Principal Consultant (Commerce) (London)

At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever-evolving world. Our heritage is built upon a century of combined expertise, where creativity meets technology, and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse.

Our global family now encompasses over 30,000 employees across 150+ offices in 64 markets, each contributing to a culture that values connection, belonging, and the power of differences.Our expertise spans the entire customer journey, offering deep insights in communications, commerce, consultancy, CRM, CX, data, production, and technology. We deliver end-to-end solutions that result in revolutionary work.

Senior/Lead Consultant needed to join our Consultancy team, here at VML Enterprise Solutions.

The opportunity:

We are seeking an experienced and driven Senior Business Consultant to join our dynamic Business Services team. In this role, you will be a trusted advisor to our clients, leveraging your deep industry expertise and collaborative leadership style to drive impactful business outcomes. You will champion our people-first approach, fostering a culture of empowerment, growth, and continuous improvement within the Business Consultancy team and across the organisation.

Other core elements of this role will be:

• Passionate about understanding and solving complex problems for our clients within an ever-changing digital landscape
• Using advance communication skills to unpick client problems rapidly, getting to the core of how we can support, often in situations that lack clarity
• Leading teams of cross functional skill sets to work together to create coherent answers to client questions, through high-quality outputs,
• Listening to client challenges and using client knowledge to spot opportunities for other ways we can help the client outside of the core engagement

What you’ll be doing:

You will have a strong consultancy background or acted as a Senior Business Leader with in-depth specialist sector knowledge across a minimum of 1-2 areas (ideal sectors include retail, FMCG/CPG, B2B, automotive)

Key responsibilities:

• Client Engagement & Relationship Management:
• Lead cross-functional engagements, serving as the primary point of contact for senior client stakeholders.
• Build and nurture strong, trusted relationships with clients, understanding their business challenges and objectives.
• Proactively identify and pursue opportunities to expand existing client relationships and generate new business.
• Lead, mentor, and coach the more junior consultants, fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment.
• Inspire and empower team members to take ownership, develop their skills, and reach their full potential.
• Promote knowledge sharing and best practices across the team and wider organization.
• Strategic Consulting & Solution Delivery:
• Leverage your expertise in e-Commerce and specialist sector knowledge (e.g., retail, FMCG/CPG, B2B, automotive) to provide strategic guidance and solutions to clients.
• Confident communicator who can articulately ask questions and actively listen in order to get to the core of the client problem
• Being comfortable with ‘grey’, bringing clarity to ambiguous situations and utilising your advanced problem-solving capability to quickly analyse complex business problems and independently overcome obstacles. A lateral thinking who is able to step back to assess the client ask from a broader perspective
• Conduct thorough business analysis, identifying pain points, opportunities, and areas for improvement.
• A deep understanding of technologies that form a part of digital ecosystems, such as ecommerce platforms, CMS, PIM etc. as well as software delivery methodology including agile
• Develop and present compelling proposals, roadmaps, and presentations that clearly articulate value propositions and solutions.
• Support the delivery function with business insights to help keep the business & team focussed on outcomes
• Proactively identify and implement process improvements to enhance team efficiency, output quality, and client satisfaction.
• Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices, incorporating relevant learnings into your work.
• Contribute to the development and refinement of internal methodologies, frameworks, and tools

What we want from you:

• Extensive experience in management or consultancy roles within the e-Commerce domain.
• In-depth specialist sector knowledge in at least 1-2 areas, ideally including retail, FMCG/CPG, B2B, or automotive.
• Proven leadership skills with the ability to effectively lead and motivate cross-functional teams.
• Exceptional relationship-building and networking skills, with a knack for building rapport with senior stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of digital ecosystems and technologies, including e-commerce platforms, CMS, PIM, and agile software delivery methodologies.
• Advanced problem-solving skills, with the ability to analyse complex business problems, think laterally, and develop creative solutions.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and concisely to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Passion for client success and a commitment to exceeding expectations.
• Willingness to travel to client sites within the UK and potentially within the EU.

What we can offer you:

Alongside the opportunity to work with some of the most exciting brands around the world, we’ll also prioritise your career development and help you grow your skills. We’ll empower you to make a difference, allow you to be yourself, and respect who you are.

Our personality and behaviours: We believe that we are what we do, not just what we say. Our shared values and behaviours show how to bring the VML Enterprise Solution's culture to life through the actions we all take every day:

• Connect Meaningfully
• Include Purposefully

Our brilliant, talented people are what makes VML Enterprise Solutions what we are. That’s why we look for people who go beyond and always push our thinking to be better than yesterday.

AT VML Enterprise Solutions

Our Enterprise Solutions division houses strategic consultants, creative and technical architects and skilled developers and operators that together help some of the world’s leading organisations to deliver outstanding digital experiences across all major routes to market worldwide: marketplaces, online retailers, D2C, B2B and social platforms. With over 4,200 experts in 55 operational centres across 34 countries, our capabilities span the entire buying journey from customer acquisition, through engagement, to conversion and loyalty, driving multi-channel growth for world-leading brands.

We work with some of the most exciting brands such as The Coca-Cola Company, EY, Bosch, Unilever, Ford, DFS, Mercedes-Benz, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, Sainsbury’s, Selfridges, Shell and Tiffany & Co. We’ve built over 500 platforms for brands and retailers and generate in excess of $29bn annually for our clients and work with over 50 strategic partners including Adobe, SAP, Salesforce, HCL, Shopify, Sitecore, BigCommerce, commerce tools and Acquia. Our reputation is based on our people, and we believe we have some of the best in the business.

As our business grows internationally, we’re looking for new people to join us on our journey to inspire and take a key role in shaping some of the best commerce solutions, services, and websites in the world. Working as a team, no problem is insurmountable; we share in our client’s successes and believe that anyone can show creative bravery no matter what their role is in the team.

#LI-EMEA #LI-JS1 #LI-HYBRID

WPP (VML Enterprise Solutions) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

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