Head of Forest Consulting

Company Description

Fastmarkets is an industry-leading price-reporting agency (PRA) and information provider for global commodities, providing price data, news, analytics and events for the agriculture, forest products, metals and mining and new-generation energy markets.

Fastmarkets' data is critical for customers seeking to understand and predict dynamic, sometimes opaque markets, enabling trading and risk management. Fastmarkets is a global business with a history dating back to 1865 and is built on trust and deep market knowledge. It has more than 700 employees spread across global locations in the UK, US, China, India, Singapore, Brazil, Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland and beyond. 

Job Description

Fastmarkets is seeking a highly experienced and commercially driven Head of Forest Products Consultancy to lead and scale our consultancy offering from the US market. This is a senior leadership and management role responsible for building and delivering a market-leading strategic advisory business across the forest product sector, with a focus on the global pulp, paper, and packaging value chain.

The role combines hands-on strategic consulting delivery, commercial leadership, and team building, with full accountability for revenue generation, client development, and the growth of the consultancy business line within a broader Price Reporting Agency (PRA) environment.

The successful candidate will act as the principal consultancy lead for our global business, with direct responsibility and accountability in driving sales and revenue generation in Forest product consultancy, working closely with global analysts and commercial teams to develop and deliver high-impact client solutions.

Specifically, you will generate business development opportunities, lead and deliver all strategy and market-based consultancy projects that include tailored market overviews and outlooks, feasibility assessments and analysis, cost benchmarking and competitiveness analysis, supply-chain mapping,  go-to-market and commercial due diligence advisory, packaging value chain strategy and circular economy insights, and other bespoke engagements.

Responsibilities

• Act as the principal lead for all forest products consultancy engagements across pulp, paper, and packaging markets globally
• Winning, executing, and project managing (both independently and in collaboration with our delivery teams and business partners) a range of strategic and market-based consultancy projects in the forest products space.
• Managing consultancy deliverables (self-sufficiently and managing others) that are robust, accurate, and well-researched and project managing resources utilising modelling, data collection, and research interview techniques 
• Position the Fastmarkets consultancy practice as a credible and leading alternative to established rival firms
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing US consultancy team
• Establish scalable processes, frameworks, and methodologies for consultancy delivery
• Foster a high-performance, client-focused consulting culture
• Lead the development of market insights, reports, and client-facing thought leadership
• Translate complex market dynamics into actionable commercial strategies for clients
• Own and drive consultancy sales and revenue growth across North America and global accounts
• Identify, develop, and convert new consultancy opportunities with existing PRA and external clients
• Build a strong pipeline of project-based and retainer-based advisory engagements
• Work closely with commercial and account teams to integrate consultancy offerings into broader client relationships
• Developing and building existing customer relationships and acquiring new consultancy customers, as well as repeat/retainer business
• Forecasting and CRM reporting
• Represent the business externally at industry events, client presentations, and conferences
• Utilise professional network to surface opportunities and to source independent contractors to support the delivery of engagements.

Qualifications

We recruit talented, dynamic people with diverse backgrounds and experiences, all united by a belief in our mission to provide the world’s leading and most trusted price reporting, events, and intelligence service for the markets we serve. We’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer and are committed to creating a fully inclusive workplace, where everyone feels able to participate and contribute meaningfully.

If you are open-minded, curious, resilient, solutions-oriented and committed to promoting equality, then read on.

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

We are looking for an individual who is highly motivated, driven, and have a passion to be part of a fast-paced, successful team. Being a strong team player is also important as well as someone who is happy to work flexibly.

Experience and skills required

• A seasoned individual with consulting experience in Forest product consultancy, proven business development and research
• Proven experience in a top-tier consulting firm (e.g. McKinsey, BCG, Bain) or specialist commodities consultancy
• Demonstrated experience in building or scaling a consulting practice or business line in the Forest products space
• Deep knowledge of global pulp, paper, and packaging markets and value chains
• Strong track record of leading client-facing advisory engagements at a senior level
• Experience in complex solution selling and project execution/management involving single-client consultancy services work
• Fluent in English, a second language preferred
• Flexibility and willingness to travel when required
• An already established client and industry contact network would be desirable
• Self-starter and ‘hunter’ mentality with strong personal drive is essential, with the ability to thrive in a multitasking environment
• Accountable and performance-driven
• Effective communication in person, on the phone, in writing and online
• Effective and amiable team player keen on making clients, project members, and colleagues happy while achieving ambitious objectives. 

This is a rare opportunity to build and lead a global forest products consulting practice within a leading commodities intelligence organisation. The role offers significant autonomy to shape strategy, develop a high-performing team, and drive meaningful commercial growth, while competing directly with the world’s leading consulting and specialist advisory firms.

If you're excited about the role but your experience, skills or qualifications don't perfectly align, we encourage you to apply anyway.

Additional Information

Our Values

Fastmarkets people come from all different walks of life. It’s this mix of brilliant personalities, experiences and insights that gives us that warm, open, and friendly culture you can feel as soon as you meet us. But however wonderfully different we all are, there are six things we all have in common – and they form our Fastmarkets values.

Created by our own employees to reflect some of the personal traits that Fastmarkets people have, our values are key to what makes our culture unique. They reflect who each of us are and they're embedded in everything we do. Our values are:

• METRICS DRIVEN. We use insights to improve our customers’ experience and our business performance
   
• ACCOUNTABLE. We are accountable to ourselves and those we work with: we keep our promises and get things done
   
• GROWTH MINDSET. This value enables us to be nimble to the changing realities and operate with a sense of urgency
   
• INCLUSIVE. We are inclusive and respectful, celebrating each of us and giving everyone a deep sense of belonging with the desire to bring their best self to work every day.
   
• CUSTOMER CENTRIC. We are customer-centric in all that we do
   
• COLLABORATIVE. We are collaborative, able to work across teams and capitalise on the diversity of intellect, perspectives, and experiences.

We are committed to ensuring all candidates feel welcomed and supported. Should your application advance and you require accommodations for the interview process, please inform us so we can make the necessary arrangements.

If the position is listed as remote this opportunity is available to applicants based in the following states:

•    Illinois
•    Oregon
•    New York
•    Pennsylvania
•    Texas*

* Denotes states with office locations to support hybrid working.

Otherwise the position will be located as shown in the advert.

You’ve read a little about us – now it’s over to you!

If you like what you’ve read so far and think you can see yourself as a Fastmarkets person, it’s time to fill in your application form. This form is an important part of the selection process: it’s used to determine whether or not you’ll be chosen to have an interview and acts as a basis for the questions we’ll ask you on the day.

It’s vital that you try to capture all the relevant information we have asked for on the form so we can get a good feel for who you are and why you’re great.