TSRecruitment

TSRecruitment | www.tsrecruitment.co.za | Confidential | Page 1

Crux Consulting | Consulting Levels

Junior Associate, Associate and Senior Associate

What each level is, mapped against the McKinsey construct Crux is modelled on Prepared by TSRecruitment | www.tsrecruitment.co.za | Confidential

Crux runs on the same level structure that McKinsey uses, and that is deliberate, since the

senior team came up through that system. McKinsey's own consulting ladder runs Business

Analyst, then Associate, then Engagement Manager, and on to Associate Partner and

Partner. Crux's levels map onto the front end of that path. This document covers the three

delivery levels. The Engagement Manager level, which sits above these three, is covered in

its own separate brief.

Junior Associate

Maps to the McKinsey Business Analyst level, the entry point into consulting.

At McKinsey, the Business Analyst is on a client team from day one, analysing data, building

the models and presenting ideas, in a hands-on introduction to real problem solving. They

typically work in small teams, gathering and structuring information, forming and testing

hypotheses, and producing the analysis the team's recommendations rest on.

At Crux, the Junior Associate is the engine of the analysis. The work is research, data

gathering, modelling and building out the materials, supporting a workstream and learning

the craft quickly alongside more senior people. It is hands-on from the start, with genuine

client exposure rather than a seat on the sidelines.

Associate

Maps to the McKinsey Associate level, the core consulting role.

At McKinsey, Associates lead their own workstreams and take ownership of complex

problems. They work side by side with the client to uncover the root issues and design

solutions, and they own more of a project than a Business Analyst does, with more direct

client responsibility.

At Crux, the Associate runs a workstream end to end: structuring the problem, driving the

analysis, and standing in front of the client on their piece of the work. They often guide a

Junior Associate alongside them. This is the heart of the delivery engine, the person doing

the heavy problem solving day to day.

Senior Associate

The seasoned consultant, and the step before Engagement Manager.

A quick word on the mapping. McKinsey's published ladder runs straight from Associate to

Engagement Manager. The Senior Associate level Crux uses sits in between, and maps to

the most experienced Associate stage, the consultant who is already leading workstreams

independently and is on the runway to managing engagements.

At Crux, the Senior Associate is the senior individual contributor. They lead workstreams

with little oversight, carry more of the client relationship, and mentor the Junior Associates

TSRecruitment

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and Associates around them, while starting to take on slices of delivery ownership. It is the

bridge between doing the work and leading the engagement, and the natural feeder into the

Engagement Manager role.

Across all three levels

The one non-negotiable is genuine consulting experience, ideally from MBB, the Big 4 or a

strong boutique. All three are permanent roles, fully remote, with people able to base

themselves in Johannesburg or Cape Town, and all pay top-tier (Tier 1) salaries. The

common thread is the kind of person Crux wants: someone who still loves consulting and

wants to keep building in it, just in a healthier and more human environment than they may

have now.

TSRecruitment

TSRecruitment | www.tsrecruitment.co.za | Confidential | Page 1

Recruitment Brief

Crux Consulting | Engagement Manager (Permanent)

An additional permanent hire, alongside the five consulting roles already in market Prepared by TSRecruitment | www.tsrecruitment.co.za | Confidential

The short version

Crux is adding a permanent Engagement Manager to the brief, on top of the five roles

we are already working on at Junior Associate, Associate and Senior Associate

Consultant level. This one sits a level up. It is the first proper project-leadership hire in

this round, so it carries more weight, both in seniority and in what the person needs to

bring to the table.

About Crux Consulting

Crux is a young, fast-growing consulting firm founded in 2024 by Clayton Hall. The team is

around 18 people, most of them independent contractors, and the firm is now building out its

permanent base. It is led by two ex-McKinsey senior leaders, both of whom reached

Associate Partner level, alongside an ex-Deloitte COO. That is a serious leadership bench

for a firm this young, and it matters because Crux does not have a website yet, so the

credibility rests on the people. The culture is the real differentiator: they look after their

people, there is no burnout and no silly hours, and it is a tight, likeable team that enjoys the

work. The setup is fully remote, with people able to base themselves in Johannesburg or

Cape Town, and the firm pays top-tier (Tier 1) salaries.

