Principal / Managing Consultant

Location/s: Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester, London; UK
Recruiter contact: Danielle Judd

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices. 

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual. 

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

About the business unit

Mott MacDonald’s Advisory and Programme Delivery (APD) unit delivers both project, programme & commercial management (PPCM) services and advisory solutions across the built environment, defence, energy, water, environmental, transportation, health and care sectors.

We deliver tailored solutions that directly address our clients’ key challenges, combining our world-leading project expertise with unrivalled programme delivery capabilities and advisory services.

APD delivers services to projects ranging in scale and complexity up to £20bn, through the technical disciplines of programme management, project management, project controls, scheduling, cost management, estimating, infrastructure finance, management consulting, digital consulting and education, health and care management.

Overview of the role

As a Managing Consultant / Principal Consultant in our Business Change & Transformation team, you will help clients navigate complex challenges, unlock opportunities and deliver lasting value beyond capital project delivery. You will lead client-facing change and transformation assignments, guide multi-disciplinary teams, assure the quality of outputs and contribute to the continued development of our management consulting capability. Our vision is to deliver value for society through transformation and business change advisory services, drawing on our expertise in business case development, innovation management, business change, collaboration, digital, organisational design and operational improvement. Our consultants are based across multiple UK offices and are expected to travel where required to support clients, develop experience and deliver impact.

This is a senior delivery, technical and people leadership role. You will successfully lead and deliver multiple, medium complexity change and transformation assignments, without supervision, or lead packages of high complexity change projects under the direction of more experienced staff. You will shape practical solutions, manage teams and resources, build trusted relationships and contribute to business growth through opportunity development, proposal activity, practice development and use of digital tools and techniques.

Key responsibilities and duties include:

• Lead and deliver multiple, medium complexity change and transformation assignments, or packages of high complexity change projects, applying appropriate governance, commercial discipline and quality controls
• Lead and manage small and large-sized change and transformation teams, creating clarity of purpose, inclusive ways of working and a strong focus on measurable client outcomes
• Promote the benefits of consultancy to clients and advise on appropriate models, methods, tools and frameworks, drawing on relevant examples from multiple sectors
• Lead analysis activities and define current client capabilities relative to accepted good practice, using evidence to identify gaps, opportunities, next steps and future-state recommendations
• Author, review and quality assure key client documentation, including proposals, initiative scoping, planning and resourcing documents, progress reports, outcome reports, business cases, change strategies and implementation plans
• Check and approve client documentation and deliverables before submission, appropriate to role, project and governance requirements
• Demonstrate commercial awareness across consultancy delivery, including resourcing, fees, invoicing, margin management, scope control and change management
• Demonstrate development and application of WIN and business development activity, including opportunity identification, proposal creation, approach design and client relationship development
• Engage in the design, development and adoption of digital tools and techniques to evolve how consultancy services are delivered
• Demonstrate emotional and cultural intelligence through leadership and coaching of others, influencing effective colleague and client working relationships
• Apply and uphold Our Code, PRIDE values and governance frameworks when leading teams and working with clients
• Coach, guide and develop colleagues, contributing to an inclusive, supportive and high-performing team environment
• Contribute strongly to discipline development through coaching, communities of practice, knowledge sharing, proposition development and delivery of Our Purpose
• Demonstrate management consultancy foundational values in practice, including eminence, growth mindset, integrity and trust, inclusivity, courage of convictions, determination, innovation and creativity, agility, honesty and transparency, and ethics

Candidate specification

Essential:

• Relevant degree, postgraduate qualification or equivalent professional experience. Other degree qualifications will be considered where experience is aligned with our services
• Significant experience in one or more Business Change & Transformation service lines: business case development, innovation management, business change, organisational design, digital transformation or business improvement
• Experience leading client-facing consulting assignments, workstreams or project packages in complex organisations or major programme environments
• Ability to work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams and with a wide range of stakeholders, including senior client representatives
• Awareness of P3M environments, strong numerical skills, commercial awareness and the ability to communicate clearly with different audiences
• Working towards, or maintaining, appropriate Chartered accredited status, such as Chartered Management Consultant or equivalent

Desirable:

• Associate or Chartered Management Consultant accreditation, or equivalent professional status
• Qualifications or certifications in project management, programme management, innovation, lean, change management, business cases, agile delivery, organisational design or related disciplines
• Knowledge of the UK’s major infrastructure investment plans and the challenges facing infrastructure owners, operators, public bodies and delivery organisations
• Experience across sectors such as transport, energy, water, environment, defence, health, care or the built environment. Security clearance is desirable but not essential

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Agile working  

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well-being, flexibility, and trust.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion 

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

AI Usage

At Mott MacDonald, we see the value AI can bring, but we take a people-first approach to hiring. While AI tools can help candidates prepare and build confidence, every application and hiring decision is reviewed by our recruitment and hiring teams. We encourage the responsible use of AI while ensuring we get to know the real person behind the application.

Accessibility

We want you to feel supported and able to perform at your best throughout our recruitment process. If there is anything we can do to make applying or interviewing with us more accessible, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we'll be happy to discuss how we can help.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Employee Ownership

• Our employee ownership model means no external investors, just us, creating a culture of shared success.
• Our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, giving them a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses.
• As your career grows, so does your stake, recognising your long-term impact and contribution.
• Your voice matters, with the opportunity to connect directly with senior leadership through formal channels to help shape our future.
• For our senior roles you will have a direct pathway towards ownership from day one.

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• 10 days additional paid leave for Armed Forces Reservists and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

 Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.
• We offer policies and dedicated support to help military families balance service life with career and wellbeing.

Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and Gold Award holders in the MOD Employer Recognition Scheme, supported by our dedicated internal Armed Forces Network.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.