Consulting Manager (Associate Manager to Senior Manager) Experience Economy

Location: Ho Chi Minh City

Practice: Experience Economy — F&B, Tourism, Hospitality, Real Estate

Reporting to: Head of Practice

About Decision Lab

Decision Lab is an insights-driven consulting firm helping organisations succeed in Southeast Asia's next decade of growth. As consumer behaviour, media, and technology change faster than most organisations can adapt, we believe growth only succeeds when decision-making evolves as fast as the market itself.

We turn research into business decisions — not just findings. Our recommendations help clients decide who to target, what to launch, what to fix, how to position, and where to invest. We are curious by design and deliberate in how we use technology, including AI, to reach better answers faster.

We believe the region grows faster when good information is shared. So we make much of our research public and work to inspire students, government, and executives to act on it — because the truth matters.

Why this practice

We are building Decision Lab into the driving force behind Vietnam's shift to an experience-led economy. Experience is under-defined as a strategic lever here — most brands optimise touchpoints; few have a coherent strategy for designing experiences that drive loyalty and commercial outcomes. We intend to define that space, across F&B, tourism, hospitality, and real estate, where how an experience is designed and delivered directly drives revenue.

About the role

You will lead projects end-to-end across the Experience Economy — connecting consumer behaviour, brand perception, and service expectations to commercial outcomes. The role demands analytical discipline and a practical grasp of how experiences translate into business performance. You own the work: how the problem is structured, how insight becomes a recommendation, and how the client moves forward.

What you will do

▸ Lead projects end-to-end across F&B, tourism, hospitality, and real estate, from problem definition to final recommendation

▸ Own client communication and guide discussions towards clear decisions

▸ Translate customer insight into positioning, concept, and experience strategy

▸ Design and deliver brand tracking and brand development work

▸ Use AI tools fluently to sharpen analysis and accelerate delivery — and raise the standard for how your team does the same

▸ Ensure recommendations are grounded in operational and commercial reality

▸ Manage and coach team members at execution level

▸ Handle complex, multi-stakeholder client environments

▸ Increasingly lead proposals and commercial discussions, and take on larger engagements

What we're looking for

▸ 4–8+ years of experience, including at least 3 years with a leading market research agency

▸ Experience across consulting, research, or experience-driven industries

▸ Rigorous thinking — well-structured, evidence-based, and honest about what the data does and does not show

▸ Ambitious about impact, not activity — you take ownership of outcomes and push for decisions that drive growth

▸ A track record connecting customer insight to commercial outcomes

▸ Experience with brand strategy, brand tracking, or customer insight

▸ High AI fluency: you already use AI tools in your day-to-day analytical and consulting work — for desk research, synthesis, drafting, and quality-checking — and can show how it has made your output faster or sharper

▸ Strong interest in how consumers interact with spaces, services, and brands

▸ Confidence leading projects and presenting to senior stakeholders

▸ Structured thinking, clear communication, and experience developing junior team members

How this role grows

This is a banded role — Associate Manager to Senior Manager — and we will place you at the level your experience supports. The path upward is explicit: you move from leading defined projects to owning client relationships and commercial outcomes as your scope and judgement grow. We will be clear with you from day one about what each level requires and what it pays.

What you'll get

▸ Real commercial involvement early — you lead client work and shape decisions years sooner than you would at a large global firm

▸ A modern, AI-native way of working, built for speed and sharpness rather than process for its own sake

▸ Direct exposure to senior stakeholders across leading brands and developers

▸ Sector breadth — you work across categories and business problems, not one company's internal function

▸ A steep learning curve in a high-standard, feedback-driven environment, with ambitious colleagues who challenge each other to improve

▸ Local and regional grounding — we are here for Vietnam and Southeast Asia, with the balance that comes from building close to home

▸ A flexible, semi-hybrid working model and a collaborative workspace in Ho Chi Minh City

▸ Compensation benchmarked competitively, with clear performance-based upside through quarterly bonuses

This is not a role built around structure and hand-holding. It is built around responsibility, feedback, and progress.