What the Engagement Manager Role Is

Crux runs on the same level structure as McKinsey, and that is deliberate. The senior team

came up through that system, so an Engagement Manager at Crux means what it means at

McKinsey: the person who leads a consulting engagement day to day.

In practice, the Engagement Manager is the project leader. They sit between the senior

people who own the client relationship and bring in the work, and the consultants (Senior

Associate Consultants, Associates and Junior Associates) who do the bulk of the analysis.

The EM owns the project and its end product.

Day to day, that means framing the problem and structuring the workplan, setting the

direction and the hypotheses, steering the data gathering and analysis, keeping the work on

track and on time, managing the client at a working level, and turning the team's analysis

into something genuinely useful and client-ready rather than just analytically neat.

It is also a people job. The EM leads a small team, usually a few consultants, allocates the

work to people's strengths, and coaches and develops them as they go. At McKinsey that

mentoring is a core part of the role rather than an extra, and it will be the same at Crux.

Put simply, it is the pivotal step from doing the analysis yourself to owning the whole

engagement and leading the people delivering it. Anyone who has been an Engagement

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Manager, or is a strong Senior Associate ready to step up, will recognise the shape of it

straight away.

Where It Sits at Crux

This role sits above the five we are already recruiting. Junior Associate, Associate and

Senior Associate Consultant are the delivery levels. The Engagement Manager leads them.

So this is a more senior and more selective hire, and the person needs the judgment and

presence to lead a team and hold a client relationship, not just do excellent individual work.

Who We Are Looking For

Consulting experience is the non-negotiable, the same as the other roles, but the bar is

higher here. Ideally this is someone already operating at Engagement Manager level (or the

equivalent, such as engagement lead, project leader or manager) at a top firm, or a

genuinely strong Senior Associate or Senior Consultant who is ready and able to make the

step up.

Pedigree should come from MBB, the Big 4 or a strong boutique. Beyond the technical

ability, they need to be able to lead a team and own a client relationship, structure messy

problems, and keep delivery moving, while bringing people along with them rather than

burning them out, which fits how Crux works.

The right person still loves consulting and wants more ownership and leadership, but is

looking for a healthier, more human place to lead than where they are now.

Why It Is a Strong Move (The Pitch)

Everything that makes Crux attractive for the junior roles applies here too: a firm that

genuinely looks after its people, no burnout culture, sensible hours, a tight and likeable team,

and the chance to work closely with leaders who operated at the very top of the profession.

For an Engagement Manager specifically, there is more on top. This is real ownership. You

would be leading engagements end to end at a growing firm, with a direct line to the

founders rather than being one of hundreds of EMs in a machine. There is genuine room to

shape how the firm delivers, and to build and develop your own team. It is the leadership

step a lot of senior consultants are after, but without the politics and grind of a big firm.

It is fully remote, you can be based in Johannesburg or Cape Town, and the package is

pitched at Tier 1, above the other levels in this campaign.

Notes for the Team (Internal)

• This is a more selective hire than the five delivery roles. Prioritise people with a

genuine project-leadership track record, or Senior Associate Consultant level people

who are clearly ready to step up, rather than strong individual contributors who have

not led.

• No Deloitte, per Clayton. As with the other roles, treat this as a culture-fit call rather

than a view on the firm, since the COO he trusts most came out of Deloitte. A clearly

excellent ex-Deloitte person is a conversation to have with Clayton, not an automatic

no.

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TSRecruitment | www.tsrecruitment.co.za | Confidential | Page 3

• Keep Crux anonymous in any public advert, and reference the leadership pedigree in

aggregate rather than naming individuals or the firm. Do not name or link Shakeel,

who sits with Crux as an independent consultant and whose LinkedIn is not currently

updated.

• Confirm the Engagement Manager salary band with Clayton before going to market,

so we pitch the level correctly above Senior Associate Consultant.

