Senior Transformation Manager Sustainability (all genders)

Job Description

Introduction

All over the world, the costs of pollution and the benefits of environmental sustainability have been recognized. Government regulations, investor interests, and local communities are all putting pressure on companies to rethink the way they do business.

Sustainability has evolved from the production of politically correct CSR reports to a place at the heart of operations. It has become a core component of business strategy for many companies and the need to integrate sustainability across the value chain has been widely recognized.

The Company

• Sector: Management Consulting
• Location: Belgium/Brussels 

EFESO is a global management consulting group specialized in operations strategy and performance improvement and have been operating in the industrial environment over the last 40 years, working side-by-side with their clients to accelerate their transformation towards future-proof operations.

The industrial landscape has become the arena in which sustainability will have a significant impact on people, profits, and the planet and they believe that industrial sustainability can be a virtuous circle that improves both business and planet. It drives the entire business plan creating better top and bottom-line growth, better control over the entire value chain, a better environment for people and a better future – with fewer carbon emissions – for the planet.

Operating from their 35 offices, they deliver over 1,000 projects each year for clients around the world, helping them achieve outstanding business outcomes, and sustainable change. Together with their clients, they aim at contributing to a better and more sustainable world.

At EFESO Consulting they work together with their clients to help them join their sustainability strategy firmly into the overall business strategy and ensuring it is embedded within the entire organization and that its implementation is consistent. They are helping their clients prepare for the future – today.

Their approach, integrating value chain process optimization, digitalization, Human Dynamics and sustainability is: pragmatic in exploiting new technological opportunities, respectful, personalized, people-oriented, focused and committed to results rather than concepts. They cultivate long-term work relationships with their clients and their “tandem approach”, working “with” their clients - from boardroom to shopfloor -, and not “for” them, is central to their way of working.

The success of their unique approach is reflected by a 90% client retention and an established and first-rate reputation with large, high-profile local and global players in various sectors, such as Food & Beverage, Chemicals, Pharma & Biotech, Cosmetics, Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, Utilities, Telecommunications, FMCG, Retail, Hospitals & Healthcare… and others.

To support and accelerate their further growth and ambition, the EFESO Belgian Office is now looking to recruit a Senior Transformation Manager with extensive and complex program management expertise and hands-on experience with Sustainability.

Role

As a Senior Transformation Manager you will be a trusted advisor to guide EFESO clients through their large-scale and often complex transformation projects aiming at future-proof and more sustainable operations. Being a very hands-on manager, you can align strategy, project management, and the project portfolio and you aim to realize significant improvements in terms of growth in sales and contribution; asset utilization; quality of service; customer satisfaction and/or reduction of business risks.

Building on your previous management consulting experience and Sustainability expertise (e.g. materiality assessment, product carbon footprint analysis, life cycle analysis, scope1/2 reductions, circular economy, etc.) you will serve as the primary program contact for clients and play a key role in supporting them in their business progression programs. A pragmatic and strong performance mindset, combined with excellent communication skills, will guarantee successful and timely delivery. As a key local lead, you will deliver value to the client by adding tangible and sustainable value to their operations.

You have excellent complex program management skills and the ability to pinpoint problems and act promptly to mitigate any issues.
By leveraging your change management expertise (at EFESO they call it “human dynamics”) you will guide the different impacted populations towards the required way of working, mindset and behavior and realize the expected business benefits. 

As an entrepreneurial and result-driven candidate, you are expected to pick up a role in business development as well. When working for your clients, you will look beyond the project, capture the unmet needs, and try to position EFESO to help the client. Furthermore, you will be developing new leads with your colleagues who are specialized in the same industry and/or expertise as you are.

In terms of development and innovation, you will be part of both local and group communities, with plenty of opportunity to develop in your areas of choice. As such, you will be encouraged to develop your network inside the company group and to develop the working methods and certain leads at group level. You will also take part in the training curriculum of the company, which is organized at an international level.

You will be based in Belgium and primarily staffed on projects in Belgium, but willing to travel based on project requirements.

EFESO is looking to recruit an experienced, dynamic, and enthusiastic candidate with business acumen and a proven track record in management consulting and implementing large and strategic programs with sustainability as a key driver. A natural born leader who understands the need to put sustainability at the forefront of transformations.

EFESO is looking for someone with 7 to 15 years of experience, with the ambition to play a key role in and contribute to the further growth of EFESO.

