Activate Kinaxis Business Lead

Kearney Activate Kinaxis Business Lead

As a Business Lead at Kearney Activate, you will play a hybrid client delivery and sales leadership role, driving supply chain planning transformation while actively originating and shaping new business opportunities. You will bridge business strategy, supply chain transformation, and technology execution across planning platforms such as Kinaxis, o9, and similar solutions.

On the delivery side, you will lead planning assessment and blueprinting efforts, translating business requirements into solution designs and ensuring that planning processes, data requirements, decision flows, and operating model needs are clearly defined and aligned to business objectives. On the sales side, you will partner closely with Kearney management consulting teams and the Kinaxis sales organization to identify, qualify, and pursue opportunities within target accounts.

You will play a critical role in expanding Kearney’s planning footprint by proactively identifying opportunities, leading client workshops to uncover value, and shaping engagements from early-stage discovery through deal closure and delivery.

Key responsibilities

Client delivery (50 percent)

• Lead blueprinting activities that translate business requirements into scalable solution designs across supply chain planning platforms, including process flows, planning logic, data requirements, user roles, and decision-support needs.

• Facilitate workshops and design sessions with stakeholders to define current-state challenges, future-state processes, and functional requirements.

• Design business processes and solution architecture across supply chain planning domains such as demand planning, supply planning, inventory planning, S&OP / IBP, capacity planning, and order fulfillment.

• Translate business needs into functional solution designs, configuration requirements, and implementation roadmaps across planning tools such as Kinaxis, o9, and similar platforms.

• Act as the primary liaison between business stakeholders and technical and configuration teams to ensure solutions align with operational goals.

• Support end-to-end transformation initiatives by aligning planning-tool capabilities with planning maturity goals and broader digital supply chain strategy.

• Conduct assessments of existing supply chain planning processes and tools to determine whether clients are achieving intended business value, user adoption, and operational impact.

Sales and business development (50 percent)

• Partner with Kearney management consulting teams to identify and develop opportunities within existing client accounts, aligning supply chain planning capabilities to broader transformation agendas.

• Proactively identify, qualify, and shape new opportunities for planning assessments, Kinaxis implementations, and related transformation initiatives.

• Lead client-facing sales workshops and discovery sessions to diagnose planning challenges, quantify value potential, and position planning assessments or platform solutions.

• Collaborate with the Kinaxis direct sales team to pursue joint accounts, co-develop account strategies, and support deal progression through the sales lifecycle.

• Own and contribute to early-stage solutioning, including defining scope, approach, value proposition, and commercial framing for client opportunities.

• Help articulate the business value of planning transformation, including operational benefits, planning maturity improvements, service gains, working-capital impact, and ROI drivers.

• Support and lead proposal development, client presentations, and solution demonstrations, bringing together business and technology perspectives.

• Build and maintain senior client relationships to identify expansion opportunities and drive account growth.

• Act as a thought partner to clients, bringing insights on supply chain planning trends, platform capabilities, and transformation best practices to stimulate demand.

• Collaborate with internal leadership to develop go-to-market assets, offerings, and points of view that strengthen Kearney’s positioning in supply chain planning.

Who you are

After nearly 100 years, we know this business is fundamentally about making connections—between facts, figures, insights, strategies, tools, technologies, and above all, people.

That’s why we look for collaborative, insightful, and inquisitive problem-solvers who don’t accept the first thing in front of them and who are always unapologetically themselves.

We want to hear from you if you are\:

• A supply chain planning, business architecture, consulting, or transformation professional with a bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, engineering, information systems, operations, or a related field.

• Experienced in supply chain planning processes, including demand planning, supply planning, inventory planning, S&OP / IBP, scenario planning, and fulfillment.

• Experienced leading blueprinting efforts that convert business requirements into functional solution designs.

• Experienced assessing supply chain planning solutions to evaluate business value realization, process effectiveness, user adoption, and operational impact.

• Skilled at translating business requirements into functional designs and system-enabled business processes.

• Experienced supporting client pursuits, pre-sales activities, or revenue-generating engagements, including workshops, proposals, or solutioning.

• A strong stakeholder manager and workshop facilitator with excellent presentation, analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.

It would be a plus if you are\:

• Experienced working with supply chain planning platforms such as Kinaxis, o9, or similar tools.

• Experienced in process design, operating model development, and change management.

• Experienced in consulting, pre-sales, or quota-supporting roles.

• Certified in a relevant supply chain planning platform or supply chain discipline.

• Knowledgeable about supply chain data structures, integrations, and planning metrics.

Industry experience

Experience in one or more of the following industries is strongly preferred\:

• CPG / FMCG

• High tech

• Industrial

• Life sciences

You are able to apply industry-specific planning considerations—such as demand volatility, service expectations, inventory trade-offs, product lifecycle complexity, supply constraints, and network characteristics—to solution design and transformation efforts.

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/pension 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 to help you chart a unique career journey to pursue your own personal and professional goals

The expected salary range for this role is $170k-$240k annually. Compensation may vary based on experience and qualifications. It is important to note that at Kearney, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the top of the range for their role. Individual salaries within each range are determined through a wide variety of factors, including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge, and skills. Kearney reviews compensation regularly and may adjust base salaries to reflect market competitiveness. In addition to salary, individuals may be eligible for a discretionary performance bonus. Our full suite of benefits includes paid time off, paid sick leave, 401(k) match and profit sharing, medical, dental, and vision coverage, healthcare concierge services, backup child/adult care, annual employer HSA contributions, a home office stipend, subsidized gym membership, an annual wellness program, and leaves of absence when needed to support employees’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Read more about our benefits and how you can make your mark, your way 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. 

