Principal Consultant - Active Top Secret Clearance Required

The Clearing•Washington, DC

8d•$105,000 - $162,000

About The Position

The Clearing is a management consulting firm that helps leaders solve complex challenges by turning insight into action. We specialize in diagnosing the root causes of organizational friction across people, processes, and technology, then configuring proven solutions that accelerate meaningful, measurable progress. Our approach blends analytical rigor with human-centered design. Whether we’re enabling change, optimizing workflows, or guiding smart technology adoption, everything we do is built to scale, repeat, and deliver value. We work across public, private, and mission-driven sectors, partnering with clients to modernize how they lead, work, and deliver. Our team brings deep experience across disciplines, including change management, strategic planning, organizational design, leadership development, behavioral science, and more. What unites us is a shared belief: real progress happens when we focus on what’s not working, define what’s possible, and deliver outcomes that stick. If you're excited by purpose-driven work, energized by solving problems at their roots, and passionate about building solutions that last, we’d love to meet you. Principals at The Clearing lead complex, medium to large-scale projects or portfolios, owning responsibility for overall project outcomes, client satisfaction, and their team’s experience. They demonstrate strong business development capabilities, driving both organic growth and net new business growth. Principals actively contribute to building internal capacity, including mentoring consultants across all levels and strengthening the firm’s consulting capabilities. Recognized as organizational leaders, they provide subject matter expertise and strategic guidance across engagements. Principals cultivate trusted client relationships and ensure project and portfolio growth align with The Clearing’s corporate strategy and annual priorities.

Requirements

Active DoD Top Secret clearance
Bachelor’s degree
Eight (8) + years of experience in management consulting or another professional service or client-facing environment
Proven success leading medium to large-scale, complex projects, including client relationship management, team leadership, talent development, and resource management responsibilities
Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills, with demonstrated attention to detail, organization, and time management
Exceptional communication skills, including strong business writing and verbal communication; experience with strategic communications is highly desirable
Flexible, adaptive mindset with the ability to thrive in fast-paced, high-stakes, and often ambiguous client environments
Willing and able to travel to client sites within the Washington, DC, and Baltimore metro areas; occasional travel beyond these regions (up to 5%) may be required
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States, now and in the future, without the need for current or future visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

change management, strategic planning, program management, and/or organizational design experience
PMP and/or Change Management certification (ex.: Prosci)

Responsibilities

Lead and manage complex, medium to large-scale projects, or a portfolio of projects, ensuring timely, on-budget delivery aligned with scope and quality expectations
Own accountability for project outcomes, aligning work to client goals, offering strategic guidance, and building trust-based client relationships
Oversee project financials, ensuring project financial targets are met or exceeded; guide team members managing task-level budgets to support company profitability.
Design and implement both short- and long-term project plans, aligning with client needs and strategic objectives
Kickoff, manage, and close contracts, ensuring compliance with all contractual requirements; Coach others in navigating government contracting processes, accelerating the path from contract award to project execution
Produce high-quality, client-facing deliverables, applying attention to detail, strong written communication, and project quality standards; provide content review and feedback using past experiences, expertise, and understanding of client environment to guide teammates
Facilitate client meetings, effectively guiding discussions to achieve desired client and project outcomes
Navigate challenging team or client dynamics, driving teams toward high performance by managing risk, adapting to change, and making critical course corrections
Lead high-impact proposals, serving as lead writer or proposal manager while mentoring junior staff in capture strategy and proposal development
Drive market visibility, producing external-facing thought leadership (e.g., blogs, one-pagers) and engaging in strategic industry events
Lead and support business growth efforts, generating and closing new business opportunities while managing the full capture, proposal, and contracting lifecycle
Advance The Clearing’s methodologies and solutions, continuously improving offerings and developing scalable, high-demand solution packages across delivery, marketing, and sales
Provide clear team direction and accountability, establishing performance standards, supporting goal setting, and actively managing team performance
Foster inclusion and belonging, recognizing and leveraging individual strengths to create a collaborative and high-trust team environment
Mentor junior project leads, helping them build and sustain high-performing teams that balance client satisfaction, team health, and financial outcomes
Translate firm strategy into actionable goals, guiding teams to align daily work with The Clearing’s broader vision and priorities