Senior Principal - People Performance (Talent)

The purpose of the role is to lead the delivery of high-impact engagements in the people performance space, spanning across culture transformation, talent strategy and execution, team effectiveness, leadership development and broader capability development. The individual is expected to also contribute materially to the growth and evolution of Q5’s People Performance Service. This role combines senior client delivery, trusted-advisor relationships, and commercial contribution, with a focus on expanding and augmenting existing accounts, supporting new business, connecting people performance to other Q5 services (strategy, design, transformation) and helping to scale the service through proposition development and thought leadership.

This is a senior leadership role combining project delivery, intellectual leadership, and business development. The postholder will input into the People Performance’s strategic direction, build market-leading propositions across the full breadth of the service.

This role is suited to a senior organisational development practitioner who combines deep technical expertise across areas in talent, culture, leadership development and team effectiveness with strong client credibility and commercial awareness. A specialism and deep experience in talent strategy and execution is important as this has been identified as a focus growth area for the People Performance Service.

Balance of activities: ~70% client delivery; ~30% proposition and business development

There are three core focus areas for this role:

• Project/Client Account Leadership and Delivery

• Business Development & Commercial Contribution

• Proposition & Thought Leadership across Q5’s People Performance Service

Success Measures

The success of this role will be measured by:

• Delivery of high-quality, high-impact engagements with strong client advocacy

• Tangible contribution to growing the People Performance Service revenue

• Development of propositions (and enhancing existing solutions) that connect people performance to the other Q5 services

• Expansion of existing client accounts and repeat business

• Recognised internally and by clients for contribution to propositions and thought leadership

• Feedback on leadership, collaboration, and capability building

Responsibilities

Project/Client Account Leadership and Delivery

• Lead the design and delivery of complex client engagements

• Lead engagements in the space of talent strategy and execution, culture transformation, talent, team effectiveness, leadership development and broader capability development initiatives, where required

• Act as the senior day-to-day client lead on major projects, building trusted-advisor relationships with senior HR and business leaders

• Ensure programmes deliver measurable impact, align to client strategy, and meet high standards of quality

• Lead and coordinate delivery teams (consultants, associates, and clients), setting clear direction and ensuring delivery excellence.

• Provide SME and QA support to a portfolio of projects where you are not the lead practitioner

• Contribute to building a scalable delivery capability in line with client demand, including technical tools and partnerships

• Mentor and coach consultants and associates working on people performance engagements. Support onboarding and upskilling of new team members within the People Performance service (and beyond)

• Ensure consistent application of diagnostics, assessments, measurement tools, and evaluation approaches

• Contribute to continuous improvement of delivery processes, tools, and client experience

Business Development & Commercial Contribution

• Contribute to solution design, proposals and closing of major opportunities, shaping insight-led, commercially robust solutions

• Collaborate with Q5rs in key accounts to drive cross-selling and integrated client solutions, including working with Q5 Sector Leads to support origination

• Take shared responsibility for revenue contribution, utilisation, and margin for accounts

• Support the growth of the People Performance Service by expanding existing client accounts and identifying follow-on opportunities across our portfolio of expertise.

• Apply sound commercial judgement to scoping, resourcing, and delivery decisions

Proposition & Thought Leadership

• Contribute to the ongoing development and refinement of the firm’s People Performance propositions, tools, and methodologies, particularly in the space of talent strategy.

• Use external insight (research, market trends, client learning) and form external partnerships for proposition evolution

• Support thought leadership through case studies, articles, events, and internal knowledge sharing

• Work closely with the other Service Leads (design, transformation, strategy) to ensure propositions remain differentiated and integrated with other Q5 services

Requirements

Experience

• Significant experience in talent, culture transformation, talent, leadership and team effectiveness work – delivering engagements through consultancy

• Experience working with C-suite leaders on talent, culture, performance, talent and leadership challenges

• Exposure to commercial environments, including account growth or revenue contribution

Skills & Capabilities

• Deep expertise in talent (including development of capability frameworks, people and talent strategies, leadership assessments), organisational culture (including diagnostic, activation, and measurement approaches), leadership and team development (including effective measurement of impact and facilitation for senior audiences)

• Excellent facilitation and consulting skills, building credibility through insight, judgement, and delivery

• Ability to connect organisational development work to business strategy and performance outcomes

• Analytical and evidence-led, comfortable using data to inform insight and measure impact

• Collaborative leader with the ability to develop others and work on a portfolio of clients

Qualifications preferred

• Relevant degree or postgraduate qualification (e.g. Psychology, Business, HR, OD)

• Professional accreditation in coaching, facilitation, culture diagnostics, psychometrics or related disciplines desirable

The sort of person we look for at Q5

Highly adaptable and flexible in thinking style – We often find ourselves working across a variety of contexts and a ‘simple’ challenge turns out to be much more complex than it first appears. You need to be able to quickly join the dots together and develop a plan to move forward. You also need to be able to adapt that plan when it is not working.

Collaborative in working style – This is one of our key differentiators. It’s not about being the smartest person in the room but instead helping to bring different stakeholders together to create a solution that works for the business. There is a “we” not “I” mindset

Genuinely care about your clients and colleagues and help them to succeed – When Q5 was founded it was to be more than a typical, transactional consulting firm. We are genuine partners with our clients focused on their long-term success, which means we hire people who a wired to care, be empathetic and get joy from seeing others succeed.

Can build trusted relationships and bring people on the journey – One of the things our clients say about us is that we are able to bring people together and take them on the journey. This role will require building (and sustaining) people trust and engaging key people in the business to craft the right answer

Resilient in the face of challenges, tight timelines and demanding clients – We continually strive to create a positive working environment, but the reality of our work is that it is hard and therefore not for everyone. The people who succeed at Q5 can work under the pressure without losing their sense of humour or care for others.

You get your hands dirty and step-up – We have a flat structure. If you enjoy getting stuck into a client’s challenge, pushing the team forward and solving problems with others you will thrive. We pride ourselves on developing our junior team members and creating supportive environments where people can bring their true selves to work (and in turn do their best work). We're firm believers that everyone needs to roll up their sleeves to get the job done!

Unique and offers something special – We don’t do cookie-cutter or formulaic and we need people who think differently, are intensely curious about solving our clients’ problems and stand-out from the crowd.

Benefits

Finance

• Performance Related Bonus
• Contributory Pension Plan
• Life Assurance and Income Protection
• New Starter Loan

Health & Wellbeing

• Private Medical Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to Digital GP and Wellbeing Apps
• Internal Wellbeing Programme

Family & Lifestyle

• Electric Car and Cycle to Work Schemes
• Enhanced Parental Leave
• Subsidised eye tests and support with the cost prescribed glasses for DSE use