Principal Consultant

Appian; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Parental leave

Health plan

Dental plan

Vision plan

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Wellness program

HSA contributions

Employee referral bonus

Learning and development

Job summary

Appian in McLean, VA is seeking a Principal Technical Consultant – Customer Success to lead post‑sales software implementations on the Appian platform, driving digital transformation with AI solutions for enterprise clients.

You will mentor consultants, manage projects end-to-end, and collaborate with client teams and Appian Architects. Maintain an on‑site presence 4‑5 days per week at the HQ in McLean, VA, with up to 20% travel annually.

Qualifications

• Experience leading teams through post-sale software implementation.
• Ability to define business processes and gather functional/technical requirements.
• Strong communication, curiosity, and problem-solving mindset.
• Experience with agile practices: pair programming, stand-ups, planning, sprints.
• Understanding of OO programming, relational databases, and SQL.
• Knowledge of testing practices (TDD, automated tests in CI).
• Experience integrating APIs like REST/SOAP; familiarity with AWS, AI/ML, GCP, and related areas.
• 7+ years hands-on software development or technical consulting.
• BS/BA in Engineering/CS/IS/Math or related field.
• Willingness to travel <= 20% yearly.

Responsibilities

• Engage with clients post‑sales to deliver software solutions on Appian.
• Lead projects through full lifecycle, building AI-enabled solutions.
• Work in an agile environment to design data models, APIs, and integrations.
• Collaborate with client teams and Appian Architects to drive adoption.
• Mentor consultants and guide implementations.

Skills

Mentoring/leading teams

Client requirements gathering

Communication skills

Agile methodologies

Object-oriented programming basics

SQL

Database design/data modeling

API integrations (REST/SOAP)

AWS familiarity

Google Cloud familiarity

AI/ML familiarity

Travel willingness

Education

B.S./B.A. in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Mathematics or related field

Tools

JDBC connections

Job description

Principal Technical Consultant – Customer Success

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.

Responsibilities

• Engage with customers post‑sales to develop software solutions on the Appian platform that drive digital transformation and competitive differentiation.
• Lead projects and work throughout the entire project life‑cycle to define, design, develop and implement custom software and AI solutions using Appian’s platform for commercial clients.
• Work within an agile environment to understand client business processes and technical needs, launch new relational data models in production, develop APIs to integrate with multiple systems, and partner with Appian Architects and Technical Delivery Managers.
• Brainstorm AI use cases and implement Appian’s AI tools, applying retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), agentic workflows, prompt engineering and the latest generative models.
• Collaborate with client technical teams and business users throughout the software development life cycle, and drive adoption by empowering clients to become self‑sufficient in building process applications.
• Manage and mentor consultants through fast‑paced software implementations.
• Maintain an on‑site presence 4‑5 days per week at the HQ in McLean, VA, to foster collaboration and teamwork.

Qualifications

• Passion for mentoring/developing others and experience leading teams through post‑sale software implementation.
• Ability to work with clients to define business processes and gather functional and technical system requirements.
• Excellent communication skills, passion for technology and continuous learning, and an affinity for asking “why” and solving the right problems.
• History of success on cross‑functional teams; experience building products using agile methodologies (pair programming, stand‑ups, planning sessions, and sprints).
• Basic understanding of object‑oriented programming, experience working with relational databases and database design/data modeling, and SQL skills (writing queries, joins, views, etc.).
• Knowledge of software testing practices (test‑driven development, automated test suites within a continuous integration framework).
• Integrations experience using APIs such as REST and SOAP, JDBC connections, and web services; familiarity with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Analytics, Machine Learning, Google Cloud, Application Integration, Database, Developer Tools, Management & Governance, and Elastic Containers is preferred.
• 7+ years of experience with hands‑on software development or technical consulting.
• B.S./B.A. in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Mathematics or a related field/degree.
• Willingness to travel; 20% or less annually to support customer engagement.

Travel

Willingness to travel; 20% or less annually to support customer engagement.

Base Salary Range

$100,000 – $225,000 USD.

Benefits

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.

EEO Statement

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.