Consulting Director

SHRM•Alexandria, VA

1d•Remote

About The Position

The Consulting Director drives revenue growth and delivers consulting solutions that address clients’ leadership, organizational development, and business challenges. The role combines business development, client relationship management, consulting solution design, and hands-on delivery of leadership and organizational development services. The Director manages the full lifecycle of consulting engagements, from identifying opportunities and assessing client needs to developing proposals, securing engagements, coordinating resources, and delivering customized solutions. The role is accountable for assigned revenue targets and for ensuring engagements achieve measurable client outcomes, maintain profitability, and support long-term client relationships. Working collaboratively with Sales, Product, and Consulting leadership, the Director expands client partnerships, strengthens consulting offerings, and contributes to the growth of SHRM Linkage’s Professional Consulting Solutions (PROS) business. The position is fully remote, with availability required during standard business hours and moderate travel of 20–30%.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Organizational Development, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Human Resources, or a related field.
Ten or more years of progressive experience in professional services consulting, leadership development, organizational development, executive coaching, consultative sales, or a combination of these disciplines.
Demonstrated success generating consulting revenue, developing client relationships, and managing a substantial book of business; the posting identifies a preferred range of $1.5M–$2.5M.
Proven experience designing, selling, and personally delivering complex consulting engagements for senior leaders and executives.
Experience conducting organizational assessments, facilitating leadership development programs, and providing executive or leadership coaching.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple consulting engagements, balance competing priorities, and deliver measurable client outcomes.
Experience developing consulting proposals, Statements of Work, pricing recommendations, and client engagement strategies.
Strong business development and consultative selling skills, including client discovery, relationship management, solution development, negotiation, and closing.
Advanced knowledge of leadership development, organizational effectiveness, executive coaching, and change management principles and practices.
Exceptional facilitation, presentation, communication, and coaching skills, with the ability to engage and influence senior leaders and executives.
Ability to assess complex organizational challenges and translate client needs into practical, customized consulting solutions.
Strong business acumen and financial judgment, including managing revenue expectations, engagement pricing, resource utilization, and profitability.
Ability to establish and maintain trusted relationships with clients, internal stakeholders, and external consulting partners.
Strong project and engagement management skills, including planning, prioritization, resource coordination, risk management, and execution.
Ability to manage a sales pipeline and active consulting engagements simultaneously while maintaining quality and client satisfaction.
Working knowledge of leadership assessments, 360-degree feedback instruments, coaching frameworks, and organizational development methodologies.
Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and make decisions within established business and operational guidelines.
Strong collaboration and influencing skills, including coordinating cross-functional teams and external consultants without direct supervisory authority.
Ability to identify business-growth opportunities and contribute to the development of consulting services and client solutions.
Ability to effectively leverage AI tools and technologies to streamline workflows, enhance productivity, and improve work quality.
Ability to perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation.
Clear verbal and written communication skills for effective interaction with colleagues and stakeholders.
Availability during standard business hours; core hours begin between 8:00–9:00 a.m. and conclude between 5:00–6:00 p.m.
Willingness to travel moderately, approximately 20–30%.

Nice To Haves

Experience coordinating consulting resources, including external or affiliate consultants.
Experience using Challenger Sales or a comparable consultative-selling methodology, including disciplined pipeline management, CRM hygiene, forecasting, and proposal development.
International Coaching Federation (ICF) certification.
Change management certification, such as Prosci or a comparable methodology.
Certification or demonstrated proficiency in leadership assessment tools, 360-degree feedback instruments, or executive coaching assessments.

Responsibilities

Identify, develop, and pursue consulting opportunities within existing and prospective client accounts in collaboration with Sales leadership.
Build relationships with senior executives and key decision-makers to understand organizational priorities, leadership challenges, and business needs.
Lead client discovery discussions to identify opportunities for leadership development, organizational effectiveness, executive coaching, and related consulting solutions.
Develop customized consulting proposals, Statements of Work, project scopes, pricing recommendations, and engagement strategies.
Lead client presentations, negotiate engagement terms, and secure consulting business within established pricing and approval guidelines.
Develop long-term client relationships and identify opportunities for additional services, renewals, and expanded engagements.
Achieve assigned annual revenue and book-of-business targets while maintaining a healthy sales pipeline, accurate forecasts, and appropriate engagement profitability.
Monitor client needs, market trends, and competitive offerings to identify business-growth opportunities and improve consulting solutions.
Assess client needs using stakeholder interviews, assessments, organizational data, and other discovery methods.
Design customized solutions addressing leadership effectiveness, organizational development, team performance, culture, and change management.
Personally deliver leadership assessments, executive coaching, facilitated workshops, and organizational development initiatives.
Lead multiple complex consulting engagements, aligning solutions with client objectives, methodologies, and quality standards.
Facilitate learning and development experiences for senior leaders and executives, virtually and in person.
Serve as a trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders, providing expertise, recommendations, and practical solutions.
Establish engagement objectives and success measures, evaluate client outcomes, and recommend continued development and improvement.
Maintain high standards of consulting delivery and client satisfaction.
Oversee consulting engagements from initiation through completion, ensuring objectives, timelines, budgets, and deliverables are achieved.
Determine staffing and resource requirements, including the appropriate use of internal resources and affiliate consultants.
Coordinate and direct affiliate consultants and internal contributors to support effective delivery.
Manage day-to-day engagement resourcing support provided by the Affiliate Coordinator in collaboration with Consulting leadership.
Monitor project progress, identify risks, resolve engagement issues, and escalate concerns as appropriate.
Ensure engagements are appropriately scoped, staffed, and managed to balance client expectations, delivery capacity, quality, and profitability.
Maintain effective communication with clients, affiliate consultants, and internal stakeholders throughout engagements.
Partner with the VP, Consulting on complex or high-value engagements requiring additional strategic oversight or resources.
Collaborate with Sales leadership to qualify and coordinate opportunities and align them with broader client account strategies.
Partner with Product and Consulting leadership to enhance consulting solutions, methodologies, and offerings based on client needs and market opportunities.
Provide consulting expertise and client insights to support development and refinement of leadership development programs, assessments, and related products.
Collaborate with Marketing and Sales on client-facing messaging, demand-generation initiatives, and promotion of consulting solutions.
Represent SHRM Linkage through client presentations, webinars, conferences, thought leadership, and other professional engagements.
Identify opportunities to strengthen market presence, expand client relationships, and support long-term business growth.
Contribute to continuous improvement of consulting processes, client experiences, and delivery practices.