Kearney Activate Kinaxis Business Lead

As a Business Lead at Kearney Activate, you will play a hybrid client delivery and sales leadership role, driving supply chain planning transformation while actively originating and shaping new business opportunities. You will bridge business strategy, supply chain transformation, and technology execution across planning platforms such as Kinaxis, o9, and similar solutions.

On the delivery side, you will lead planning assessment and blueprinting efforts, translating business requirements into solution designs and ensuring that planning processes, data requirements, decision flows, and operating model needs are clearly defined and aligned to business objectives. On the sales side, you will partner closely with Kearney management consulting teams and the Kinaxis sales organization to identify, qualify, and pursue opportunities within target accounts.

You will play a critical role in expanding Kearney’s planning footprint by proactively identifying opportunities, leading client workshops to uncover value, and shaping engagements from early-stage discovery through deal closure and delivery.

Key responsibilities

Client delivery (50 percent)

• Lead blueprinting activities that translate business requirements into scalable solution designs across supply chain planning platforms, including process flows, planning logic, data requirements, user roles, and decision-support needs.

• Facilitate workshops and design sessions with stakeholders to define current-state challenges, future-state processes, and functional requirements.

• Design business processes and solution architecture across supply chain planning domains such as demand planning, supply planning, inventory planning, S&OP / IBP, capacity planning, and order fulfillment.

• Translate business needs into functional solution designs, configuration requirements, and implementation roadmaps across planning tools such as Kinaxis, o9, and similar platforms.

• Act as the primary liaison between business stakeholders and technical and configuration teams to ensure solutions align with operational goals.

• Support end-to-end transformation initiatives by aligning planning-tool capabilities with planning maturity goals and broader digital supply chain strategy.

• Conduct assessments of existing supply chain planning processes and tools to determine whether clients are achieving intended business value, user adoption, and operational impact.

Sales and business development (50 percent)

• Partner with Kearney management consulting teams to identify and develop opportunities within existing client accounts, aligning supply chain planning capabilities to broader transformation agendas.

• Proactively identify, qualify, and shape new opportunities for planning assessments, Kinaxis implementations, and related transformation initiatives.

• Lead client-facing sales workshops and discovery sessions to diagnose planning challenges, quantify value potential, and position planning assessments or platform solutions.

• Collaborate with the Kinaxis direct sales team to pursue joint accounts, co-develop account strategies, and support deal progression through the sales lifecycle.

• Own and contribute to early-stage solutioning, including defining scope, approach, value proposition, and commercial framing for client opportunities.

• Help articulate the business value of planning transformation, including operational benefits, planning maturity improvements, service gains, working-capital impact, and ROI drivers.

• Support and lead proposal development, client presentations, and solution demonstrations, bringing together business and technology perspectives.

• Build and maintain senior client relationships to identify expansion opportunities and drive account growth.

• Act as a thought partner to clients, bringing insights on supply chain planning trends, platform capabilities, and transformation best practices to stimulate demand.

• Collaborate with internal leadership to develop go-to-market assets, offerings, and points of view that strengthen Kearney’s positioning in supply chain planning.

Who you are

After nearly 100 years, we know this business is fundamentally about making connections—between facts, figures, insights, strategies, tools, technologies, and above all, people.

That’s why we look for collaborative, insightful, and inquisitive problem-solvers who don’t accept the first thing in front of them and who are always unapologetically themselves.

We want to hear from you if you are\:

• A supply chain planning, business architecture, consulting, or transformation professional with a bachelor’s degree in supply chain, business, engineering, information systems, operations, or a related field.

• Experienced in supply chain planning processes, including demand planning, supply planning, inventory planning, S&OP / IBP, scenario planning, and fulfillment.

• Experienced leading blueprinting efforts that convert business requirements into functional solution designs.

• Experienced assessing supply chain planning solutions to evaluate business value realization, process effectiveness, user adoption, and operational impact.

• Skilled at translating business requirements into functional designs and system-enabled business processes.

• Experienced supporting client pursuits, pre-sales activities, or revenue-generating engagements, including workshops, proposals, or solutioning.

• A strong stakeholder manager and workshop facilitator with excellent presentation, analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.

It would be a plus if you are\:

• Experienced working with supply chain planning platforms such as Kinaxis, o9, or similar tools.

• Experienced in process design, operating model development, and change management.

• Experienced in consulting, pre-sales, or quota-supporting roles.

• Certified in a relevant supply chain planning platform or supply chain discipline.

• Knowledgeable about supply chain data structures, integrations, and planning metrics.

Industry experience

Experience in one or more of the following industries is strongly preferred\:

• CPG / FMCG

• High tech

• Industrial

• Life sciences

You are able to apply industry-specific planning considerations—such as demand volatility, service expectations, inventory trade-offs, product lifecycle complexity, supply constraints, and network characteristics—to solution design and transformation efforts.

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/pension 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 to help you chart a unique career journey to pursue your own personal and professional goals

The expected salary range for this role is $170k-$240k annually. Compensation may vary based on experience and qualifications. It is important to note that at Kearney, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the top of the range for their role. Individual salaries within each range are determined through a wide variety of factors, including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge, and skills. Kearney reviews compensation regularly and may adjust base salaries to reflect market competitiveness. In addition to salary, individuals may be eligible for a discretionary performance bonus. Our full suite of benefits includes paid time off, paid sick leave, 401(k) match and profit sharing, medical, dental, and vision coverage, healthcare concierge services, backup child/adult care, annual employer HSA contributions, a home office stipend, subsidized gym membership, an annual wellness program, and leaves of absence when needed to support employees’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Read more about our benefits and how you can make your mark, your way 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.