Principal Consultant

Description

The Clearing is a management consulting firm that helps leaders solve complex challenges by turning insight into action. We specialize in diagnosing the root causes of organizational friction across people, processes, and technology, then configuring proven solutions that accelerate meaningful, measurable progress. Our approach blends analytical rigor with human-centered design. Whether we’re enabling change, optimizing workflows, or guiding smart technology adoption, everything we do is built to scale, repeat, and deliver value. We work across public, private, and mission-driven sectors, partnering with clients to modernize how they lead, work, and deliver. Our team brings deep experience across disciplines, including change management, strategic planning, organizational design, leadership development, behavioral science, and more.

Positon Description

Principals at The Clearing lead complex, medium to large-scale projects or portfolios, owning responsibility for overall project outcomes, client satisfaction, and their team’s experience. They demonstrate strong business development capabilities, driving both organic growth and net new business growth. Principals actively contribute to building internal capacity, including mentoring consultants across all levels and strengthening the firm’s consulting capabilities. Recognized as organizational leaders, they provide subject matter expertise and strategic guidance across engagements. Principals cultivate trusted client relationships and ensure project and portfolio growth align with The Clearing’s corporate strategy and annual priorities.

What You'll Do

• Lead and manage complex, medium to large-scale projects, or a portfolio of projects, ensuring timely, on-budget delivery aligned with scope and quality expectations
• Own accountability for project outcomes, aligning work to client goals, offering strategic guidance, and building trust-based client relationships
• Oversee project financials, ensuring project financial targets are met or exceeded; guide team members managing task-level budgets to support company profitability.
• Design and implement both short- and long-term project plans, aligning with client needs and strategic objectives
• Kickoff, manage, and close contracts, ensuring compliance with all contractual requirements; Coach others in navigating government contracting processes, accelerating the path from contract award to project execution
• Produce high-quality, client-facing deliverables, applying attention to detail, strong written communication, and project quality standards; provide content review and feedback using past experiences, expertise, and understanding of client environment to guide teammates 
• Facilitate moderate to high complexity client meetings, effectively guiding discussions to achieve  desired client and project outcomes
• Navigate challenging team or client dynamics, driving teams toward high performance by managing risk, adapting to change, and making critical course corrections
• Lead high-impact proposals, serving as lead writer or proposal manager while mentoring junior staff in capture strategy and proposal development
• Drive market visibility, producing external-facing thought leadership (e.g., blogs, one-pagers) and engaging in strategic industry events
• Lead and support business growth efforts, generating and closing new business opportunities while managing the full capture, proposal, and contracting lifecycle
• Advance The Clearing’s methodologies and solutions, continuously improving offerings and developing scalable, high-demand solution packages across delivery, marketing, and sales
• Provide clear team direction and accountability, establishing performance standards, supporting goal setting, and actively managing team performance
• Foster inclusion and belonging, recognizing and leveraging individual strengths to create a collaborative and high-trust team environment
• Mentor junior project leads, helping them build and sustain high-performing teams that balance client satisfaction, team health, and financial outcomes
• Translate firm strategy into actionable goals, guiding teams to align daily work with The Clearing’s broader vision and priorities

Compensation

The projected annual salary range for this position is between $105,000 and $162,000. Actual compensation and starting salaries are determined based on various factors, including the education, experience, knowledge, skills, certifications, and clearance level of the candidate and internal equity. Once at The Clearing, movement through pay bands is based on performance. Base-annual salary is just one component of The Clearing’s total compensation philosophy and approach. Employees are eligible to p