Knowledge Analyst - Operations & Procurement

McKinsey & Company; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

McKinsey & Company is seeking a procurement professional to join our Riyadh-based team. You will drive category workstreams, deliver spend analyses, and shape sourcing strategies across industries in the EEMA region.

You will collaborate with Client Capabilities Office colleagues, support client proposals, and help build procurement capabilities with assets and toolkits. Travel to client locations will be extensive.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering/technology; master's degree preferred, MBA in operations advantageous.
• 3+ years of experience in procurement or consulting.
• Expertise in sourcing, supplier management, category management, costing, negotiations and PO management.
• Experience with e-procurement tools (spend analysis, RFQ tools, costing, eAuctions) is advantageous.
• Proficient in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and relevant analytics/software.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills; ability to identify root causes and solutions.

Responsibilities

• Drive workstreams for specific categories on client engagements.
• Provide short-term support to Client Serving Teams with spend analysis and negotiation strategy.
• Support supplier identification, saving ideas, and sourcing strategy development.
• Contribute to client proposals and development activities with relevant knowledge.
• Develop and maintain procurement capabilities, assets, knowledge, tools, and primers.

Skills

Sourcing

Supplier management

Category management

Costing

Negotiations

PO management

Excel analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering/technology

MBA in operations advantageous

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Spend analysis tools

RFQ tools

Costing tools

eAuctions

Job description

Who You'll Work With

Driving lasting impact and building long-term capabilities with our clients is not easy work. You are the kind of person who thrives in a high performance/high reward culture - doing hard things, picking yourself up when you stumble, and having the resilience to try another way forward.

In return for your drive, determination, and curiosity, we'll provide the resources, mentorship, and opportunities you need to become a stronger leader faster than you ever thought possible. Your colleagues—at all levels—will invest deeply in your development, just as much as they invest in delivering exceptional results for clients. Every day, you'll receive apprenticeship, coaching, and exposure that will accelerate your growth in ways you won’t find anywhere else.

When you join us, you will have:

• Continuous learning: Our learning and apprenticeship culture, backed by structured programs, is all about helping you grow while creating an environment where feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on your development. The real magic happens when you take the input from others to heart and embrace the fast-paced learning experience, owning your journey.
• A voice that matters: From day one, we value your ideas and contributions. You’ll make a tangible impact by offering innovative ideas and practical solutions, all while upholding our unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity. We not only encourage diverse perspectives, but they are critical in driving us toward the best possible outcomes.
• Global community: With colleagues across 65+ countries and over 100 different nationalities, our firm’s diversity fuels creativity and helps us come up with the best solutions for our clients. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from exceptional colleagues with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• World-class benefits: On top of a competitive salary (based on your location, experience, and skills), we provide a comprehensive benefits package to enable holistic well-being for you and your family.

Your Impact

You will contribute to our rapidly growing procurement service line, assisting organizations in building competitive advantage through world-class purchasing and supply management capabilities.

Your work will be centered on creating sustainable impact, which is the key metric by which we measure our success.

You will engage in end-to-end optimization efforts aimed at total value capture. This includes activities such as strategic sourcing, global sourcing, supplier collaboration and innovation, procure-to-pay processes, organization design, and capability building. Your contributions will span a variety of industry sectors, with a particular focus on Banking & Financial Services, Basic Materials, Consumer Goods, Retail, Pharmaceuticals, and Travel, Transport & Logistics.

As a member of our Client Capabilities Office in Riyadh, you will join our Centre of Procurement Excellence for Operations.

Over the past five years, we have successfully completed more than 2,300 procurement engagements across the globe and in various industries. You will play a crucial role in continuing this legacy of excellence and innovation in procurement.

Your primary role will focus on client service in the EEMA region, this is a global role involving cross-geography and cross-industry work, ideal for those aiming to become experts in the procurement domain. Your work will require extensive travel to client locations.

You will mostly work on client engagements by driving a workstream for specific categories. You will provide short-term support to Client Serving Teams by delivering key insights on content-focused questions, such as spend analysis, TCO/should-cost modeling, contract analysis, supplier identification, saving idea/lever identification, sourcing strategy development, request for quotes management and analysis, negotiation strategy development, and tracking mechanism development. Additionally, you will support client proposals and other client development activities, bringing relevant knowledge and capabilities to clients.

You will also support the development and maintenance of procurement capabilities, including assets, knowledge, tools, fact packs, case studies, and primers.

Your Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor's degree in engineering/technology; master's degree preferred, MBA in operations advantageous
• 3+ years of experience in procurement or consulting
• Expertise in the following areas: sourcing, supplier management, category management, costing, negotiations and PO management
• Experience with e-procurement tools (spend analysis, RFQ tools, costing, eAuctions) is advantageous
• Proficient in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and relevant analytics/statistical software
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills; ability to identify root causes and solutions
• Solid business knowledge and understanding of economic, financial, and general business concepts
• Strong interpersonal skills, team player, intellectually curious, excellent communication skills