Junior Consultant, Operations & Supply Chain

Office Location - Chicago, IL (hybrid; modern co-working space) + Location of Consulting Engagements - National/Various Locations around the US Position - Junior Consultant, Operations & Supply Chain Date - August 2026 Website - Overview Packoneers is looking for a Junior Consultant, Operations & Supply Chain who has some of the key professional and academic experiences that will easily align with firm's youthful and disciplined culture, and the current consulting engagements in which the firm is engaged. Packoneers is a boutique management consulting firm specializing in the packaging industry, improving performance along the entire value stream with a focus on operational and administrative efficiency, with offices in Vienna and Denver, now building out its Chicago presence as part of the North American expansion. As Junior Consultant, you will work on-site at client manufacturing and production facilities under the direction of a senior consultant or project manager, supporting engagements that drive measurable operational improvement for Packoneers' clients. This is a hands-on, client-facing role for someone early in their supply chain career, with steep learning alongside experienced consultants. The right fit candidate will likely have an engineering degree (industrial, mechanical) and/or business or supply chain management degree, with some experience, or strong interest, in efficiency management consulting. Or experience as an analyst, that is focused on the packaging and printing industries, manufacturing, automation, and related process and system efficiencies and improvement. Company and Service Background Packoneers was founded, and is led, by a very experienced team of management consultants from Austria who are now engaged in consulting projects with large-scale US-based packaging and printing companies. The aim and scope of work is to fully understand and drive production, operations, supply chain, administrative, and system efficiencies for its clients. And ultimately significant and sustainable increased levels of profitability. Key industry market segments for Packoneers are in most FMC (fast moving consumer goods) items - food & beverage, food service, home and garden, personal care, health care, pet care, beauty, e-commerce, and various other types of contract packaging and manufacturing. Packoneers analyzes various industry specific shopfloor technologies and production steps as well as administrative and supply chain processes - providing a holistic view of the technology and workflow utilization across the sector. By leveraging this knowledge, Packoneers' clients gain valuable insights into the current performance levels compared to the industry benchmark. Every engagement and project begins with seeking to deeply understand the current technologies and processes that are in place - by conducting in-depth interviews with key stakeholders that uncover the unique operational challenges and goals that leveraging the firm's existing extensive benchmarking database, then comparing the client's performance against industry leaders and peers. Packoneers then identifies critical gaps and mapping opportunities for improvement, creating the foundation for increased growth. Job Description & Key Responsibilities Work on-site at client manufacturing and production facilities under the direction of a senior consultant or project manager Support project work plans, milestones, and deliverables as defined by the project lead Observe and document existing operational, production, logistics, and administrative processes Participate in client workshops and daily/weekly project meetings Analytics & Data Collect quantitative and qualitative data on-site (production data, cycle times, scrap rates, labor utilization, equipment uptime/downtime, inventory levels) Support time studies, capacity analyses, bottleneck analyses, and process mapping under guidance Analyze data in Excel to identify cost drivers, inefficiencies, and performance gaps Help build models and dashboards that support fact-based decision-making Business Development (grow-into) Support proposal preparation and market/account research as needed Build foundational client relationships through delivery excellence Qualifications The Junior Consultant, Operations & Supply Chain who has some of the professional and academic experiences that will easily align with the current consulting engagements in which the firm is engaged Self-starter with a burgeoning consulting approach, and the ability and willingness to learn from Packoneers partners and senior consultants Entrepreneurial and creative mindset for performance-driven packaging and printing industry manufacturing consulting Openness to significant business travel in North America Comfortable working in an international, cross-cultural team environment Minimum academic and professional qualifications are a degree in an applicable STEM field and/or a business, operations degree with some technical experience within the printing and packaging industries Expected work experience of 1 to 4 years in supply chain management, operations, logistics, procurement, or a related field (internships count) Coursework or early exposure to demand planning, production, or supply chain operations is a plus Skills Strong Excel fundamentals; interest in BI tools (Power BI, Tableau) a plus Clear written and verbal communicator Comfortable learning new software and digital tools independently Bilingual English and Spanish (written and spoken) is a plus Mindset Curious, structured thinker who takes ownership of assigned tasks Entrepreneurial - comfortable in a lean, fast-growing environment Genuine interest in digitalization, AI, and process automation Eager to learn from senior consultants and grow into broader engagement responsibility Compensation and Benefits Unique opportunity to be a North American junior packaging process management consultant Compensation – Base Salary 70k + sales commission/bonus structure of 30% Retirement (401k) with employer matching + health insurance with employer contributions Regular travel expense account (airfare, citywide travel, hotels, per diem) #J-18808-Ljbffr Packoneers