Engagement Manager | Commercial Excellence & Performance Improvement

Elev8; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 1,500,000 - 2,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Elev8 is seeking an Engagement Manager to join its Cape Town practice, delivering Commercial Excellence and Performance Improvement across industries. You will lead analytical workstreams, build financial models, and present data-driven recommendations to senior leaders.

You will mentor junior colleagues, shape client engagements, and contribute to business development while operating in a hybrid Cape Town setting with international travel expectations.

Qualifications

• Postgraduate qualification in Business, Finance, Economics, Engineering; MBA/CFA beneficial.
• 4–7 years' experience in management consulting, strategy and operations.
• Experience leading analytical workstreams within client-facing engagements.
• Strong analytical and quantitative capabilities with commercial acumen.
• Experience with financial modelling, margin analysis, pricing, or value creation.

Responsibilities

• Lead analytical workstreams across strategy, performance improvement and transformation engagements.
• Structure complex business problems, develop hypotheses and design analytical approaches.
• Conduct commercial and financial analyses to identify opportunities for revenue growth and cost optimisation.
• Develop financial models, business cases and data-driven recommendations for decisions.
• Translate insights into practical improvement initiatives and implementation plans.
• Prepare high-quality presentations and reports for senior stakeholders.
• Mentor junior consultants and coordinate cross-functional delivery.
• Contribute to capability development and business development initiatives.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Quantitative analysis

Commercial acumen

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Mentoring

Communication

Education

MBA

Postgraduate qualification in Business/Finance/Economics/Engineering

CFA or similar qualification (advantage)

Job description

Engagement Manager | Commercial Excellence & Performance Improvement

Cape Town, South Africa (Hybrid) | International travel required

Competitive package on offer

Our client, a leading international strategy and management consulting firm, is seeking an experienced Engagement Manager to join its growing consulting practice.

This is an exciting opportunity for a commercially minded consultant who enjoys solving complex business challenges through structured problem-solving, financial analysis and data-driven insights. You will lead analytical workstreams, identify value creation opportunities and develop practical recommendations that drive measurable business performance improvement.

Working alongside senior consulting leaders, you will contribute to high-impact strategy, commercial performance improvement and transformation engagements across a range of industries. The role offers exposure to complex business challenges, senior stakeholders and opportunities to translate strategic insights into practical solutions and sustainable results.

We are particularly interested in candidates who combine strong consulting fundamentals with commercial acumen, analytical rigour and a track record of delivering impact. Direct Commercial Excellence experience would be advantageous, but candidates from other consulting disciplines with relevant transferable skills and experience in strategy, financial analysis, value creation or business performance improvement are encouraged to apply.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead analytical workstreams across strategy, commercial performance improvement and transformation engagements.
• Structure complex business problems, develop hypotheses and design rigorous analytical approaches.
• Conduct commercial and financial analyses to identify opportunities for revenue growth, margin improvement, cost optimisation and value creation.
• Develop financial models, business cases and data-driven recommendations to support strategic decision-making.
• Translate analytical insights into practical improvement initiatives, tools, frameworks and implementation plans.
• Prepare high-quality presentations and reports for senior stakeholders.
• Facilitate workshops, validate findings and collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive effective delivery.
• Mentor and guide junior consultants and analysts, ensuring high standards of analytical quality.
• Coordinate project activities, manage workstreams and support delivery across complex, multi-stakeholder engagements.
• Contribute to capability development, thought leadership and business development initiatives.

Requirements

• A postgraduate qualification in Business, Finance, Economics, Engineering or another relevant discipline. An MBA, CFA or similar qualification would be advantageous.
• 4–7 years' relevant experience in management consulting, strategy and operations, commercial analytics, business performance improvement or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience leading analytical workstreams or modules within complex, client-facing engagements.
• Strong analytical and quantitative capabilities, with commercial acumen and experience interpreting financial and operational data.
• Experience in areas such as financial modelling, margin analysis, pricing, sales effectiveness, value creation or operational performance improvement.
• The ability to translate complex analysis into actionable recommendations, business cases and executive-level presentations.
• Exposure to implementation and delivery, including the development of tools, frameworks, processes or training to support adoption.
• Strong problem-solving, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience mentoring or coaching junior team members and maintaining high standards of analytical quality.
• The ability to thrive in fast-paced, demanding environments and manage multiple priorities effectively.
• South African citizenship or permanent residence, with the right to work in South Africa.

Relevant Experience

You may be well suited to this opportunity if you have worked on projects involving:

• Commercial Excellence and value creation
• Strategy and performance improvement
• Commercial diagnostics and financial modelling
• Pricing strategy and sales effectiveness
• Revenue growth and margin optimisation
• Cost optimisation and EBITDA improvement
• Business case development
• Go-to-market strategy and operating model design
• Business transformation and implementation
• Executive stakeholder engagement

Direct Commercial Excellence experience is advantageous but not essential. Candidates from adjacent consulting disciplines will also be considered where they can demonstrate strong consulting fundamentals, analytical rigour, commercial thinking and the ability to translate insights into practical business improvements.

If you are looking to join a high-performing consulting environment where you can solve complex business challenges, work with senior stakeholders and contribute to measurable business impact, we would love to hear from you.