Managing Consultant - Public Services - Complex Procurement

PA Consulting; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private healthcare for you and your family

25 days annual leave plus holiday purchase option

Generous company pension scheme

Community and charity-based initiatives

Annual performance-based bonus

PA share ownership

Job summary

A premier consulting firm in Greater London is looking for a Managing Consultant to lead complex public-sector procurements and commercial strategies. The role involves driving impact for clients through effective stakeholder management and delivering end-to-end solutions in challenging environments. Candidates should have a solid consulting background with experience in public-sector transactions. The position offers competitive health benefits, a generous pension scheme, and opportunities for career growth in an inclusive environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in complex public-sector transactions under UK procurement regulations.
• Ability to operate as a commercial business partner.
• Experience in end-to-end commercial lifecycle including negotiation and contract award.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of complex commercial programmes for UK central government.
• Drive impact by providing insights and challenges across commercial activities.
• Support practice growth through market engagement and evolving commercial offerings.

Skills

Consulting background delivering public-sector transactions

Numeric evaluation and VFM judgement

Stakeholder management

Tech-centric deal experience

Job description

Company Description

We believe in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future. As strategies, technologies, and innovation collide, we create opportunity from complexity. Our teams of interdisciplinary experts combine innovative thinking and breakthrough technologies to progress further, faster. Our clients adapt and transform, and together we achieve enduring results. We are over 4,000 strategists, innovators, designers, consultants, digital experts, scientists, engineers, and technologists. And we have deep expertise in consumer and manufacturing, defence and security, energy and utilities, financial services, government and public services, health and life sciences, and transport. Our teams operate globally from offices across the UK, Ireland, US, Nordics, and Netherlands.

Why consider joining our Public Services community as a Managing Consultant?

• Join a team where you're trusted to shape your own path, manage your time, and influence real change for our clients and communities.
• Grow a flexible and unique career within a trust-based, inclusive environment that values excellence, innovation, and curiosity.
• Be part of a team actively shaping the Public Services sector and tackling issues that impact our everyday lives.
• Join other experts within our supportive and collaborative community through knowledge-sharing and peer-level support, coaching and mentoring.

What You’ll Do

• Lead delivery of complex commercial programmes
  • Shape, lead and deliver large‑scale procurements, commercial strategies and transactions across UK central government and arm’s‑length bodies.
• Drive tangible impact for clients
  • Provide insight, challenge and structure across complex commercial, contractual, sourcing and supplier‑management activities.
  • Help clients solve problems that span commercial, operational and policy boundaries.
• Develop propositions and support practice growth
  • Contribute to go‑to‑market activity and help evolve our PS commercial offerings in line with client demand and market trends.

Qualifications

What You’ll Need

• Consulting background delivering public‑sector complex transactions under UK public procurement regulations; able to operate as commercial business partner not just as a “procurement lead”.
• Tech‑centric deal experience: Outsourcing, platforms/ERP, telecoms/emergency comms, or analogous “novel tech” procurements.
• End‑to‑end commercial lifecycle: Business case shaping, ITT and market engagement, evaluation design, negotiation, contract award, and mobilisation/implementation support.
• Numeracy & VFM judgement: Can design incentive‑compatible evaluations, quantify ROI, and structure performance regimes suppliers will sign up to and excel against.
• Stakeholder command: Comfortable with commercial directors, procurement lawyers, SROs, programme directors, technical leads, and supplier execs.

Assessment process

Please note that the interview stages may be subject to change based on the specific requirements of the role.

• Introductory Call with one of our senior Talent Acquisition partners to explore your background, the opportunity and PA.
• Round 1: 3x competency interviews, allowing you to meet different members of PA.
• Final Round: Business plan presentation with PA leaders – you will be given guidance and time to prepare in advance.

Life At PA encompasses our peoples' experience at PA. It's about how we enrich peoples’ working lives by giving them access to unique people and growth opportunities and purpose‑led meaningful work. Our purpose guides how we work with our clients and our teams, and support our communities, to deliver insight and impact, solving the world’s most complex challenges. We're focused on building a workplace that values human difference and diverse mindsets, and a culture of inclusion and equality that unlocks the potential in our people so everyone can be their best self. Find out more about Life at PA here.

Benefits

• Health and lifestyle perks accompanying private healthcare for you and your family
• 25 days annual leave (plus a bonus half day on Christmas Eve) with the opportunity to buy 5 additional days
• Generous company pension scheme
• Opportunity to get involved with community and charity‑based initiatives
• Annual performance‑based bonus
• PA share ownership
• Tax efficient benefits (cycle to work, give as you earn)

We’re committed to advancing equality. We recruit, retain, reward and develop our people based solely on their abilities and contributions and without reference to their age, background, disability, genetic information, parental or family status, religion or belief, race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity (or expression), political belief, veteran status, or by any other range of human difference brought about by identity and experience. We welcome applications from under‑represented groups.

Hybrid Working

Our approach is to be in the office or on client site a minimum of 2 days per week. However, the actual time you spend and where you spend it will vary by role or assignment, including up to 5 days per week on client site.

Adjustments or accommodations

Should you need any adjustments or accommodations to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, please contact us on [e-mail]