Oliver Wyman is a global leader in management consulting. With offices in 70 cities across 30 countries, Oliver Wyman combines deep industry knowledge with specialized expertise in strategy, operations, risk management, and organization transformation. Over 7,000 professionals help clients optimize their business, improve their operations and risk profile, and accelerate their organizational performance to seize the most attractive opportunities. Oliver Wyman’s thought leadership is evident in our agenda-setting books, white papers, research reports, and articles in the business press. Our clients are the CEOs and executive teams of the top Global 1,000 companies.
Oliver Wyman is a business of Marsh McLennan [NYSE: MMC]. For more information, visit www.oliverwyman.com.
Job Overview:
We are seeking a seasoned professional to join the Americas Talent Management Team as Talent Management Lead (TM Lead) for our Finance, Risk and Restructuring (FRR) practice. The FRR practice is a highly dynamic team of 60+ Partners and more than 100 Consultants and Specialists.The TM Lead is responsible for overseeing talent management for the FRR practice, serving as a trusted advisor to the unit’s leadership and possessing a strong understanding of the practice’s business needs and offerings. They are expected to effectively manage and coach 1-2 junior talent managers, delegating duties appropriately to ensure smooth running of operations and development of the team. The individual will also work as a part of the Americas TM team and collaborate with other TM leaders to create and deliver appropriate talent management solutions across the region.
The role encompasses a comprehensive set of responsibilities aimed at driving Talent Management success within the organization while fostering a collaborative and supportive environment for both employees and leadership teams. The TM Lead actively monitors the performance of consultants and specialists, understanding their areas of expertise, strengths, and developmental objectives, while providing guidance on their career development. They independently manage staffing, navigating demand and supply dynamics to help avoid escalations, and oversee effective performance management and compensation processes. Additionally, the Talent Management Lead advises practice leadership on a range of talent management topics, monitors key talent KPIs, and proactively identifies potential talent management issues. They also lead or collaborate on initiatives at the practice or regional level, driving innovative solutions and ensuring alignment with organizational goals while fostering a supportive work environment.
The successful candidate will be able to proactively, delicately and empathetically balance the needs of the business alongside the preferences, career goals and development needs of the consultant to deliver appropriate staffing and talent management outcomes. They will frequently interact with very senior leaders in the business and need to be able to foster strong relationships across all organizational levels. The candidate should exhibit strong problem-solving abilities, excellent communication and organizational skills, and high attention to detail. Additionally, experience and/or a background in the Financial Services industry would be considered advantageous.
This is a hybrid role that requires 3 days per week in our midtown NYC office. There is no option to be fully remote.
Key Responsibilities:
Talent Leadership for at least one practice or large sub-team
Serve as the primary point of contact for leadership on all aspects of Talent Management. Foster strong partnerships with Learning & Development, Recruiting, and Human Capital Operations to ensure aligned execution of talent processes.
Take a strategic and holistic view of talent management needs within the unit, moving beyond traditional staffing and pastoral care for consultants, and proactively identify systemic talent issues and trends, including broader implications for the group and anticipate mid- to long-term challenges.
Collaborate with practice leadership to identify and articulate the talent agenda for the unit. Initiate strategic conversations on observed challenges, utilize data and insights to inform discussions and propose innovative solutions.
Participate in practice, leadership, and partner meetings, regularly leading content
Talent Management
Build relationships with consultants and specialists and develop a rounded view of their capabilities, professional goals, personal interest, and situations.
Work with Practice leadership and relevant Partners on managing individuals’ careers and development; be keenly aware of consultant’s development path, their strengths and areas for development
Provide career guidance to consultants and support them in building mentorship/career advisory relationships
Monitor work-life quality and well-being and escalate issues when needed
Partner with key stakeholders in the business to discuss a wide variety of strategic priorities: pyramid and capacity planning, performance management, overall staffing process, engagement etc.
