Consultant in London

Please apply with both a CV and a Cover Letter. Applications submitted without a Cover Letter will not be considered.

About Leapwise

Leapwise is a mission-driven policing, justice and public safety consultancy that helps leaders with their toughest choices. We were founded by an ex-BCG consultant and prime ministerial adviser, and provide strategy consulting support, leadership and organisational development to improve public sector performance. We are passionate about public services and our clients include UK police forces, local and national government departments, and charities.

As we enter an exciting period of expansion, we are seeking to employ someone who wants to make a difference to UK public services, working in and sometimes managing consulting engagements, and supporting the wider development and impact of the business.

Consultant role

We are looking for a Consultant to join our small but growing team and to contribute to our high impact projects in policing, justice and public safety. As a Consultant, you will play a key role in leading and contributing to modules of work within larger projects managed by senior colleagues. With strong performance, you can progress to more senior roles where you will have the opportunity to start managing smaller, high-impact projects independently. We are looking for someone who enjoys solving complex problems, communicates clearly, thinks analytically, and shows strong potential for leadership.

What You’ll Be Doing

• While your role can be shaped around your interests and expertise, you will spend most of your time working in projects providing advisory services to clients in the policing, local government and justice sectors.
• You don’t need to have prior experience working in these sectors (although if you have, that would be beneficial). However, you do need to have a strong interest in them and a drive to make a difference.
• All staff are encouraged – and provided time to – contribute to continuous improvements in how we work, including in areas such as thought leadership, marketing, and improving project processes.
• Everyone plays a part in discussions on the direction of the business and internal culture.
• Reporting to and supported by a manager (and with regular time with the founder and Managing Director), your days could include:

• Using frameworks to explore client challenges, structure data and insights logically, and contribute to clear, well‐reasoned deliverables that highlight the key implications of your analysis.
• Designing and conducting interviews, surveys and focus groups/workshops.
• Collecting and analysing quantitative and qualitative data, producing reports and presenting insights to our clients.
• Helping ensure project activities stay on track by supporting expectation management through timely updates, thoughtful communication and proactively managing your own workload and escalating risks or blockers early.
• Contributing to a positive team environment, and flagging opportunities to improve how we work together.
• Supporting business development activities including assisting with case study development, marketing activities, and at times, proposal writing.
• Supporting internal workstreams including contributing to tools, templates and knowledge repositories that improve how we work.
• Supporting efforts to measure project outcomes and identify areas for improvements, helping codify successful approaches and suggesting ideas for future product development.
• Taking ownership of your development goals, seeking feedback regularly, and supporting peers through onboarding, resource sharing, and role‐modelling inclusive and curious behaviours.

We are committed to helping you build your career and profile, including opportunities to write, speak, and contribute to work that supports both your career and the company’s mission. You’ll typically work with UK-based clients through a blend of remote and in‐person collaboration. Our London office operates on a hybrid model, with three days in‐office and one‐to‐two days working from home.

What We’re Looking For

You will be extremely interested in how people make decisions and improving decision‐making in organisations. Specifically, you’ll have:

• Strong academic track record.
• Passion for social impact and public sector work.
• Strong organisation and time management skills.
• Strong communication skills – our clients are all high seniority.
• Strong analytical skills, including quantitative and qualitative analysis.
• Strong research skills in areas such as survey and interview design.

We also value:

• 1-3 years of relevant work experience as a researcher, analyst, consultant or working in public sector organisations – we consider both permanent and freelance/ interim experience as valid.
• A strategic orientation and mindset.
• Expertise in a specialist functional domain within consulting (e.g. user‐centred service design, strategy, organisational development, transformation/change).
• A focus on generating and measuring results – and learning from success and disappointments.
• An interest in organisations and their decision‐making approaches or public policy/ organisational effectiveness.
• A master’s degree in a relevant discipline such as Public Policy, Criminology, Behavioural Science, Organisational Psychology, or Economics.
• Due to security requirements, you will ideally have been continuously resident in the United Kingdom for the past 3 years.

What we Offer

We are a small, supportive and motivated team who provide as much flexibility as we can in our working environment to get the best from your talents. We want to learn and grow as an organisation and offer all our employees the opportunities they need to develop, and to teach us. Subject to passing the six‐month probationary period, the offer includes:

• Total package c£38,000‐£41,500 depending on skills and experience, with a potential sign‐on bonus of up to £2,500.
• Performance related bonus tied to individual and firm performance.
• Nine‐day fortnight – every other Friday is a non‐working day.
• Generous leave policy.
• A great office, but with a range of home working options to fit your needs when you are not working at clients.
• Auto‐enrolment pension with 5% employer pension contribution.
• Both automatic and performance related annual pay increases.
• Coaching and personal development from experienced leaders.
• Support for any training and development you require to develop in your role.
• A clear but flexible progression path.

How to apply

Please apply by submitting your CV and Cover Letter. Our recruitment process consists of a short initial call, followed by an interview including a practical exercise component (we may have a second‐round interview, if required). Interviews will take place in January 2026. Interviews will either be online or in person. Our office is at Thanet House, 231 The Strand WC2R 1DA.

We are an equal opportunities employer and particularly welcome applications from groups that are under‐represented in our sector. Our office is wheelchair accessible. Please let us know if you have any access requirements or need any special equipment for the interview process.