Operations Manager- Source, Kearney Activate

Operations Manager - Source, Kearney Activate

Location: Mexico, with willingness to travel as required

About Kearney

Kearney is a leading strategic consulting firm that partners with some of the largest organizations across North America and globally to drive transformational change and operational excellence. Our work spans multiple operational domains, helping clients optimize costs, enhance processes, and design future-ready operating models.

About Kearney Activate

Kearney Activate is our global capability platform, bringing together Kearney’s operations expertise with digital and AI technology to drive transformation for clients worldwide. Within Activate, the Kearney Operations System (KOS) is our global team of operations specialists. We work within client teams, bringing the right experts and the right tools to deliver measurable impact across three connected operational domains:

• Plan: Optimizing end-to-end supply chain processes, demand forecasting, inventory management, and digital transformation.

• Source: Driving sourcing excellence, strategic negotiations, procurement transformation, and cost optimization.

• Deliver: Improving logistics, transportation efficiency, network optimization and operational execution.

Role Overview

As an operations Manager, you will lead Kearney Activate client engagements and help grow the the platform in the United States. You will advise senior client stakeholders, manage teams and work streams, contribute to business development, and develop practical offerings across Plan, Source and Deliver.

The role requires deep operations expertise, strong project leadership, and the ability to translate complex analyses into solutions that improve cost, service, resilience, and operational performance.

Key Responsibilities

Source

• Lead procurement transformation, strategic sourcing, cost optimization, and supplier-performance programs

• Structure work stream leveraging the latest in digital and AI-backed approaches to drive procurement workstreams using a range of Kearney proprietary and third-party solutions

• Guide to sourcing strategy, negotiations, digital procurement, and operating model design.

• Support provider strategy and selection, including RFI/RFP design and evaluation where relevant.

• Lead clients, on your own or with a small team, through putting the sourcing strategy into practice - running the program, tracking savings, moving work to new suppliers, and helping people adjust to the changes so the expected savings actually happen

• Lead clients, independently or with a small team, in putting sourcing strategies into practice: running programs, tracking savings, transitioning work to new suppliers, and supporting people through change, so the expected savings are realized.

Client and Business Development

• Lead proposals, solution approaches, and executive-level pitch meetings.

• Build trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders and Kearney leaders.

• Identify opportunities to expand Kearney Activate's offerings and deepen client impact.

Kearney Activate****and People Development

• Help shape and execute the KOS Center of Excellence strategy.

• Develop reusable methods, tools, case studies, and intellectual capital.

• Coach and mentor team members and support recruiting, staffing, performance management and learning initiatives.

Who You Are

• 8-10 years of experience in management consulting, supply chain, procurement, operations or transformation.

• Demonstrated experience leading client engagements, work streams and teams.

• Demonstrated experience in multiple sourcing, procurement, or related operations transformations, in a consulting or similar project-based setting.

• Master’s degree or MBA preferred.

• Strong leadership, team management, stakeholder management, and executive-storytelling skills.

• Experience working with U.S.-based clients and North American operating environments is a plus.

• Comfortable analyzing large datasets and developing business cases; advanced Excel required.

• Proficiency and ability to guide team in using LLM platforms (ChatGPT, Claude) to accelerate workflows for research, and deliverable deployment and validation.

• Knowledge of tools such as Coupa, Jaggaer or Keelvar, and other Source-to-contract solutions, with the ability to guide clients and project teams on usage.

• Experience with Power BI, Tableau, or similar visualization platforms is a plus.

What we can offer you

Every day, our people work to be the difference for our clients, our communities, and our colleagues. Helping them make an impact, they are sustained by a competitive remuneration package plus comprehensive benefits and perks, including but not limited to:

• Generous retirement savings contributions.

• Comprehensive medical insurance for employees and their families.

• Structured and on-the-job learning and development opportunities.

• Personalized opportunities, including talent mobility, flexible work programs, and externships, help you chart a unique career journey and pursue your personal and professional goals.

• Read more about our benefits and careers at Kearney.com/careers.

Equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination

Kearney prides itself on providing a culture where our employees belong and thrive equally, which means our people feel comfort, confidence, and joy as they do great things for our firm, our colleagues, and our clients.

That’s why Kearney is committed to building a diverse workforce and inclusive environment.

Kearney is an equal opportunity employer; we recruit, hire, train, promote, develop, and provide other conditions of employment without regard to a person’s gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other differences consistent with applicable laws.

This includes providing reasonable accommodation for disabilities or religious beliefs and practices. We encourage everyone to apply, including those who may not feel historically represented in consulting.