Senior Consultant

Title: Senior Consultant
Department: Ariba Consulting Spend Management Services Group
Location: Detroit, MI preferred; will consider all U.S.locations

Job Description Overview
Ariba is the recognized leader in spend management because it is our exclusive focus. With global operations in 21 countries, we incorporate over 400 full-time sourcing experts and 700 spend management experts into one of the largest sourcing organizations in the world.

Our experience managing spend for a variety of organizations has enabled us to resolve our clients' typical obstacles to success, particularly lack of resources or difficulty obtaining executive buy-in. As a result, we enrich over $60 billion in spend annually and help companies achieve measurable, sustainable benefits, quarter after quarter.


Ariba’s Spend Management Services (SMS) practice is focused on transforming our clients into world-class spend management organizations. We work with our clients to provide customized solutions to their specific spend management challenges including:


*Procurement strategy and transformation
*Procurement process and organizational improvement
*Detailed commodity assessments and strategies
*Customized sourcing programs


The Ariba Senior Consultant is charged with customer focused delivery and Ariba solution expertise. The Senior Consultant is responsible for delivering sound, high quality deliverables on time and within budget.
The Senior Consultant possesses a high level of functional expertise within Ariba’s Spend management Services practice and should receive acknowledgment as a subject matter expert from their peers and clients. Senior Consultants should possess an area of specialty within a functional area, dimensions of spend management, or industry and are expected to assist in building new client relationships and internal Ariba Intellectual Property.


Core to these skill sets are strong analytical capabilities, strong written and verbal communication skills, flexibility, exceptional problem solving skills, structured as well as innovative thinking and, most importantly, the ability work within the delivery team to provide the client with world-class service on a consistent basis.

Duties and Responsibilities

Customer Focus
*Proven ability to develop and deliver customize solutions to clients unstructured spend management challenges
*Uses knowledge of customer’s business and industry to assess findings and shape solutions.
*Influences the opinions and decisions of clients using understanding of client’s organizational processes and structure.
*Speaks to a variety of customers from different departments, at different levels, and in large or small groups (e.g. client project manager, technical team).
*Identifies client issues and approaches for determining potential solutions.
*Dedicated to delivering exceptional results.
*Makes the client successful within the realm and scope of the Statement of Work (SOW).
*Ability to interact effectively with all levels of management.

Ariba Solution Expertise
*Builds solution, customer, and industry knowledge by leveraging the appropriate resources (internally at Ariba and externally at the client) .
*Synthesizes learnings into a logical story using quantitative/qualitative data and/or sound reasoning.
*Communicates to effectively resolve problems or issues.
*Applies a broad knowledge of spend management applications/solutions.
*Establishes credibility as a solutions expert with customers (e.g., positive customer feedback).
*Is seen as an expert by customers (e.g., positive customer feedback).
*Quickly learns new ESM solutions in order to present them credibly and confidently to clients and Ariba consultants.
*Conversant with the features, functionality, and applicability of the Ariba ESM suite, as well as possess expert knowledge in at least one area of the ESM suite.
*Able to identify key issues that will drive adoption of ESM functionality.
*Use analytical and conceptual skills to structure, develop, execute and oversee sophisticated hypothesis-driven assessments

Practice Development
*Assists in refining existing or assists in developing new intellectual property and methodology, frameworks and tools (e.g., questionnaires, presentations, implementation methodology, performance management) based on project experience, research, and analysis.
*Actively contributes to knowledge capital.
*Assist in the sales process as a key analyst on the sales team.

Team Work
*Executes with minimal guidance and shows strong initiative
*Works with project manager to determine what resources/skills are needed (e.g., other consultants, product management, engineering, GSO, technical support) and brings them in as necessary.
*Maintains regular communication with team members (e.g., face-to-face, via voicemails, emails) so everyone understands what the others are working on.
*Proactively collaborates with teammates to anticipate and respond to issues that could impact solution delivery (e.g., change in scope).
*Displays proactive communication (i.e., face-to-face meetings and phone calls are more frequent than emails).
*Manages internal and external resources to optimize client impact.
*Manages various internal and external teams at all project phases and an exemplary track record in providing client satisfaction

Preferred Qualifications
*Masters in Business preferred.
*Strong analytical skills, and structured thinking and problem solving capability
*Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
*Industry expertise a plus (automotive, private equity, technology, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, retail, services, etc).
*Exposure to multicultural scenarios/international work experience a plus.
*Demonstrated ability to successfully interact and communicate with clients.
*Successful track record working in supply chain integration (focus on supply) is preferred.
*Successful project management experience (internal and client resources).
*Specific commodity expertise a plus.
*CPM or APICS certification a plus.

Basic Minimum Qualifications
*Bachelor Degree
*Two to three years of functional sourcing experience in industry or as a consultant
*Ability to travel 80%+


Ariba, Inc. is an EEO/Affirmative Action employer and does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected category.


Please Apply On - Line: http://ariba.recruitmax.com/ENG/candidates/default.cfm?szCategory=jobprofile&szOrderID=3113