Principal Consultant

We are a collective of techies that have a deep understanding of data and how best to build data centric and data connected solutions for our customers.

Known to us as ‘Shedders’, the people that make up our team are a curious and supportive bunch. We provide both technical and non-technical roles and strive to develop people in areas they’re interested in to help them succeed in their chosen career. Working collaboratively, and constructive feedback are two things you should expect when joining The Data Shed, which form part of our Learning and Development framework.

Like many other organisations we recognise the importance diversity plays in creating a successful, balanced, and fair organisation which is why The Data Shed prides itself on having an inclusive culture. We have 5 of our own values that keep us on track and working towards the same goal!

Why is consultancy so important at The Data Shed?

Our consultants lead the charge when it comes to landing new customers and delivering discovery projects, advisory services or providing blue light support. As the face of The Data Shed, they shape and influence our relationships with clients, spotting new opportunities and finding value led and impacting ways to deliver on project requirements.

Role Purpose

The Principal Consultant is a senior leader in our Consultancy Services team, working hand in hand with our Commercial/Sales colleagues and way marking for our Delivery & Engineering teams.

They are responsible for developing relationships, creating value adding propositions and building the business’ credibility across target sectors. They regularly create high quality proposals, pitch to customers, and lead discovery projects. Working on DOS and G-Cloud submissions is part of the job, but we spend more time working closely with our Private Sector customers, forming relationships, and building trust through smaller engagements to test and experiment in data analytics and to build PoC data platforms.

Responsibilities

The Principal Consultant will have the following responsibilities:

Business Development

• Responsibility for business development and building commercial propositions across their own areas of expertise.
• Pitch, create proposals and build out business cases to convince our clients of the next best action/recommendation to improve data value.
• Identify and act upon opportunities to grow and expand within our existing clients, be an ear to the ground.

Delivery

• Lead and manage discovery or initiation projects, provide longer term advisory services or help fix emergencies as part of our blue light support.
• Be available as the point of contact for client stakeholders.
• Act as a trusted adviser to our clients at a senior level (C Suite), providing a clear strategic technical direction, linked directly to value realisation.
• Help define, improve, and measure the consultancy to delivery pipeline, adhering to and improving standards of documentation and process, enabling delivery teams to deliver the value identified through consultancy work.
• Work alongside delivery teams and other consultants to organise and coordinate resourcing and availability.

Sector Creditability

• Build and maintain a library of content which can be used to support the production of case studies, blog posts, conference talks and other marketing material to promote The Data Shed in various forums.
• Maintain demonstrable skills and experience in best practices for the implementation of Cloud Platforms, Data Processing Systems and Data and Information Security.
• If you see something that’s broken, fix it. That includes the coffee machine.

Skill & Experience

The Principal Consultant should have broad experience in managing or delivering complex technology projects, including experience in:

• Breadth and depth of experience in your areas of expertise and domain, including having built an existing network of contacts across multiple organisations, events, and national/local initiatives.
• Strong understanding of the sector specific organisational structures, business processes, how to ‘get things done’ and proven experience of making things better.
• Led or managed technology projects programme or initiatives at a senior management level or acted in a Principal/Architect tech lead capacity.
• Strategic guidance of multiple business functions, including co-ordination, negotiation, and mediation.
• Deep understanding of different methodologies for the delivery of technology projects.
• Data processing platforms (design, build and maintain), for the purpose of real-time or long-term insight and analysis.
• Public speaking and presentation experience, to audiences of all sizes.

Desirable Skills

• Held revenue-generating roles such as sales, account management or consulting.
• Data analytics (Reporting, data visualisation, statistical analysis, machine learning).

Expected Behaviours

The Data Shed has adopted the Skills Framework for an Information Age as part of its learning and development framework. This role operates at a SFIA level 6 and as such the general behaviours are listed below:

Autonomy

Has defined authority and accountability for actions and decisions within a significant area of work, including technical, financial and quality aspects. Establishes organisational objectives and assigns responsibilities.

Influence

Influences policy and strategy formation. Initiates influential relationships with internal and external customers, suppliers and partners at senior management level, including industry leaders. Leads on collaboration with a diverse range of stakeholders across competing objectives within the organisation. Makes decisions which impact the achievement of organisational objectives and financial performance.

Complexity

Contributes to the development and implementation of policy and strategy. Performs highly complex work activities covering technical, financial and quality aspects. Has deep expertise in own specialism(s) and an understanding of its impact on the broader business and wider customer/organisation.

Business skills

• Demonstrates leadership in organisational management.
• Understands and communicates industry developments, and the role and impact of technology.
• Manages and mitigates organisational risk.
• Balances the requirements of proposals with the broader needs of the organisation.
• Promotes a learning and growth culture in their area of accountability.
• Leads on compliance with relevant legislation and the need for services, products and working practices to provide equal access and equal opportunity to people with diverse abilities.
• Identifies and endorses opportunities to adopt new technologies and digital services.
• Creatively applies a wide range of innovative and/or management principles to realise business benefits aligned to the organisational strategy.
• Communicates authoritatively at all levels across the organisation to both technical and non-technical audiences articulating business objectives.
• Learning and professional development — takes the initiative to advance own skills and leads the development of skills required in their area of accountability.
• Security, privacy and ethics — takes a leading role in promoting and ensuring appropriate working practices and culture throughout own area of accountability and collectively in the organisation.

Knowledge

Has developed business knowledge of the activities and practices of own organisation and those of suppliers, partners, competitors and clients. Promotes the application of generic and specific bodies of knowledge in own organisation. Develops executive leadership skills and broadens and deepens their industry or business knowledge.

Interdependencies & Key Stakeholders

Reporting to the Associate Director for Consulting, the Principal Consultant will work alongside their counterparts in sales and delivery, including Board Members and the Senior Management Team and Delivery Managers as well as working directly on client facing projects with Engineering and Operations team members.

Location

We are headquartered in Leeds and operate a hybrid working policy with a minimum of one day per fortnight in one of our office locations (currently Leeds or Edinburgh). Travel to client sites, conferences and events and may be required from time-to-time.

Benefits

We have a variety of benefits including a company performance-based bonus , an enhanced pension, private healthcare programme, an EAP program, a life assurance scheme, regular socials and and for any additional needs you have, we have a friendly and knowledgeable HR team to support you.

Ready to be a Shedder?

We also celebrate each other’s differences and encourage each other to explore new ways of thinking. The result is a diverse set of individuals who come together to create a multi-talented, cohesive organisation. If you think that your uniqueness could make us even stronger, then please get in touch!