Analyse trends and metrics and provide insights on these trends to the business; work with business on appropriate solutions
Identify training needs of employees; discuss this needs with the business, regional head of TM and L&D
Project staffing
Responsible for the staffing of projects aligned to the designated unit
Understand the pipeline of potential projects and be pro-active in raising issues
Liaise with project team leaders to understand staffing needs and understand at a high-level the nuances of the type of work / roles being filled
Be a trusted advisor on staffing matters, creating buy-in for staffing options and decisions
Understand consultant skills, development goals and preferences to drive their development through strategic staffing
Anticipate capacity issues and manage consultants' and Partner expectations accordingly
Leverage a collaborative approach to problem-solving, ensuring that solutions consider regional capacity and the broader organizational context
Team and collaborate with other TMs to find solutions
Prepare and run regular meetings with practice leadership
Track mobility issues, holidays, trainings, background checks and other ad-hoc staffing enabling tasks
Performance management
Understand the competency model of consultants and have discussions on ways in which they can improve their toolkit
Proactively manage each consultant’s performance; e.g. read all project reviews as completed, challenge when necessary and follow-up any issues / performance flags
Proactively seek informal feedback from Partners and project managers
Coordinate, attend and contribute to Career Review meetings
Employee relations – help consultants through difficult situations such as work life balance or with an uncomfortable team environment
Reporting
Review relevant reports (utilization, staffing, OW Balance, etc.) and discuss any trends with the business
Assemble project pipeline and consultant availability reports
Ensure accuracy and management of data in resource planning database (Certinia)
Run the weekly project extension and roll off updates
Help to prepare documents and exhibits for various senior leadership meetings (using Excel and PowerPoint)
Experience Required:
Bachelors' degree and at least 7-10 years of robust professional experience in a dynamic client services environment, ideally with a background in management consulting and/or talent management, and will be poised for immediate impact and long-term growth
Demonstrated experience in people management, including the direct oversight of at least one team member
Experience balancing ever-changing work demands in a challenging environment with numerous stakeholders to satisfy
Proven ability to foster relationships at all levels of the organization
Comfortable working with data (Excel, PowerPoint and enterprise resource management software)
While not mandatory, experience and/or a background in the Financial Services industry is a plus
Skills and Attributes:
A dynamic and proactive leader who takes full ownership of work processes, demonstrating an entrepreneurial mindset to drive the team and organization forward while effectively managing established groups and introducing innovative strategies.
Excellent communication, teaming and organizational skills
Credible, highly professional, able to negotiate effectively with partners and consultants with diverse personalities, cultures and backgrounds
Genuinely interested in the development and career success of the consultants with whom they work
A strong attention to detail and high level of accuracy is required to juggle multiple projects and tasks simultaneously; as well as the ability to organize, prioritize and manage one’s day and schedule to effectively to meet deadlines
Comfortable working independently, but can thrive in a team setting; all while working in a fast-paced environment
An individual known for his/her enthusiasm, integrity and willingness to “roll up his/her sleeves” to get the job done, even the more mundane aspects of the job
The applicable base salary range for this role is $121,000 to $168,000.
The base pay offered will be determined on factors such as experience, skills, training, location, certifications, education, and any applicable minimum wage requirements. Decisions will be determined on a case-by-case basis. In addition to the base salary, this position may be eligible for performance-based incentives.
We are excited to offer a competitive total rewards package which includes health and welfare benefits, tuition assistance, 401K savings and other retirement programs as well as employee assistance programs.
Oliver Wyman, a business of Marsh McLennan (NYSE: MMC), is a management consulting firm combining deep industry knowledge with specialized expertise to help clients optimize their business, improve operations and accelerate performance. Marsh McLennan is a global leader in risk, strategy and people, advising clients in 130 countries across four businesses: Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer and Oliver Wyman. With annual revenue of $24 billion and more than 90,000 colleagues, Marsh McLennan helps build the confidence to thrive through the power of perspective. For more information, visit oliverwyman.com, or follow on LinkedIn and X.
Marsh McLennan is committed to embracing a diverse, inclusive and flexible work environment. We aim to attract and retain the best people and embrace diversity of age background, disability, ethnic origin, family duties, gender orientation or expression, marital status, nationality, parental status, personal or social status, political affiliation, race, religion and beliefs, sex/gender, sexual orientation or expression, skin color, veteran status (including protected veterans), or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. If you have a need that requires accommodation, please let us know by contacting reasonableaccommodations@mmc.com.
Marsh McLennan is committed to hybrid work, which includes the flexibility of working remotely and the collaboration, connections and professional development benefits of working together in the office. All Marsh McLennan colleagues are expected to be in their local office or working onsite with clients at least three days per week. Office-based teams will identify at least one “anchor day” per week on which their full team will be together in person.