The team

EY’s Sector Insights team comprises market-facing sector experts, across 18 sectors, and shapes EY’s differentiated perspectives on the future of their sector. The team also equips EY’s 400,000 professionals to have insightful client conversations and drive growth. The team’s compelling insights help EY win in the market by creating new client opportunities and originating work, strengthen client relationships by proactively taking them new insights, and shape EY’s positioning and brand through distinctive leadership.

The opportunity

The retail sector is transforming. The rise of digital networks are creating a new proliferation of channels that blend experiences with transactions. AI is creating new ways to optimize business processes and engage with customers. Increasing private label prominence, loyalty schemes and retail media are driving new revenue streams as retailers rethink their entire value proposition. Yet headwinds persist as retailers face supply chain volatility, geopolitical uncertainty and economic weakness that challenges their ability to deliver shareholder and customer value.

As a Retail Analyst at EY, you will be a developing expert on key sector topics, contributing to EY's distinctive perspective on client issues in retail with opportunities to specialize in retail subsector trends and key overarching sector themes.
Working within the retail analyst team you will assist in delivering impactful analysis and insight, and its activation to senior stakeholders and clients. As you develop your subject matter expertise, you will be sought after by senior partners to provide analytical support and strategic advice on market trends and the signature issues faced by retailers. As part of a wider global retail team you will help deliver high-impact retail analysis and insights that position EY in the market and drive commercial value.

You will manage a portfolio of projects aligned to your areas of expertise and support the EY sector leadership to develop and align insights with client priorities and EY capabilities. This will include the delivery of content from the Insights Products and Services Catalogue as well as supporting the development of thought leadership, and topical analysis to inform strategic decisions for regions, market segments, and priority accounts.

Your key responsibilities

• Develop a strong internal brand to become recognized within EY as a leader and subject matter expert at the business unit and executive level.
• Engage with senior retail stakeholders to provide commercial perspectives on the issues, challenges, and opportunities facing retailers, preparing insightful analysis on the impact of those trends for EY and its clients.
• Participate in client meetings and represent the firm at selected events to enhance EY’s presence in the market.
• Collaborate with sector stakeholders and EY colleagues across Insights and Clients and Industries to support business development activities and service delivery to clients.
• Regularly interact and present to internal EY stakeholders by participating in priority account meetings, supporting retail leaders and senior stakeholders in client meetings and events.
• Co-create and proactively contribute insights for retail with an audience-first mind-set, and present them in a clear, compelling way.
• Lead the creation of specific insights by leveraging EY’s proprietary knowledge and collaborating with Clients and Industries colleagues.
• Identify opportunities for cross-sector collaboration and share insights with other Insights and Clients and Industries teams.
• Synthesize diverse perspectives and sources to develop compelling insights that drive results.
• Use qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to identify trends and translate them into key market-facing perspectives
• Understand the firm's go-to-market strategy and how Insights support exceptional client service.
• Coach less-experienced team members to improve their skills in research, analysis, data analytics, and visualization.

Skills and attributes for success

• + 5-8 years' of professional experience and sector expertise, based on working in strategic or research roles within retail or retail consulting.
• Demonstrated experience in a fast-paced, client-driven environment.
• A proactive self-starter, able to bring new ideas for new insights to leadership.
• Collaborative and able to work effectively in a global, multi-cultural environment.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, capable of explaining complex concepts clearly and concisely.
• Ability to proactively build a network of internal and external contacts to shape insights.
• Proficient in managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Outcome-focused, challenger mindset. Demonstrated curiosity, ownership and analyst excellence as a role model.

What we look for

• We are looking for individuals who are curious, strategic thinkers with a commercial perspective driven by an understanding of client experiences and broader marketplace dynamics.
• You should have strong analytical skills and the ability to bring these insights to life with internal stakeholders and sometimes, external clients, in support of EY’s sector agenda.
• A collaborative mindset is essential, as you will play a vital role in responding to emerging issues with experts across the EY network.
• You will work closely with the Senior Retail Analyst and other Analysts across sectors to deliver insightful content that helps EY differentiate itself in the marketplace and proactively identify new business opportunities and risks.
• As a member of the Insights team, all Insights analysts will work agilely with up to 25% of their time assigned to activities outside of their primary team in areas such as Market and Competitive Intelligence, Thematic Insights, Cross-Sector Insights or Insights Excellence.