Senior Consultant - People and Change - Defence & Security

Job Description

Become part of Our Defence and Security / People and Change Team

We create purposeful, innovative and sustainable organisations that people want to be a part of. We do this through harnessing the power of people to design, deliver and embed lasting change to enable organisations and their people to perform to their highest potential.

Our diverse team have real-world experience in shaping and delivering transformational change, however we also understand people and what makes them tick and it is this combination that enables us to craft ingenious, unique and valuable solutions for our clients. Within our growing team we have behavioural scientists, talent curators, communications experts, transformation specialists, learning innovators, occupational psychologists and many more.

We are currently recruiting for change management expertise in our Defence and Security practice. The areas we currently specialise in are:

• Shaping purpose and culture to create organisations that people want to be part of
• Reskilling and transforming workforces for an innovative and sustainable future
• Amplifying the value and impact of people to enable effective digital transformation
• Building enduring leadership and change capability for organisational success

Across our People and Change capability we work with governments and industry, bringing insight, innovation and ingenuity to their most complex problems, from designing the concept for an electric vehicle charge point to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission road transport to helping the National Crime Agency plan its emergency response strategy. With over 60 years of experience, PA’s People and Change management team has a reputation for delivering world-class results, helping organisations put their people at the heart of change to deliver lasting results. Following several years of impressive growth and with an exciting portfolio of work within our Defence and Security change team, now is the perfect time to join PA!

We would welcome applications from candidates that would like to work part - time, please discuss this with a member of the recruitment team.

Why you’ll enjoy being a part of our People and Change Capability

As well as the more formal benefits listed below, working in PA’s People and Change Capability provides some fantastic opportunities including:

• A welcoming and social team of colleagues who encourage and care for each other – including through a variety of wellbeing initiatives to support us whether we’re in the office, on client site or working from home.

• Opportunities to work flexibly, dependent on client needs.

• Fantastic professional development opportunities such as mentoring, formal and informal learning opportunities (including through sponsorship of professional accreditation).

• Some great employee networks, communities and groups, including PA Pride, the BAME network, Occupational Psychology Forum, Future of Work, Women’s Network, Mental Health and Wellbeing Network and Military Network.

Qualifications

Your key strengths include:

• High levels of emotional intelligence and experience working with a range of stakeholders so that you can adapt your approach to the environment.
• A collaborative and enthusiastic approach to your work, with flexibility to work on diverse challenges in small or large teams. 
• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving skills with an ability to deliver practical results.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, which allow you to work effectively with colleagues and clients.

Our People and Change senior consultants engage with clients in creative ways and we are particularly interested to hear from you if you have experience in one or more of the following:

• A proven track record of delivering change management programmes, ideally having led teams in delivering them

• Designing, shaping and implementing business change strategies and/or strategic communications
• Building business engagement plans and supporting stakeholders at all levels to understand and embrace change
• Managing and delivering change programmes in digital or agile organisation environments
• Conducting cultural assessments within organisations and designing interventions to achieve lasting cultural change
• Analysing the impact of business change and designing innovative change approaches
• Purpose, Leadership and Culture: shaping an organisation’s purpose, culture and leadership capability to support strategic priorities
• Talent management - taking a future-forward approach to revitalising workforces, harnessing talent and engaging and empowering individuals to deliver high performance.
• Professional training or accreditation would be helpful, but not essential, given the focus on developing our people at PA

Person Specification

We are looking for professionals with consulting or relevant defence industry experience, and we would expect individuals at this level to have led work and managed teams even if relatively small.

Applicants must have the right to live and work in the UK, and must be eligible to attain Level 3 security clearance, given the nature of the work we deliver.

Additional Information

Benefits

• Private medical insurance
• 25 days annual leave with the opportunity to buy 5 additional days
• Company pension scheme
• Annual performance-based bonus
• Life and Income protection insurance
• Tax efficient benefits (cycle to work, give as you earn)
• Additional optional benefits (dental, critical illness, spouse/partner life assurance)

Diversity

Our approach to Inclusion and Diversity is a key enabler to our purpose - ‘Bringing Ingenuity to Life’. At PA, we are committed to creating a supportive culture where our people can thrive. To bring ingenuity to life for our clients we need people with different perspectives who think innovatively. We are on a journey to create an ever more inclusive place to work, where we all feel supported and can be ourselves.

We want our people to experience a working environment that promotes dignity, equality and respect for all. In terms of recruitment, we believe diversity makes us a stronger firm and we look to employ people with different ideas, styles and skillsets. This diversity stimulates a rich, creative environment – one in which our people develop, and our clients enjoy enduring results. We’re committed to recruiting, promoting and rewarding our people solely based on their ability to contribute to PA’s goals, without regard to their sex, race, disability, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age or marital status.

* Please note you must already have the unconditional right to live and work in the UK. We welcome international applications, but we are unable to offer sponsorship for work permits, so you will need to have the full right to live and work in the UK. Unfortunately, your application will be automatically rejected if you do not have these rights.