Associate Principal, Engagement Management, London

Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm. We help clients synchronize strategy and talent to drive superior performance. We work with organizations to design their structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people to bring their strategy to life. And we advise them on how to reward, develop, and motivate their people. Our 11,000 colleagues serve clients in more than 50 countries. We partner with 99% of Fortune's Most Admired Companies and our clients are 25 times more profitable than their peers, outperforming the S&P 500 by over five times.

We achieve this through five core solutions:

• Organizational Strategy
• Assessment and Succession
• Talent Acquisition
• Leadership Development
• Total Rewards

ARE YOU READY TO 'BE MORE THAN'? No one knows more about aligning talent and organizational strategies than us. With our unique expertise, we help clients release the power of their collective genius and drive superior performance. At Korn Ferry, we're passionate about creating a diverse, autonomous, and flexible environment. Having a career at Korn Ferry means talent thrives and excellence is always recognized and rewarded. You'll be empowered to share your ideas and follow them through. And because we're all about taking talent further, you can look forward to exceptional training and development opportunities in every role.

OUR PURPOSE: To enable people and organizations to exceed their potential.

OUR VISION: To be the preeminent organizational consultancy.

OUR VALUES:

• Inclusion – We embrace people with different points of view and work as one team.
• Honesty – We say what we mean and do what we say, holding ourselves to the highest standards.
• Knowledge – We are insatiably curious and committed to continuous learning.
• Performance – We never settle for the status quo and strive to be better every day.

The Opportunity:

Position: Associate Principal – Engagement Management

Location: London (hybrid working)

Reporting Relationship: Principal / Senior Principal

About Korn Ferry Consulting: Our Consulting Line of Business spans 29 countries across EMEA, working across six major markets within our four main solution areas: Organizational Strategy, Total Reward, Leadership & Development, and Assessment & Succession. The Associate Principal – Engagement Management plays a senior role within Korn Ferry Consulting, accountable for leading complex, multi-workstream engagements and ensuring consistently high-quality delivery for UK&I clients. While many current programmes sit within Assessment & Succession and Leadership & Professional Development, this role is solution-agnostic. The emphasis is on engagement leadership, programme governance, and client delivery excellence, rather than deep specialism in a single solution area.

Role Overview: As an Associate Principal, you will lead the delivery of large and complex client engagements, often spanning multiple solutions, geographies, and delivery teams. You will act as a senior delivery lead for clients, partnering closely with Client Partners and Principals to shape delivery strategy, manage risk, and ensure strong commercial outcomes. This role represents a step up from Senior Consultant, with greater autonomy, broader scope, and increased accountability for client relationships, financial performance, and team leadership.

Key Responsibilities:

• Engagement Leadership & Delivery: Lead the end-to-end delivery of complex, multi-workstream client engagements. Set and maintain clear delivery governance, structure, and cadence across programmes. Act as a senior escalation point for delivery risks, issues, and dependencies. Ensure engagement delivery aligns to agreed scope, outcomes, and quality standards.
• Client Leadership: Build trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders. Lead key client meetings and forums focused on delivery progress, risks, and decision-making. Partner with Client Partners to manage expectations and resolve delivery challenges. Represent Korn Ferry with credibility and confidence in complex client environments.
• Commercial & Financial Ownership: Own engagement financials, including forecasting, revenue recognition, billing, and margin. Proactively manage scope changes and commercial risks. Support identification of follow-on opportunities through excellent delivery and client insight.
• Team Leadership & Capability Building: Matrix-lead and coordinate diverse delivery teams across Korn Ferry solutions. Coach and develop Senior Consultants, Consultants, and project managers. Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performance team environment. Provide quality assurance and oversight across engagement deliverables.
• Continuous Improvement: Contribute to the development of delivery best practices and engagement management capability. Share learning and insights across the Consulting community. Support internal initiatives aimed at improving delivery excellence and client experience.

Skills and Competencies:

• Advanced engagement management capability – Proven ability to lead large, complex programmes.
• Strong client leadership skills – Credible and confident with senior stakeholders.
• Commercial acumen – Comfortable owning financial performance and managing risk.
• Structured problem-solving – Brings clarity and rigour to complex delivery environments.
• Inclusive leadership style – Builds trust, collaboration, and accountability.
• Resilience and adaptability – Thrives in fast-paced, ambiguous contexts.
• Technology literate – Fluent in Microsoft Office and comfortable using AI-enabled tools (e.g. Copilot, ChatGPT).

Experience & Qualifications:

• Significant experience leading the delivery of complex consulting or professional services engagements.
• Proven track record of managing multi-disciplinary, matrixed teams.
• Experience owning engagement financials and commercial outcomes.
• Strong understanding of programme and project management disciplines.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.

The Korn Ferry Difference: At Korn Ferry, talent matters. We believe that when people are engaged in the right roles, developed, and rewarded, the firm flourishes. We place a high value on developing our colleagues from day one and throughout their careers. Development is a partnership. We attract self-starters who take ownership of their growth, driven by curiosity and a desire to be better today than yesterday.

Talent Development: Through the Korn Ferry Institute, you will have access to world-class intellectual property, formal development programmes, and continuous on-the-job learning.

Benefits: We offer a competitive total rewards package, including performance-related bonuses and a broad range of benefits. Our packages vary by country but are designed to support wellbeing, performance, and long-term growth.

Diversity Matters: We are committed to building an inclusive environment where colleagues are valued for their contribution and supported to thrive. We welcome flexible and agile working arrangements and candidates returning after career breaks. Isn't it time you joined us?