Assistant Manager - Research and Benchmarking

Assistant Manager

We are recruiting for an Assistant Manager in the Research and Benchmarking team.

Project & Stakeholder Management

• Engage with global stakeholders (KPMG member firm advisors) to understand project objectives, scope, timelines, and deliverable expectations
•Lead the request-intake and scoping process, including participating in project discussions, clarifying requirements, and preparing comprehensive project scope documents
•Manage staff allocation based on project needs; proactively secure additional resources when necessary
•Independently manage 2–3 concurrent projects with minimal supervision, ensuring timely and high-quality delivery

Research, Analysis & Insights Development

•Conduct and guide advanced secondary research across financial services segments such as banking, insurance, asset management, payments, fintech, etc.
•Analyse market trends, financial performance, competitive positioning, regulatory developments, and industry benchmarks to generate actionable insights

Deliverable Development & Presentation

•Create well-structured, logically narrated, and visually appealing presentations, reports, and frameworks tailored for senior leadership and client-facing teams
•Ensure deliverables adhere to KPMG quality standards, display clarity of thought, and maintain high editorial accuracy (grammar, structure, storytelling)

People Leadership & Capability Building

•Supervise, mentor, and guide team members across all phases of the project—requirements gathering, research, analysis, synthesis, and presentation development
•Manage a team of 7–8 junior analysts, including performance monitoring, constructive feedback, skill assessment, and career development support

Problem Solving & Quality Assurance

•Demonstrate strong problem-solving skills: respond to challenges with structured reasoning and well-supported arguments
•Navigate ambiguity and shifting priorities with composure; ensure consistency in quality despite evolving requirements

Educational qualifications
• Post-Graduate degree (MBA/PGDM/MA Economics/Finance) from a recognized and reputable university
• Specialization in Finance, Economics, Business Analytics, or Strategy preferred

Work experience
•The candidate must have 7 to 10 years of relevant experience in a similar role, particularly in a professional services firm / third-party KPO / specialized research houses, or research divisions of investment banks
• Prior experience in team management (of 7-8 juniors for 2-3 years) – ability to identify team members’ strengths, development areas and training needs, effectively allocating work, providing feedback, etc.
•Strong numerical, analytical and strategic thinking skills, and sound business acumen.
•Experience working with international clients

Mandatory technical & functional skills
•Proficiency in MS-Office - Intermediate/Advanced MS-Excel, MS-PowerPoint, and MS-Word
•Proficiency at financial analysis - determining valuations and providing key take-aways from financial statements analysis
•Highly articulate with excellent communication and presentation skills (especially PowerPoint)
•Ability to synthesize qualitative and quantitative data quickly and draw meaningful insights
•Ability to assess technical information to distill key strategic insights and convey these succinctly, clearly and confidently
•Strong numerical, analytical and strategic thinking skills, and sound business / commercial acumen
•Strong project management and independent in managing multiple projects/priorities; prior experience in project scoping, effort estimate, project work planning, team handling, staffing, providing feedback, etc.
•Adept at strategic frameworks such as SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces, PESTLE, etc.
•A pragmatic approach to analysis and problem solving; ability to drive through to an outcome in circumstances of complexity and ambiguity
•Ability to assess technical information to distill key strategic insights and convey these succinctly, clearly and confidently, verbally and in written form

Project and Team management exposure
•Prior experience in project scoping, effort estimate, project work planning, team handling, staffing, providing feedback, etc.
•Credible record of operating as an independent contributor and also working as part of a team during larger projects
•Handle a portfolio of various level of complexity — manage multiple project team members

Key behavioural attributes/requirements
•Personal drive and positive work ethic to deliver results within tight deadlines and in demanding situations
•Excellent written and verbal communication skills
•Attention to detail
•Prioritization and effective time management skills
•Effective team player
•Ability to handle client communication

Other information
•Interview process: 2 – 3 rounds including case studies
•Does the job role involve travelling: No
•Does the busy season apply to this role?: No

Experience Level

Mid Level