Key Responsibilities

As a Senior Transformation Manager, your main responsibilities can be summarized as follows:

• Complex Program Management & Delivery: managing “in tandem with the client” the successful delivery of complex and challenging assignments, including all aspects of commercial -, financial -, project -, people, sustainability, – and relations within the client’s organization.

• Client Management & Development: developing and/or maintaining strong client relationships and being recognized by them as a “trusted advisor”; assisting in growing the business through the origination of new opportunities and proposal development and enhancing the reputation of our client through the quality of own work, knowledge, and experience.

• Innovation: taking a leading role in development and innovation through the growing of intellectual capital and the support and development of other consultants and contributing to firm activities and internal knowledge management and sharing.

• People Management: providing professional development opportunities, coaching, counseling, and feedback for less senior team members and contributing to the annual performance evaluation process.

Required Experience/Qualifications

• 7 to 15 years of transformation consulting experience in either a management consultancy or in a combination of consulting and project-based client work.
• A minimum of 5 years experience with driving and managing large-scale and complex transformation programs where sustainability was a key element.
• Experience within the Manufacturing Industry (process or discrete), Transport or Logistics and/or Energy. Experience with Food & Beverage, Chemicals and/or Critical Materials is considered a plus.
• Working knowledge of project and program management practices and methodologies.
• Solid change management expertise and experience.
• Strong (workshop) facilitation, (steering) presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Demonstrated leadership qualities with a proven track record in managing and coaching people toward the targeted results.
• Comfortable in interacting with both C-level as people on the shop floor.
• Experience with working on projects in various industries and not afraid of deep-diving into diverse and complex functional areas.
• Experience with business development, writing and reviewing proposals, elaborating estimates, financial forecasting, and budget control experience.
• Ability to farm existing clients (eagerness to hunt for new clients is a +).
• Academic background in commercial engineering, sustainability, or related fields.
• Fluent in English and either Dutch or French, with professional proficiency in the other language.

Candidate Profile

We are seeking to hire an outstanding, competent, and versatile individual with:

• An entrepreneurial mind and real team player spirit.
• High integrity and a passion for excellence and achieving high value for clients.
• Solid business judgment, able to: (i) understand the impact of decisions on the organization as a whole; (ii) balance strategic and tactical issues, and (iii), balance the content (hard) and people (soft) aspects of change initiatives.
• A proven ability to communicate and interact effectively at all levels (from the executive suite to the production floor) in small groups as well as with larger audiences, and to give persuasive advice and build strong business relationships.
• Effective interpersonal and coaching skills and proven ability to adapt and “get things done” in complex organizations and culturally different client environments.
• A strong team and people orientation (empathy) and a demonstrated leadership capability, able to drive collaboration and inclusion and to inspire and coach cross-functional/divisional teams to success.
• A high level of intellectual agility and adaptability; an open, flexible, resilient, entrepreneurial, positive, and pragmatic mind with a can-do attitude, able to think laterally and creatively in developing simple and bold solutions to complex problems.
• A strong determination and sense of responsibility, high pro-activity, action, and result-driven personality, with lots of energy and ability to work independently.
• A strong orientation toward achievement and persistence in overcoming obstacles and focusing on what matters execution.
• Superior organizational and planning skills and ability to work on different domains simultaneously and at times under high pressure and in fast-changing circumstances.
• An orientation to details without losing the bigger picture and keeping the final goal in mind.
• Good commercial acumen.
• A strong commitment to further develop knowledge and skills in line with objectives and; an openness for suggestions, respectful of others and honest about mistakes, and proactively seeking and providing feedback.

The Role Offers

This is an exciting opportunity for ambitious and entrepreneurial candidates, looking to accelerate their career and join a growing international leader in its field, with a clear strategy.

EFESO’s culture is open and co-creative, direct, feedback-driven, high-performing, and no-nonsense, where own initiative and taking on responsibilities are highly valued. Its working environment is pleasant with a flat hierarchy, transparent processes, and short decision lines. It has a strong team spirit and flexible working models.

The role will offer ample opportunities for personal development and growth and for someone with the right entrepreneurial spirit, initiative and drive, the possibility to be in charge of his/her own career and to help shape the future and growth of the practice/EFESO Belgium and participate in its success.

Career growth will be solely based on performance and demonstrated potential.