blog contributions, communications processes, and special publications

 Reporting Relationship: Position will report to Consumer Insights Director and will support the firm’s Partners. We work in a matrix environment where each project or business area reports to a different Partner depending upon the project. 

Compensation: Competitive compensation package with additional performance incentives.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 2+ years of professional experience in an analytical role
• Prior retail, finance, consulting or marketing experience is a plus, and a passion for retail and consumer research is a must

Additional Background and Skills Required

• Skills: Experience with quantitative data analysis, including advanced statistical techniques. Excellent skills in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word are required. Research experience and knowledge of consumer research tools, such as Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, Nielsen systems, Sawtooth Software, SPSS, etc. is a plus. Thoroughness and attention to detail a must.
• Personal Qualities: Quick study, critical thinker, outstanding writer, creative, responsible and self-motivated. Able to work under tight deadlines as a team player in a small company environment. Strong interpersonal and client service skills. Thrives in a project-based work environment.
• Additional Details: Strong research and data acumen. Retail experience preferred. Some travel will be required to client sites, retail stores, and field research locations. Fluency in Spanish is a plus.

Location: Headquartered in Chicago; candidates are ideally (but are not required to be) based in Chicago.

Please fill out the form below or send your cover letter and resume to Felicia Greenbaum at fg@mdretail.com.