TSRecruitment

TSRecruitment | www.tsrecruitment.co.za | Confidential | Page 1

Crux Consulting | Consulting Levels

Junior Associate, Associate and Senior Associate

What each level is, mapped against the McKinsey construct Crux is modelled on Prepared by TSRecruitment | www.tsrecruitment.co.za | Confidential

Crux runs on the same level structure that McKinsey uses, and that is deliberate, since the

senior team came up through that system. McKinsey's own consulting ladder runs Business

Analyst, then Associate, then Engagement Manager, and on to Associate Partner and

Partner. Crux's levels map onto the front end of that path. This document covers the three

delivery levels. The Engagement Manager level, which sits above these three, is covered in

its own separate brief.

Junior Associate

Maps to the McKinsey Business Analyst level, the entry point into consulting.

At McKinsey, the Business Analyst is on a client team from day one, analysing data, building

the models and presenting ideas, in a hands-on introduction to real problem solving. They

typically work in small teams, gathering and structuring information, forming and testing

hypotheses, and producing the analysis the team's recommendations rest on.

At Crux, the Junior Associate is the engine of the analysis. The work is research, data

gathering, modelling and building out the materials, supporting a workstream and learning

the craft quickly alongside more senior people. It is hands-on from the start, with genuine

client exposure rather than a seat on the sidelines.

Associate

Maps to the McKinsey Associate level, the core consulting role.

At McKinsey, Associates lead their own workstreams and take ownership of complex

problems. They work side by side with the client to uncover the root issues and design

solutions, and they own more of a project than a Business Analyst does, with more direct

client responsibility.

At Crux, the Associate runs a workstream end to end: structuring the problem, driving the

analysis, and standing in front of the client on their piece of the work. They often guide a

Junior Associate alongside them. This is the heart of the delivery engine, the person doing

the heavy problem solving day to day.

Senior Associate

The seasoned consultant, and the step before Engagement Manager.

A quick word on the mapping. McKinsey's published ladder runs straight from Associate to

Engagement Manager. The Senior Associate level Crux uses sits in between, and maps to

the most experienced Associate stage, the consultant who is already leading workstreams

independently and is on the runway to managing engagements.

At Crux, the Senior Associate is the senior individual contributor. They lead workstreams

with little oversight, carry more of the client relationship, and mentor the Junior Associates

TSRecruitment

TSRecruitment | www.tsrecruitment.co.za | Confidential | Page 2

and Associates around them, while starting to take on slices of delivery ownership. It is the

bridge between doing the work and leading the engagement, and the natural feeder into the

Engagement Manager role.

Across all three levels

The one non-negotiable is genuine consulting experience, ideally from MBB, the Big 4 or a

strong boutique. All three are permanent roles, fully remote, with people able to base

themselves in Johannesburg or Cape Town, and all pay top-tier (Tier 1) salaries. The

common thread is the kind of person Crux wants: someone who still loves consulting and

wants to keep building in it, just in a healthier and more human environment than they may

have now.

TSRecruitment

TSRecruitment | www.tsrecruitment.co.za | Confidential | Page 1

Crux Consulting | Consulting Levels

Junior Associate, Associate and Senior Associate

What each level is, mapped against the McKinsey construct Crux is modelled on Prepared by TSRecruitment | www.tsrecruitment.co.za | Confidential

Crux runs on the same level structure that McKinsey uses, and that is deliberate, since the

senior team came up through that system. McKinsey's own consulting ladder runs Business

Analyst, then Associate, then Engagement Manager, and on to Associate Partner and

Partner. Crux's levels map onto the front end of that path. This document covers the three

delivery levels. The Engagement Manager level, which sits above these three, is covered in

its own separate brief.

Junior Associate

Maps to the McKinsey Business Analyst level, the entry point into consulting.

At McKinsey, the Business Analyst is on a client team from day one, analysing data, building

the models and presenting ideas, in a hands-on introduction to real problem solving. They

typically work in small teams, gathering and structuring information, forming and testing

hypotheses, and producing the analysis the team's recommendations rest on.

At Crux, the Junior Associate is the engine of the analysis. The work is research, data

gathering, modelling and building out the materials, supporting a workstream and learning

the craft quickly alongside more senior people. It is hands-on from the start, with genuine

client exposure rather than a seat on the sidelines.

Associate

Maps to the McKinsey Associate level, the core consulting role.

At McKinsey, Associates lead their own workstreams and take ownership of complex

problems. They work side by side with the client to uncover the root issues and design

solutions, and they own more of a project than a Business Analyst does, with more direct

client responsibility.

