Principal - Agile in Newcastle upon Tyne

About Scrumconnect Consulting

Scrumconnect Consulting is a people-focused digital consultancy delivering impactful solutions across the public and private sectors. We specialize in building high-performing, diverse, and inclusive teams that work on mission-critical digital transformation projects. As a Disability Confident employer and a company committed to continuous learning, we take pride in investing in our people and growing talent from the ground up.

Location: Hybrid, with frequent travel between client sites and Scrumconnect offices (Newcastle, London)

The role

We are looking for a Client Principal to own the relationship, delivery and growth of a public sector account, helping UK government clients solve problems and deliver value for citizens. You will be the senior point of contact your clients trust and the person your delivery teams look to, holding accountability for outcomes while working alongside practice leads and multidisciplinary agile teams to deliver services that meet Government Digital Service (GDS) standards.

This is a strategic role that also expects you to get into the detail when it counts, moving between account-level direction and the specifics of delivery without losing sight of either. You will motivate and support the teams doing the work, manage demand and commercials so the account stays healthy, and spot genuine opportunities to grow it. You will do all of this within structured and governed environments where delivery quality, value for money and citizen impact are critical to success.

What you'll be doing

• Own the client relationship
• Be the trusted senior point of contact across your account, from delivery team members up to senior civil servants.
• Read the politics, manage expectations early, and handle the difficult conversations before they become difficult relationships.
• Provide confidence in our ability to deliver, and be honest with them when something's at risk.
• Own account reporting and governance, giving both the client and our SLT a clear, evidence-backed picture of progress, risk and value.

Lead delivery from the front

• Hold accountability for delivery outcomes across the account, working with practice leads whose teams do the hands-on work.
• Spot delivery risk early and unblock it, whether that's a stakeholder, a dependency or a stalling piece of work.
• Move between high-level account health and low-level delivery detail as the situation demands, and know when to step back.
• Stand up and mobilise new work, getting the team, governance and client rhythms in place so delivery starts cleanly.

Motivate and support the teams

• Give practice leads, seniors and working-level team members the context, cover and credit they need to do their best work.
• Build the kind of team environment people want to stay in and protect them from being pulled in three directions at once.
• Influence outcomes without direct line management, through credibility rather than authority.

Manage commercials and demand

• Forecast demand and resourcing alongside practice leads, so we have the right people lined up.
• Balance client demand against team capacity.
• Stay on top of the commercial detail, utilisation, invoicing and renewals, and catch the problems while they're still small.

Grow the account

• Spot genuine opportunities to expand the work, rooted in real client need rather than upsell for its own sake.
• Build the case for new scope, shape it with delivery and support the commercial process.

What you'll bring

Required skills & experience

• Strong delivery credentials, close enough to judge a team's call rather than relay it
• Excellent client relationship skills, holding senior stakeholders' trust through good times and bad
• Comfortable moving between account-level direction and delivery detail
• Confident owning account reporting and governance, to both the client and internal leadership
• Experience standing up or mobilising new delivery so it starts cleanly
• Commercial and demand management, forecasting resourcing and balancing client demand against team capacity
• A genuine eye for growth, ethical and rooted in client need, including shaping and bidding new scope
• Leading or influencing multidisciplinary teams without direct authority
• Eligibility for SC clearance
• Public sector delivery experience, ideally with central government departments

Desirable experience

• Familiarity with public sector procurement frameworks
• Experience across more than one client or department, or comfort context-switching between cultures

Diversity & Inclusion

At Scrumconnect Consulting, we are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and strongly committed to building a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities. Our recruitment processes are inclusive, fair, and designed to ensure equal opportunities for everyone. If you require any adjustments during the application or interview process, please let us know - we are here to support you.