Consulting Specialist II

CannonDesign; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 199,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision coverage

Flexible spending account options

Voluntary insurances

Paid time off

Flex-time schedules

Remote work options

401k plan

Employee perk programs

Job summary

CannonDesign is seeking a senior strategist to lead Great Lakes resiliency initiatives, craft data-driven strategic plans, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to deliver client-centered solutions. The role emphasizes coalition building, presentations, and long-term relationship development.

The candidate will bring 10+ years in strategic consulting or leadership, with advanced degrees preferred, and may travel as required to meet client needs.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of strategic consulting experience or organizational leadership
• 10+ years of experience leading teams and managing internal initiatives
• Deep expertise in building strategic coalitions and coordinating think tanks on climate and resiliency planning
• Extensive experience presenting to clients and industry conferences

Responsibilities

• Lead or co-lead Great Lakes resiliency and climate planning initiatives
• Develop data-driven strategic recommendations
• Collaborate with architects, planners, and analytics teams on client-focused solutions
• Prepare reports and visualizations showing the impact of investments
• Foster strong client relationships with clear communication and reliability
• Stay updated on industry trends and regulatory changes
• Facilitate workshops and stakeholder engagement sessions
• Build long-term client and partner relationships to grow the practice
• Embed human-centered problem solving across community, social, operational, and financial dimensions
• Travel as required

Skills

Strategic consulting

Leadership

Coalition building

Client relationship management

Data-driven recommendations

Reports and presentations

Education

Master's degree

Bachelor's degree

Graduate degree(s)

Job description

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Lead or co-lead the Great Lakes initiatives related to resiliency, climate planning, and partnerships with other organizations leading or participating in this space.
• Develop data-driven recommendations to drive actionable strategic plans related to the Great Lakes initiatives and other projects as assigned
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams—including architects, operational planners, and analytics groups—to co-create user-centered solutions that align with organizational goals for consulting, CannonDesign, and our clients
• Prepare and present clear, compelling reports and visualizations for clients, illustrating how strategic planning initiatives and capital investments will impact performance and long-term organizational value
• Foster strong relationships with clients through consistent communication, integrity, and by delivering reliable, high-quality strategic consulting services that support both immediate and future needs
• Stay abreast of industry trends, regulatory changes, and advancements in to ensure strategic recommendations remain relevant and forward-looking
• Facilitate workshops and stakeholder engagement sessions to align diverse perspectives, validate assumptions, and build consensus around strategic initiatives
• Identify, establish and nurture meaningful, long-term relationships with clients and internal partners through excellence, integrity, and reliability and in a way that grows the consulting practice and elevates the brand, while making measurable, living-centered impact
• Deeply embed our approach to problem solving in human-centered strategies that reflect community impact, social impact, operational needs and financial parameters
• Significant travel may be required, as necessitated by clients and your role

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• Master’s degree preferred, bachelor's degree required
• Additional credential preferred, including additional graduate degrees
• 10+ years of strategic consulting experience or organizational leadership in the education, consulting, or corporate environment
• 10+ years of experience leading teams and managing internal initiatives
• Deep expertise in building strategic coalitions, organizing and facilitating think tanks, especially related to climate and resiliency planning, city and government planning
• Extensive experience presenting to clients, industry conferences, and internal leadership
• Strategic and analytical thinking to tackle complex challenges

The salary range for this position is $159,500 to $199,400 annually. This salary range is the range we believe is the anticipated range of possible base compensation at the timing of the posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the anticipated salary range for the position. Employees may be eligible for discretionary bonuses. We offer a full benefit package including medical, dental and vision coverage and flexible spending account options and voluntary insurances. We have paid time off, flex-time schedules, remote work options and a 401k plan and employee perk programs. For a general overview of our benefits, please visit our careers page at https://www.cannondesign.com/careers/benefits. Actual compensation may vary from posting based on geographic location, work experience, education and/or skill level.

ABOUT OUR FIRM

As part of CannonDesign’s industry-leading consulting family, our Blue Cottage team works with organizational leaders to define their ideal future and plan processes, organizational strategies, equipment and facilities to create an ideal future, and our projects are anchored by any of the following services: strategic transformation, design thinking, space and functional programming, operational planning, change management, and transition and activation planning.

ABOUT WORKING HERE

• We are a start-up culture in an established firm: nimble, energetic, innovative and fun.
• We are relentless in our pursuit of client adoration (not simply satisfaction). Consistent delivery of the best service is what we are about.
• We’re about communication and transparency here. If you want to talk to someone about an idea you have, or a challenge that needs addressing, we’re ready for you.

We are committed to ensuring our practice provides equal opportunities for all employees, as we strive to connect with communities around us and focus on the future of design. We support equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts that benefit all employees through the leadership of our DEI Council, our Employee Resource Groups which are open to everyone, and other community initiatives.

As a condition of employment, all employees are expected to complete mandatory training, including compliance training, within required timeframes and adhere to our internal policies and our Code of Conduct.

CannonDesign is an Equal Opportunity Employer. CannonDesign is committed to maintaining a work environment that is free from any and all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment. It is therefore the firm’s policy to prohibit discrimination and harassment against any applicant, CannonDesign employee, vendor, contractor, or client on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. It is also CannonDesign’s policy to prohibit any and all forms of retaliation against any individual who has complained of harassing or discriminatory conduct, or participated in a firm or agency investigation into such complaints.