Career Manager (Public Sector, Professional Services)

Appian; Falls Church (VA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan with company match

Flexible time off

Paid parental leave

Medical, dental, and vision plans

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Wellness programs

Health savings account contributions

Employee referral bonus

Learning and development resources

Job summary

Appian is seeking a Career Manager to lead talent development within its Public Sector Professional Services team. Based at the HQ in McLean, VA, you will coach consultants, drive performance management, and align career growth with business goals across regions.

The role emphasizes in-depth coaching, onboarding and development, and strong collaboration with regional leaders and engagement managers to enhance the consultant experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business Admin, Psychology, Organization Development, or related field.
• 5–7 years in HR, Talent Management, or Career Counseling in a consulting or professional services environment.
• Experience managing a pool of resources in a consulting or professional services organization; coaching individual consultants one-on-one.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and continuously improve systems and processes that support talent development, evaluation, feedback, and retention.
• Partner with top consultants to develop consulting career development frameworks.
• Contribute and enhance performance management processes, including feedback cycles, performance reviews, and promotion calibrations, with Project Engagement Managers and Technical Advisors.
• Work closely with Customer Success global leaders to align talent development and retention initiatives with regional business objectives.
• Ensure career aspirations and business needs are aligned to support consultants’ growth.

Skills

Coaching individual consultants

People management

Talent development

Performance management

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration

Bachelor's degree in Psychology

Bachelor's degree in Organization Development

Job description

Here at Appian, our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them, ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment, holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian, you’ll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things, together.

As a Career Manager, you will make a meaningful impact on our Public Sector Professional Services team, guiding Consultants’ careers while strengthening operational excellence within Customer Success. Career Managers partners closely with Regional Leaders to develop their consulting teams and collaborates with engagement managers to enhance the end-to-end consultant experience, including onboarding, professional development, performance management, and other key people processes. This is a coaching and performance management-focused role: this team does not currently focus on staffing.

This role is based at our HQ in McLean, VA. Appian was built on a culture of in-person collaboration, which we believe is a key driver of our mission to be the best. Employees hired for this position are expected to be in the office 4 - 5 days per week to foster that culture, ensure we thrive through shared ideas and teamwork, and maximize opportunities to connect with the exceptional people across Appian. While working in-person with our team is our main priority, we also believe the office environment enables more opportunities to celebrate wins, collaborate effectively, and build strong relationships across teams.

To be successful in this role, you will:

• Oversee and continuously improve systems and processes that support talent development, evaluation, feedback, and retention.
• Partner with top consultants to develop consulting career development frameworks.
• Contribute and enhance performance management processes, including feedback cycles, performance reviews, and promotion calibrations, in collaboration with Project Engagement Managers and Technical Advisors.
• Work closely with Customer Success global leaders to align talent development and retention initiatives with regional business objectives.
• Ensure career aspirations and business needs are aligned in support of consultants’ professional growth, skill development, and career progression.
• Serve as a trusted resource to consultants, fostering ongoing conversations around career growth and performance.
• Guide consultants through their learning and development journey, advising on training, skill-building, and engagement opportunities to advance their careers.
• Connect consultants with the most appropriate advisors to support their career ambitions.
• Drive strong engagement through frequent consultant interaction and alignment with key internal stakeholders.
• Support internal operational processes (e.g., feedback tracking, timesheets, compliance) to ensure efficiency without disrupting client-facing responsibilities.
• You’re a people person, capable of providing proactive 1-on-1 counsel to 50 consultants, promoting a positive and productive work environment.
• You have a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, Organization Development, or a related field.
• 5-7 years of experience in Human Resources, Talent Management, or Career Counseling within a consulting or professional services environment.
• You have proven experience in managing a pool of resources in a consulting and professional services organization, including strong experience in coaching individual consultants one-on-one.
• Ability to strategically align workforce capability development with short and long-term business objectives.
• Proven ability to develop talent in a way that directly supports business performance and growth.

Preferred experience:

• Detail-oriented, highly organized, and excel at setting up meetings, tracking goals, and managing processes.
• You’re adept at navigating challenging situations and driving conversations toward resolution.
• Facilitative working style; you excel working in a place characterized by ambiguity and unknowns. You lead with questions, not only answers.
• Passion for continuous improvement.
• Possess humility and continual drive for learning.
• Collaborative and support others; you do not view the world as a zero-sum game.

The base salary range provided represents a good faith and reasonable estimate of the range at the time of posting. In addition to the base salary, this position is eligible for a government clearance differential. Actual compensation will be dependent on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant work experience, qualifications, internal peer equity, and market and business conditions that exist when extending an offer. A discretionary bonus may be awarded in recognition of individual and company performance. In addition, Appian provides generous benefits offerings that include a 401(k) plan with company match, flexible time off, paid parental leave, medical, dental, and vision plans, life insurance, disability insurance, wellness programs, flexible spending accounts, health savings account contributions, an employee referral bonus program, and learning and development resources. Certain positions may be eligible for equity awards. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation, commission, bonus, or benefit plans.

Base Salary Range: $100,000 USD - $200,000 USD

Tools and Resources

• Training and Development: During onboarding, we focus on equipping new hires with the skills and knowledge for success through department-specific training. Continuous learning is a central focus at Appian, with dedicated mentorship and the First-Friend program being widely utilized resources for new hires.
• Growth Opportunities: Appian provides a diverse array of growth and development opportunities, including our leadership program tailored for new and aspiring managers, a comprehensive library of specialized department training through Appian University, skills based training, and tuition reimbursement for those aiming to advance their education. This commitment ensures that employees have access to a holistic range of development opportunities.
• Community: We’ll immerse you into our community rooted in respect starting on day one. Appian fosters inclusivity through our 8 employee-led affinity groups. These groups help employees build stronger internal and external networks by planning social, educational, and outreach activities to connect with Appianites and larger initiatives throughout the company.

About Appian

Appian provides AI automation for mission-critical work. We automate complex processes in large enterprises and governments. Our platform is known for its unique reliability and scale. We’ve been automating processes for more than 25 years and understand enterprise operations like no one else. For more information, visit appian.com. [Nasdaq: APPN]

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Appian is an equal opportunity employer that strives to attract and retain the best talent. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Appian provides reasonable accommodations to applicants in accordance with all applicable laws. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at [e-mail]. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

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