At Crux, the Associate runs a workstream end to end: structuring the problem, driving the

analysis, and standing in front of the client on their piece of the work. They often guide a

Junior Associate alongside them. This is the heart of the delivery engine, the person doing

the heavy problem solving day to day.

Senior Associate

The seasoned consultant, and the step before Engagement Manager.

A quick word on the mapping. McKinsey's published ladder runs straight from Associate to

Engagement Manager. The Senior Associate level Crux uses sits in between, and maps to

the most experienced Associate stage, the consultant who is already leading workstreams

independently and is on the runway to managing engagements.

At Crux, the Senior Associate is the senior individual contributor. They lead workstreams

with little oversight, carry more of the client relationship, and mentor the Junior Associates

TSRecruitment

TSRecruitment | www.tsrecruitment.co.za | Confidential | Page 2

and Associates around them, while starting to take on slices of delivery ownership. It is the

bridge between doing the work and leading the engagement, and the natural feeder into the

Engagement Manager role.

Across all three levels

The one non-negotiable is genuine consulting experience, ideally from MBB, the Big 4 or a

strong boutique. All three are permanent roles, fully remote, with people able to base

themselves in Johannesburg or Cape Town, and all pay top-tier (Tier 1) salaries. The

common thread is the kind of person Crux wants: someone who still loves consulting and

wants to keep building in it, just in a healthier and more human environment than they may

have now.

Chief Operating Officer Nomadii Group

A V E R T I C A L L Y I N T E G R A T E D L E I S U R E & M O B I L I T Y B U S I N E S S

Bobo Campers Campervan rental fleet

Motorhome World Motorhome manufacturing & sales

Parasol SA Parts, accessories & distribution

Executive leadership opportunity · Entrepreneurial environment · South Africa

Nomadii Group · Confidential · 2026

N O M A D I I G R O U P

C H I E F O P E R A T I N G O F F I C E R · N O M A D I I G R O U P The Opportunity

The Nomadii Group is seeking a pragmatic, highly driven COO to professionalise and scale our operations during an exciting growth phase. This is an ideal first executive step for a high-potential Industrial Engineer or operations leader who knows what good looks like — and can make it happen.

W H A T W E ' R E L O O K I N G F O R

• Industrial Engineering or related technical qualification

• Strong operational and analytical capability

• Must have experience and proven track record in manufacturing

• Ideal candidates will have automotive, distribution, retail, fleet or technical operations experience as well

• Deep understanding of process optimisation, operational controls and continuous improvement

• Exposure to Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen or similar methodologies — advantageous

• Commercially minded, hands-on and execution driven

• Located in Cape Town, Atlantis

W H A T S U C C E S S L O O K S L I K E

• Better operational visibility and reporting across all three entities

• Improved inventory accuracy and working capital efficiency

• More efficient production and warehouse operations

• Strong operational discipline and accountability at every level

• Scalable systems and processes that support the group's growth ambitions

This role suits someone ambitious, highly capable and genuinely excited by the opportunity to help build and scale a dynamic South African business with real growth potential.

Nomadii Group · Confidential · 2026

N O M A D I I G R O U P

C H I E F O P E R A T I N G O F F I C E R · N O M A D I I G R O U P Key Responsibilities

Motorhome World Manufacturing & Sales

• Optimise factory layout, workflow and production processes

• Improve operational controls, throughput and quality management

• Drive production planning, costing visibility and process discipline

• Improve utilisation of labour, materials and manufacturing space

Parasol SA Parts & Distribution

• Optimise inventory management, procurement and replenishment

• Improve warehouse controls and stock accuracy

• Implement reporting, KPIs and operational discipline

• Drive efficiencies across purchasing and distribution

Bobo Campers Rental Fleet

• Oversee fleet management and operational readiness

• Improve vehicle turnaround times, maintenance planning and utilisation

• Support operational scalability as the rental fleet grows

• Implement systems and controls for customer delivery and efficiency

G R O U P - W I D E

The COO will work closely with the CEO and board to establish operational best practices, build reporting frameworks and create the management infrastructure required to support the group's growth ambitions across all three entities.

Nomadii Group · Confidential · 2026