Principal Consultant

Description

The Clearing is a management consulting firm that helps leaders solve complex challenges by turning insight into action. We specialize in diagnosing the root causes of organizational friction across people, processes, and technology, then configuring proven solutions that accelerate meaningful, measurable progress. Our approach blends analytical rigor with human-centered design. Whether we’re enabling change, optimizing workflows, or guiding smart technology adoption, everything we do is built to scale, repeat, and deliver value. We work across public, private, and mission-driven sectors, partnering with clients to modernize how they lead, work, and deliver. Our team brings deep experience across disciplines, including change management, strategic planning, organizational design, leadership development, behavioral science, and more.

Positon Description

Principals at The Clearing lead complex, medium to large-scale projects or portfolios, owning responsibility for overall project outcomes, client satisfaction, and their team’s experience. They demonstrate strong business development capabilities, driving both organic growth and net new business growth. Principals actively contribute to building internal capacity, including mentoring consultants across all levels and strengthening the firm’s consulting capabilities. Recognized as organizational leaders, they provide subject matter expertise and strategic guidance across engagements. Principals cultivate trusted client relationships and ensure project and portfolio growth align with The Clearing’s corporate strategy and annual priorities.

What You'll Do

• Lead and manage complex, medium to large-scale projects, or a portfolio of projects, ensuring timely, on-budget delivery aligned with scope and quality expectations
• Own accountability for project outcomes, aligning work to client goals, offering strategic guidance, and building trust-based client relationships
• Oversee project financials, ensuring project financial targets are met or exceeded; guide team members managing task-level budgets to support company profitability.
• Design and implement both short- and long-term project plans, aligning with client needs and strategic objectives
• Kickoff, manage, and close contracts, ensuring compliance with all contractual requirements; Coach others in navigating government contracting processes, accelerating the path from contract award to project execution
• Produce high-quality, client-facing deliverables, applying attention to detail, strong written communication, and project quality standards; provide content review and feedback using past experiences, expertise, and understanding of client environment to guide teammates 
• Facilitate moderate to high complexity client meetings, effectively guiding discussions to achieve  desired client and project outcomes
• Navigate challenging team or client dynamics, driving teams toward high performance by managing risk, adapting to change, and making critical course corrections
• Lead high-impact proposals, serving as lead writer or proposal manager while mentoring junior staff in capture strategy and proposal development
• Drive market visibility, producing external-facing thought leadership (e.g., blogs, one-pagers) and engaging in strategic industry events
• Lead and support business growth efforts, generating and closing new business opportunities while managing the full capture, proposal, and contracting lifecycle
• Advance The Clearing’s methodologies and solutions, continuously improving offerings and developing scalable, high-demand solution packages across delivery, marketing, and sales
• Provide clear team direction and accountability, establishing performance standards, supporting goal setting, and actively managing team performance
• Foster inclusion and belonging, recognizing and leveraging individual strengths to create a collaborative and high-trust team environment
• Mentor junior project leads, helping them build and sustain high-performing teams that balance client satisfaction, team health, and financial outcomes
• Translate firm strategy into actionable goals, guiding teams to align daily work with The Clearing’s broader vision and priorities

Compensation

The projected annual salary range for this position is between $105,000 and $162,000. Actual compensation and starting salaries are determined based on various factors, including the education, experience, knowledge, skills, certifications, and clearance level of the candidate and internal equity. Once at The Clearing, movement through pay bands is based on performance. Base-annual salary is just one component of The Clearing’s total compensation philosophy and approach. Employees are eligible to participate in The Clearing's robust benefits programs, including our incentive compensation (bonus) programs. Please refer to our Careers Page online for a complete list of benefits. 

Physical & Mental Requirements 

While performing duties of this job, an employee may be required to perform any, or all of the following: attend meetings in and out of the office, travel (sometimes extensively); occasional evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand; communicate effectively (both orally and in writing); ability to effectively use computers and other electronic and standard office equipment; and occasionally exerting up to 10 pounds to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Work is primarily sedentary and involves sitting for several hours at a time. Occasionally walking, climbing stairs, and standing occur in this role. Additionally, this job requires certain mental demands, including the ability to use judgment, withstand moderate amounts of stress, and maintain attention to detail. The Clearing is committed to partnering with all candidates and employees to ensure reasonable accommodations are made to meet these requirements. 

EEO

The Clearing is committed to providing equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, family medical history or genetic information, political affiliation, military service, or other non-merit based factors. In addition to federal legal requirements, The Clearing complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. These protections extend to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting and hiring practices, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training and career development programs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree 
• 8+ years of professional experience, preferably in management consulting or another professional service or client-facing environment
• Proven success leading medium to large-scale, complex projects, including client relationship management, team leadership, and talent development responsibilities
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills, with demonstrated attention to detail, organization, and time management.
• Exceptional communication skills, including strong business writing and verbal communication; experience with strategic communications is highly desirable
• Flexible, adaptive mindset with the ability to thrive in fast-paced, high-stakes, and often ambiguous client environments.
• Willing and able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance and/or favorable suitability determination, by completing necessary background check investigations to perform client work
• Willing and able to travel to client sites within the Washington, DC, and Baltimore metro areas; occasional travel beyond these regions (up to 5%) may be required
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States, now and in the future, without the need for current or future visa sponsorship
• Desired skills, experiences, and certifications: change management, strategic planning, program management, and/or organizational design experience; PMP and/or Change Management certification (ex.: Prosci)