Principal Consultant – Advisory

Job Title:
Principal Consultant – Advisory (IT Transformation)
Location:
Remote-first across the UK, with monthly attendance in the London office and client travel as required.

Background:
Our IT Advisory division supports clients with clear, experience-led guidance across complex technology and business change. We focus on delivering practical, achievable transformation strategies that align technology, people and processes.

The division provides expertise across IT transformation strategy, operating model design, sourcing and vendor selection, and major change initiatives. We are now looking for a Principal Consultant with strong IT transformation experience, excellent problem-solving skills and a trusted adviser mindset to work closely with senior stakeholders on complex technology and organisational change.

Role Overview:
We are seeking an experienced Principal Consultant to join our IT Advisory practice. You will specialise in IT transformation strategy, operating model design, sourcing and outsourcing, and pragmatic change delivery.

This is a senior advisory role focused on shaping direction, providing structure, influencing decisions and supporting executive stakeholders. It is not a hands-on delivery position. You will design target operating models, oversee sourcing and RFP cycles, analyse business and technology challenges and help clients define achievable transformation plans.

You will work closely with senior technology and business leaders, acting as a trusted adviser and providing independent, experience-led guidance across multiple transformation initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:
IT Advisory and Transformation Strategy

• Provide high-level advisory support on major IT and business transformation programmes.
• Lead the design of Target Operating Models (TOMs) and transformation roadmaps.
• Advise on business and IT function consolidation, organisational design, capability uplift and operating model maturity.
• Assess current IT landscapes and help define realistic future-state options and improvement paths.

Sourcing, Outsourcing and RFP Management

• Lead end-to-end outsourcing, sourcing or vendor selection engagements.
• Shape requirements, define evaluation criteria, compare commercial and service options and produce structured recommendations.
• Support sourcing decisions and vendor strategies within broader transformation or organisational redesign.

Change Delivery and Transformation Oversight

• Shape pragmatic, outcome-focused approaches to change delivery.
• Provide advisory support across multiple transformation workstreams.
• Ensure alignment between strategy, operating model decisions and ongoing delivery.

Client Engagement and Stakeholder Advisory

• Work with senior stakeholders (CIO, CTO, IT Directors, Transformation Leads) as a trusted adviser.
• Present insights and recommendations clearly and persuasively, including through well-structured presentations.
• Build strong and trusted relationships across business and technology teams.

Required Qualifications and Capabilities:
Experience

• 5 to 10+ years in IT consulting or technology advisory.
• Strong experience in IT transformation, business change or operating model design.
• Exposure to infrastructure, software, digital or cloud environments.
• Proven experience managing outsourcing, sourcing or RFP processes.
• Experience advising or supporting large-scale transformation programmes.
• Ability to balance and support multiple concurrent advisory engagements.

Core Skills and Mindset

• Strategic problem-solving and structured thinking.
• Trusted adviser capability, with credibility at senior stakeholder level.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, particularly using PowerPoint.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to navigate complex business and technology environments.
• Ability to bridge business and technology priorities.
• Pragmatic and experience-led consulting style.

Backgrounds that typically do not fit

• Delivery-only consulting roles.
• Profiles without meaningful IT consulting experience.
• Exclusively public sector backgrounds.
• Generalist strategists without technical grounding.