Strategy and Analytics Analyst

Being a good investor and being a good firm are two different things. We want to be both.

We are an Atlanta-based private equity firm with $42 billion in assets under management specializing in franchise and franchise-like business models. Our portfolio companies span multiple sectors including restaurants, business and consumer services, health and wellness, and education and youth activities.

Since our founding in 2001, we have been guided by the same core values - do what’s right and long-term smart, regardless of conventional wisdom…even when it’s hard, and even when no one’s looking.

We view investing as a team sport. Our goal is shared success - for customers, employees, franchisees, strategic partners, service providers, management teams, and shareholders. We have a focused investment strategy that provides pattern recognition and a deep belief in win-win partnerships.

We partner with market-leading companies and management teams and believe in value creation through operational excellence. Currently, they generate $100 billion in annual system sales from 117,000+ locations across the globe.

The Opportunity:

Roark’s in-house Data and Analytics (DnA) team leverages advanced analytics, AI, and strategic insights to make sound investment decisions and guide our owned businesses to profitable growth. The Strategy & Analytics function within the DnA team serves as the bridge between our analytical capabilities and Roark’s investment professionals and portfolio company leadership teams. We scope, manage, and deliver high-impact analytical projects - from commercial due diligence of potential acquisitions to advising owned businesses on revenue growth and profitability improvement.

We are seeking an Analyst to join the Strategy & Analytics function early in their career in analytics and strategy. This is a hands-on analytical role rather than a reporting one: from day one, you will source data, interrogate it, build the analysis yourself, and shape what it means for the strategy it informs. The questions are open-ended and the data is rarely clean, and there is no fixed playbook, so rigor matters. Your work is used directly by investment professionals and portfolio company executives to make real decisions. You will work across many brands and consumer segments alongside senior team members who will invest in your development. The pace is fast, the variety is wide, and your ownership will grow as quickly as you do.

The ideal candidate combines rigorous analytical execution with clear communication, strong attention to detail, and a genuine curiosity to learn. You should be excited about AI tools and eager to build them into how you work, energized by the breadth of problems you’ll encounter, and motivated by the opportunity to develop rapidly in a high-performing, entrepreneurial environment.

 Key Responsibilities:

  Analytical Execution & Project Delivery:

• Own analytical workstreams end-to-end - scoping the question, sourcing the data, and defending the conclusion - with accountability from day one
• Gather, clean, analyze, and synthesize data from diverse sources to answer complex business questions across a range of analytic topics (pricing, marketing, forecasting, customer behavior, store performance, geographic analytics, benchmarking, and more)
• Ensure the highest quality of work by confirming numbers, sense-checking results, and quickly identifying and correcting mistakes
• Work across a breadth of industries including restaurants, retail, health & wellness, fitness, youth enrichment, and consumer and business services
• Take ambiguous, open-ended business questions and structure the analytical approach yourself, not just execute a pre-defined plan.

Communication & Stakeholder Partnership:

• Clearly and concisely communicate findings, methodology, and progress to project teams and senior team members
• Translate analytical results into business implications; understand what the data says, what it means, and what questions come next
• Represent your analysis directly to deal teams and portfolio company leadership, fielding questions, defending conclusions, and keeping stakeholders informed with timely, well-organized updates

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Partner closely with Data Science, Software Engineering, and Consumer Insights functions to deliver maximum cross-functional impact
• Build reusable tools and frameworks that the broader team adopts, through clear documentation, reusable templates, and lessons learned
• Continually learn new concepts and methods in analytics, statistics, data science, and AI

AI & Continuous Improvement:

• Use AI and GenAI tools (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot) to accelerate your day-to-day work, building strong habits around prompt quality, output verification, and knowing when AI-generated work needs human scrutiny
• Stay current on developments in AI, analytics, and data-driven decision making within private equity and our portfolio industries
• Continuously improve your own workflows and share what you learn with the team

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in quantitative discipline (e.g., engineering, mathematics, economics, computer science, statistics, or related field)
• 1-3 years of professional or internship experience solving analytical business problems, preferably through strategy consulting, investment banking, corporate strategy, or analytics
• Demonstrated ability to execute rigorous, detail-oriented analysis and deliver accurate, high-quality work
• Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to translate analysis into clear business insights
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
• Comfort learning and adopting new tools and technologies quickly
• Hands-on familiarity with GenAI tools (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini) and genuine curiosity about applying them to real work; experience applying them in a professional or internship setting preferred
• Experience with Python, SQL, or other programming languages for data analysis and automation preferred
• Experience with AI-native development tools such as Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, or similar coding environments preferred
• Proficiency with analytics and visualization tools such as Alteryx, Tableau, Power BI, or similar preferred
• Industry exposure to restaurants, retail, CPG, or consumer services preferred
• Consulting, private equity, or investment research experience preferred
• Experience working with or alongside data science and engineering teams preferred

Desired Personal & Leadership Characteristics:

• Outcome-driven. Focused on delivering work that drives action and impact, not just completing tasks.
• Service-oriented. Genuinely enjoys helping others succeed; approaches partnerships with a “your success is our success” mindset.
• Curious and always learning. Diverse interests, passion for new tools and techniques, including AI, and a natural instinct to share what you learn with others.
• Adaptable, optimistic, and committed to following through; stays steady when priorities shift or problems get hard.
• Team-first. Values colleagues as people, invests in relationships, and contributes to a culture where people genuinely enjoy working together.
• Forward-looking. Delivers value today while thinking about what’s next; embraces change and brings ideas to the table.
• High integrity, low ego. Honest, trustworthy, and accountable; earns trust across functions and seniority levels.
• Creative and persistent when solving problems; comfortable navigating ambiguity in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communicator. Adapts message and style to the audience; keeps stakeholders informed and aligned.

Benefits:

  Roark provides a highly competitive package that includes, but is not limited to:

• Base salary plus annual performance bonus
• Medical, dental, vision, life insurance and long-term disability insurance
• 401k with employer match
• Paid time off and holidays
• Breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks are provided daily in the office

Our team is based in Atlanta, GA, and we love the energy of working together in person.  This role is fully on-site, five days a week.