Director, Responsible Supply Chains & Human Rights in London

Kumi is a specialist management consultancy focused on responsible supply chains and human rights due diligence across diverse industries, from mining to luxury fashion and automotive to agriculture. We enable our clients to understand and manage social and environmental risks, meet regulatory and compliance expectations, improve performance and ultimately create value through responsible business practices. We are commercially focused but mission-driven, motivated by the belief that responsible businesses are among the most important drivers of poverty alleviation and sustainable social and economic development. Our technical excellence and approach to quality is second to none.

This focus is underpinned by our five values, which inform all our decision-making and interactions with clients and colleagues:

• Passion: we care deeply about the issues we work on and are committed to delivering the highest-quality work to our clients.
• Integrity: we are steadfast in who we are, and we will speak up for what we believe is right.
• Respect: we respect other people’s opinions, needs, and backgrounds and foster a culture of empathy and inclusivity.
• Honesty: we tell the truth, even when difficult, and be transparent and accountable.
• Collaboration: we are committed to developing strong relationships with clients, partners and colleagues to find collaborative solutions to the issues we are dealing with.

As Kumi enters its next phase of growth, we are looking to appoint a Director who will play a pivotal leadership role in shaping the firm’s future.

This is a senior leadership role with clear accountability for revenue growth alongside responsibility for client impact, people leadership and Kumi’s market reputation. Reporting to the CEO and working as part of the senior leadership team, you will:

• Hold clear accountability for revenue growth against an agreed personal sales target, shaping and executing the commercial strategy for your portfolio or area of focus, and building a credible, well-sequenced pipeline to sustain future growth.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders (C-suite, board and public-sector leaders), helping them navigate increasing regulatory, geopolitical and reputational scrutiny, and translating insight, trust and impact into follow-on work and expanded client relationships.
• Lead complex, high-impact consulting engagements, ensuring consistently high standards of quality, rigour and client satisfaction.
• Set the intellectual agenda in your areas of expertise and represent Kumi in the market as a visible ambassador for our expertise and values, including through thought leadership, speaking, writing and senior-level engagement.
• Build and lead high-performing, inclusive teams; develop future leaders; and role-model Kumi’s culture, standards and ways of working, embedding efficient, disciplined and scalable approaches – including the effective and responsible use of AI – that enhance quality, speed and margin.

While the role is inherently broad, this is not a delivery-only position. Success as a Director at Kumi requires clear ownership of commercial outcomes, alongside strong judgement, integrity and commitment to impact.

We are looking for a senior professional whose experience and personal motivations align strongly with Kumi’s mission and stage of development. You do not need to meet every requirement listed below to be successful in this role. We are particularly interested in candidates who bring strong judgement, commercial leadership and a commitment to impact, even if your experience has been gained through non-traditional or non-linear career paths. The successful candidate is likely to demonstrate many of the following:

• A strong track record of originating, winning and growing consulting work, with clear ownership of revenue targets and commercial outcomes.
• A commercial mindset, with the ability to translate insight and trust into well-defined propositions and sustained client relationships.
• The ability to engage, challenge and build trust with senior decision-makers, using evidence-based insight and sound judgement.
• A genuine curiosity about clients, systems and risk – and the confidence to say the thing that needs to be said when it matters.
• Deep experience in responsible sourcing, human rights, ESG, supply chain due diligence or closely related domains.
• Experience leading complex consulting engagements and assuring high-quality, client-ready outputs.
• A leadership style that combines challenge and care: developing others whilst maintaining high standards.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment, with a willingness to take ownership and make decisions.
• A reflective approach to leadership and learning, with openness to feedback and a commitment to continuous improvement, both personally and organisationally.
• A commitment to Kumi’s values of passion, integrity, respect, honesty and collaboration.

International experience and language skills are an advantage. Candidates should be enthusiastic about travel, including to challenging environments, as required.

You will have the opportunity to play a defining role in the growth of a specialist consultancy at a moment of real opportunity. As a Director at Kumi, your ideas will be sought and valued, and you will help shape both the services we provide and how we operate as a business. We offer:

• A leadership role with real influence over strategy, growth and culture.
• The opportunity to combine commercial leadership with purpose-driven work, delivering tangible impact on some of the most pressing social and supply-chain challenges globally.
• International, outward-facing work, collaborating with colleagues, clients and partners across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, and engaging directly with industry-leading global companies, communities and institutions.
• A high-calibre, values-driven team, motivated by curiosity, integrity and a shared belief that responsible business can and should create lasting value.
• A genuinely collaborative and supportive culture, in which people feel trusted, valued and able to do their best work.
• Competitive remuneration, including a strong performance-linked bonus.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and welcome applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, including those who may have taken time away from work or followed non-linear career paths. This role is based in London with a hybrid working model. We expect regular in-person collaboration in London, recognising the value of spending time together as a team alongside flexibility to work remotely. We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements, including for candidates with caring responsibilities or other needs. The role also involves international travel, sometimes at short notice and to challenging environments.

If you are excited by this role but unsure whether you meet every criterion, we encourage you to apply or to get in touch informally – we care far more about potential, judgement and values alignment than a perfect career narrative. We are committed to being an inclusive employer and to making our recruitment process accessible to everyone. If you have a disability, health condition or any other requirement that may affect your ability to apply or take part in the process, please let us know what adjustments would be helpful. We will work with you to put appropriate support in place.

Your cover letter is a critical part of your application and should cover:

• Why you are interested in this Director role at Kumi.
• The experience and perspective you would bring as a senior commercial and advisory leader.
• How you see the responsible business and supply chain agenda evolving, and where you believe Kumi can create the greatest impact.

Please submit both your CV and cover letter using the file naming convention: #J-18808-Ljbffr