Principal Consultant (Acquisition Solutions)

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

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Medical insurance

Dental & Vision

Job summary

Appian Corporation in McLean, VA seeks a Principal Consultant to lead enterprise delivery of AI-powered automation solutions for major commercial clients. You will define the client experience and collaborate with architects and delivery managers to design scalable, secure architectures.

You will mentor consultants, manage large-scale implementations, and drive adoption of the Appian platform with strong emphasis on integration, data modeling, and client outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Mathematics, or a related technical field.
• 8+ years of hands-on experience in software development or technical implementation consulting.
• Experience leading technical teams and mentoring engineers.
• Strong grasp of OOP, database design, data modeling, and SQL.
• Willingness to travel up to 20% to support customer engagements.
• U.S. Citizenship for Public Sector roles.
• Experience with enterprise acquisition or procurement solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead Enterprise Delivery: define, design, and implement custom automation solutions using Appian for major commercial clients.
• Direct High-Performing Teams: mentor consultants through fast-paced implementations.
• Partner with Leadership: collaborate with Appian Architects and Delivery Managers to design scalable architectures.
• Architect Complex Integrations: build secure APIs connecting enterprise environments using REST, SOAP, JDBC.
• Data Infrastructures: oversee relational data models and advanced SQL designs.
• Drive Client Self-Sufficiency: enable clients to build process apps independently.

Skills

OOP

SQL

Data modeling

Team leadership

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related technical field

Tools

REST APIs

SOAP

JDBC

Job description

Principal Consultant (Acquisition Solutions)

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.

Principal Consultant (Acquisition Solutions)

Appian Customer Success is obsessed with delivering exceptional customer outcomes and driving mission-critical business impact. Grounded in our core values of Excellence and Intensity, we act as elite technical advisors to our commercial clients. By joining this high-performance team, you will champion a culture of candid communication and excellence while accelerating global adoption of our AI-Powered Process Automation platform.

As a Principal Consultant, you will occupy a leadership position at the intersection of enterprise business strategy and complex technical delivery. This role matters now more than ever because you won't just execute projects - you will define the client experience and how they are delivered. You will partner directly with Appian Architects and Technical Delivery Managers, lead large-scale consulting initiatives, and serve as a vital mentor to the next generation of engineers, ensuring our clients achieve world‑class Enterprise‑Grade Orchestration.

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 customers is our main priority, we also believe the office environment enables more opportunities to celebrate wins, collaborate effectively, and build strong relationships across teams.

What You’ll Do

• Lead Enterprise Delivery: Command the entire project lifecycle to define, design, and implement custom automation solutions using the Appian platform for major commercial clients.
• Direct High‑Performing Teams: Lead and mentor consultants through fast‑paced software implementations, instilling a dedication to going "beyond completion."
• Partner with Leadership: Collaborate directly with Appian Architects and Technical Delivery Managers to design resilient, scalable, and secure system architectures.
• Architect Complex Integrations: Build secure, high‑throughput APIs to seamlessly connect multiple external enterprise environments using REST, SOAP, and JDBC connections.
• Data Infrastructures: Oversee the creation and production launch of advanced relational data models and sophisticated SQL database designs.
• Drive Client Self‑Sufficiency: Collaborate with client executives and technical stakeholders to drive deep platform adoption and empower them to build process applications independently.

Basic Qualifications

• Degree: Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Mathematics, or a related technical field.
• Experience: 8+ years of hands‑on experience in software development or technical implementation consulting.
• Team Leadership: Experience leading technical teams and a passion for mentoring and developing engineering talent.
• Core Engineering: Strong foundational grasp of Object‑Oriented Programming (OOP), database design, data modeling, and SQL (queries, joins, views).
• Travel: Willingness to travel up to 20% to support vital customer engagements.
• US Citizenship: Candidates being considered for a Public Sector roles must be a U.S. Citizen
• Experience with enterprise acquisition or procurement solutions

Preferred Qualifications

• Mastery of modern cloud computing ecosystems, specifically Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, or Elastic Containers.
• Deep technical knowledge of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, automated test suites (Test‑Driven Development), and continuous integration frameworks.

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 - $225,000 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.

Appian offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, wellbeing, and financial future. Benefits may include health coverage, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with free mental health support, life and disability insurance, an Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), a retirement/pension plan, wellness dollars, tuition reimbursement, family‑forming benefits and more. Benefits vary by country—please ask your Talent Acquisition contact for details specific to the location you are applying to.

About Appian

Appian provides AI automation for the most important business processes at the world’s largest organizations. Our platform is known for its unique power, reliability, and scale. We’ve been automating processes for more than 25 years and have proven expertise in enterprise operations. For more information, visit appian.com .

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.

Voluntary Self‑Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self‑identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Appian Corporation ’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three‑year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Artificial Intelligence & Automated Screening Notice: We use artificial intelligence tools to assist our recruiting team in reviewing applications, screening and filtering resumes, assessing qualifications, and identifying whether a candidate possesses skills relevant to this position. The system evaluates candidate‑provided data against predefined job requirements and competencies. Please be advised that this process does not involve automated rejection or hiring decisions. AI tools function as preliminary screening aids. Human personnel review all recommendations and retain final authority over who advances in the hiring process.