Human Capital Consultant

Zs Associates; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Global community and growth

Total rewards package

Job summary

ZS Associates is seeking a Human Capital Consultant in Chicago to contribute to talent and learning design across the full lifecycle, partnering with clients and cross-functional teams to translate insights into impactful solutions.

In this hybrid role, you’ll design role architectures, lead competency frameworks, support onboarding, and deploy AI-enabled diagnostics while advancing your consulting career within a collaborative global community.

Qualifications

• Strong written and verbal communication; able to develop client-facing deliverables.
• Structured thinking with ability to synthesize research into insights.
• Collaborative and comfortable with clients and cross-functional teams.
• Curiosity and self-directed learning orientation.
• Attention to detail and quality control.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams under deadlines.
• 3–4 years in talent management, learning and development, HR consulting, or related field.
• Consulting or client-facing experience valued.
• Background in organizational psychology, human capital, instructional design.
• Experience in life sciences or adjacent sectors is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design role architectures, job descriptions, and competency frameworks defining performance expectations.
• Contribute to structured talent selection including assessments and interview guides.
• Assist onboarding journeys to accelerate productivity and alignment to goals.
• Develop diagnostics and AI-enabled tools to generate insights for development.
• Architect and deliver learning programs and capability activation journeys.
• Support learning analytics connecting activation to business outcomes.
• Assist coaching programs and leadership development to reinforce performance.
• Conduct research, develop client deliverables, and support workshops and projects.

Skills

Communication

Analytical thinking

Client-facing

Learning mindset

Attention to detail

Multi-tasking

Experience in talent management/L&D/HR

Microsoft Office

English fluency

Education

Bachelor's degree or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

LMS/LXP platforms familiarity

Articulate Storyline

AI-enabled assessment platforms

Job description

ZS is a place where passion changes lives. As a management consulting and technology firm focused on improving life and how we live it, we transform ideas into impact by bringing together data, science, technology and human ingenuity to deliver better outcomes for all. Here you’ll work side-by-side with a powerful collective of thinkers and experts shaping life-changing solutions for patients, caregivers and consumers, worldwide. ZSers drive impact by bringing a client-first mentality to each and every engagement. We partner collaboratively with our clients to develop custom solutions and technology products that create value and deliver company results across critical areas of their business. Bring your curiosity for learning, bold ideas, courage and passion to drive life-changing impact to ZS.

Strategy & Transformation

ZS’s Talent & Learning practice helps organizations build the conditions for sustainable, high-performing teams. We partner with clients across the full talent and learning lifecycle — from role architecture and structured selection through competency model design, talent assessment, learning activation, analytics, and coaching — to translate organizational strategy into measurable behavior change at enterprise scale.

As a Human Capital Consultant, you will contribute to this work across multiple service areas, supporting the design and delivery of talent and learning solutions that create real impact for our clients. You will work alongside experienced consultants and subject matter experts, building your expertise while developing the consulting skills that will define your career at ZS.

What You’ll Do:

Your work will span the full talent and learning lifecycle. Specific contributions will include:

• Supporting the design of role architectures, job descriptions, and competency frameworks that define clear performance expectations and enable talent decisions across the organization.
• Contributing to structured talent selection processes including competency-based assessments, behavioral event interviews, interview guide development, and simulation-based evaluation tools.
• Assisting in the design and delivery of onboarding journeys that accelerate time to productivity and connect new hires to organizational goals.
• Supporting the development and deployment of talent assessment and diagnostics solutions, including AI-enabled capability assessment tools, that generate personalized insights and inform targeted development.
• Contributing to the architecture and delivery of learning programs, capability activation journeys, and sustainment mechanisms that drive lasting behavior change.
• Supporting learning analytics workstreams that connect capability activation to business performance outcomes.
• Assisting in the design of coaching programs and leadership development solutions that build accountability and reinforce performance at every level of the organization.
• Conducting research and analysis, developing client-facing deliverables, supporting workshop facilitation, assisting with project management, and contributing to the intellectual capital that advances ZS’s position in the talent and learning market.

What You’ll Bring:

Must-Have Skills:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to develop clear, compelling client-facing deliverables.
• Structured thinking and analytical ability with a capacity to synthesize research and data into actionable insights.
• Collaborative working style with comfort engaging directly with clients and cross-functional teams.
• High curiosity and a self-directed learning orientation.
• Attention to detail and strong quality control instincts.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously and prioritize effectively under deadline pressure.
• 3 to 4 years of experience in talent management, learning and development, HR consulting, organizational development, or a related field. (Highly Preferred)
• Prior experience in a consulting environment or client-facing role. (Highly Preferred)
• Background or coursework in organizational psychology, human capital, instructional design, or a related field. (Highly Preferred)
• Familiarity with a range of industries; experience in life sciences or adjacent sectors is a plus. (Highly Preferred)
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Fluency in English
• Client-first mentality
• Intense work ethic
• Collaborative spirit and problem-solving approach

Nice to Have:

• Familiarity with LMS or LXP platforms, eLearning authoring tools such as Articulate Storyline
• Experience with AI-enabled assessment platforms.
• Basic coding ability in HTML, CSS, or JavaScript.
• Certifications in talent assessment, instructional design, coaching, or HR (such as SHRM or ATD).

How you’ll grow:

• Cross-functional skills development & custom learning pathways
• Milestone training programs aligned to career progression opportunities
• Internal mobility paths that empower growth via s-curves, individual contribution and role expansions

Perks & Benefits:

At ZS, your growth matters. We offer a comprehensive total rewards package that supports your health and well-being, financial future, time away, and professional development. With robust skills-building programs, multiple career progression paths, internal mobility, and a deeply collaborative culture, you’ll have the opportunity to do meaningful work, expand your capabilities, and thrive as part of a global community. For details on total rewards in United States, visit ZS US office locations | Where we work | ZS.

Hybrid working model:

We are committed to giving our employees a flexible and connected way of working. A flexible and connected ZS allows us to combine work from home and on-site presence at clients/ZS offices for the majority of our week. The magic of ZS culture and innovation thrives in both planned and spontaneous face-to-face connections.

Travel:

Travel is a requirement at ZS for client facing ZSers; business needs of your project and client are the priority. While some projects may be local, all client-facing ZSers should be prepared to travel as needed. Travel provides opportunities to strengthen client relationships, gain diverse experiences, and enhance professional growth by working in different environments and cultures.

At ZS, we honor the visible and invisible elements of our identities, personal experiences, and belief systems—the ones that comprise us as individuals, shape who we are, and make us unique. We believe your personal interests, identities, and desire to learn are integral to your success here. We are committed to building a team that reflects a broad variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Learn more about our inclusion and belonging efforts and the networks ZS supports to assist our ZSers in cultivating community spaces and obtaining the resources they need to thrive.

ZS is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing equal employment and advancement opportunities without regard to any class protected by applicable law.

Work Authorization:

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Candidates must have authorization to work in the United States that does not now or in the future require employer sponsorship.