Consulting Director

Overview

As a Consulting Director in ICF’s policy evaluation practice, you lead UK government evaluation projects and proposals, shaping education and employment policy work for departments and What Works Centres. You drive growth by winning new business, overseeing project delivery, and mentoring a skilled team of evaluators. In a fast-paced, collaborative environment, you apply rigorous methodologies to generate actionable insights for government officials. You will shape strategic offerings and client relationships at scale, delivering high-quality outputs with impact.

Pay / Benefits

• Hybrid working policy
• Private medical and dental insurance
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Pension with employer contributions
• Life assurance and income protection
• Enhanced parental leave policies

Responsibilities

• Lead evaluation projects and proposals for UK government departments and agencies
• Develop and manage the education and employment strategy for the practice
• Grow integrated client offers with DfE, DWP, MHCLG and What Works Centres
• Generate business through networking and relationship-building
• Identify pipeline and pursue new opportunities in UK education and employment markets
• Position and bid for opportunities, optimize methodologies and budgets
• Oversee growth and account management for assigned clients
• Build long-term strategic client relationships and provide market insights
• Improve client services and expand offerings through continuous improvement
• Participate in pitches and client presentations
• Stay updated on industry trends, market developments and competitors
• Direct projects with technical leadership, manage teams including subcontractors, ensure high-quality outputs
• Lead proposals for new work, including team building and budgeting
• Support and develop the team serving this market and ensure performance management
• Strengthen methodological capabilities and domain expertise to win market share

Key requirements

• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience
• Expertise in UK policy research and evaluation in education, employment and labour markets, youth and inclusion, or children and families
• Experience leading large and complex research and evaluation projects
• Experience delivering qualitative and quantitative social research methods and various evaluation approaches
• Proven track record writing competitive bids or grant applications and addressing methodological challenges
• Excellent communication skills
• Strong commercial acumen with experience in proactive client engagement and leading bids
• Experience managing large and complex projects or teams
• Degree, Master’s degree or PhD in a relevant discipline

• Entrepreneurial mindset
• Excellent organisational skills
• Strong relationship-building abilities
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods
• Knowledge of evaluation methodologies and best practices
• Bid and proposal development

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