Retail Practice Manager
Bain & Company
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Department: Product, Practice & Knowledge (PPK)
What Makes Us a Great Place To Work
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Who You'll Work With
You'll join Bain's Global Retail Practice, part of our Product, Practice & Knowledge (PPK) team. Our practices play a critical role in strengthening Bain's industry expertise, developing innovative solutions, and helping our teams deliver exceptional results for clients worldwide.
Retail is one of Bain's largest and fastest-growing sectors, spanning grocery, apparel and footwear, luxury fashion, specialty retail, restaurants and food service, and travel and leisure. As the industry evolves through digital innovation, changing consumer behaviors, and new business models, we're helping leading retailers navigate complex challenges and unlock new opportunities.
Our Retail Practice is at the forefront of developing proprietary products and solutions that help client teams work smarter, accelerate delivery, and achieve lasting impact. We combine deep industry expertise with advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and innovative ways of working.
You'll collaborate with a global team of more than 15 Retail Practice professionals across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific, alongside product leaders, consulting teams, data scientists, software developers, and external partners. You'll also be part of Bain's broader global community of Practice Managers, offering opportunities to share expertise, develop professionally, and shape how we serve clients.
WHERE YOU'LL FIT WITHIN THE TEAM
As our Global Products Retail Practice Manager, you'll play a central role in shaping, developing, and commercializing innovative products that address some of the Retail industry's most important challenges.
You'll focus primarily on solutions supporting category leadership and merchandising (CLCM), supplier negotiations (ARB), and supply chain management, helping retailers make smarter decisions, improve performance, and unlock value.
Working closely with Retail Product Leaders and cross-functional teams, you'll help define product strategies, lead the development of practical tools and methodologies, and bring next-generation solutions to market. You'll also support consulting teams in applying these products to real client challenges, ensuring our solutions continuously evolve based on market needs and feedback.
This is a global, highly collaborative role offering significant exposure to senior stakeholders, opportunities to lead meaningful initiatives, and the chance to help shape the future of Bain's Retail offerings.
What You'll Do
Shape product strategy and innovation
- Partner with Retail Product Leaders and industry experts to define product vision, strategy, roadmaps, and development priorities.
- Analyze market trends, competitor offerings, and client needs to identify opportunities for innovation and product differentiation.
- Lead strategic product initiatives from concept through development and deployment, translating complex business challenges into practical, scalable solutions.
- Help integrate artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, and innovative technologies into Bain's Retail products, collaborating with data scientists, software developers, and external partners.
- Support investment planning, resource allocation, and budgeting decisions to enable long-term product growth.
- Drive the creation and continuous improvement of proprietary tools, analytical frameworks, playbooks, databases, and other intellectual property that strengthen Bain's Retail offerings.
- Coordinate global, cross-functional teams to develop, refine, and deploy solutions that meet the needs of consulting teams and clients.
- Collaborate with other product and capability teams to ensure solutions are consistent, scalable, and adaptable across markets.
- Develop and deliver training programs to build product expertise and encourage adoption across Bain.
- Manage product development initiatives, external partnerships, and supporting analyst teams, ensuring high-quality execution and delivery.
- Partner with Product Leaders to shape and execute go-to-market strategies that accelerate product adoption and commercial growth.
- Develop compelling commercial materials, including proposals, sales presentations, product demonstrations, and other client-facing content.
- Support consulting teams during client pitches and engagements, providing product expertise, relevant insights, and practical guidance.
- Gather feedback from client teams, analyze commercial performance, and translate insights into product improvements and future development priorities.
- Collaborate with Marketing and senior stakeholders to strengthen product positioning, thought leadership, and market visibility.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to consulting teams seeking expertise, tools, and insights across Bain's Retail products.
- Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders, subject matter experts, and external partners to support product development and deployment.
- Participate selectively in client discussions and engagements to understand emerging needs and identify opportunities to improve our solutions.
- Share knowledge and best practices across the global Retail Practice and broader Bain network.
- Oversee day-to-day product operations, including knowledge management, internal communications, training, budgets, and resource planning.
- Coordinate and guide analysts and other contributors, providing coaching and supporting their professional development.
- Prioritize initiatives and manage competing demands while maintaining high standards of quality and responsiveness.
- Foster a collaborative, entrepreneurial, and service-oriented team environment that encourages innovation and continuous improvement.
We're looking for a collaborative, commercially minded professional who combines strong analytical capabilities, consulting experience, and a genuine passion for the Retail industry.
You'll Bring
- A bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification.
- At least six years of professional experience, including two to three years of recent consulting experience at Manager level with a leading consulting firm, or equivalent experience in a Bain Practice Consultant role.
- Strong problem-solving and analytical capabilities, with the ability to structure complex business questions, lead research and analysis, and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
- Advanced Excel and analytical modeling skills, with experience using data to inform business decisions.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop compelling, high-quality PowerPoint presentations.
- Strong project coordination, organizational, and prioritization skills, with the ability to manage multiple initiatives independently in a fast-paced environment.
- The confidence to engage, influence, and build credibility with senior stakeholders, consulting teams, and cross-functional partners.
- A proactive, entrepreneurial mindset, with a practical approach to problem-solving and a commitment to delivering results.
- Strong collaboration and relationship-building skills, including the ability to work effectively with globally distributed teams.
- Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and develop colleagues while fostering an inclusive, supportive team environment.
- A genuine interest in Retail and the opportunities created by changing consumer behaviors, technology, and industry innovation.
- Flexibility to collaborate across global time zones and travel occasionally as needed.
- An MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification.
- Experience working in the Retail industry or supporting Retail clients through consulting engagements.
- Experience managing complex projects or product development initiatives.
- Familiarity with data analysis and visualization tools such as Alteryx or Tableau.