Title:  Senior Leadership Development Consultant, Fixed Term Contract

Package:  Competitive Salary + Benefits 

Role ID:     SF18288

9 Month fixed-term contract

Summary of Role

The Senior Leadership Development Consultant is a senior strategic role within the Learning & Development function, accountable for shaping and driving a high-impact leadership and culture transformation agenda across the organisation. This individual will serve as the primary authority on leadership effectiveness, capability building, and culture change — influencing the executive team, partnering across business units, and leading mission-critical programmes that enhance leadership performance and deliver measurable business outcomes. With a strong track record as a leader themselves, the post holder will bring a rare combination of thought leadership, practical experience, programme delivery excellence, and the credibility to influence at all levels of the organisation.

Key Accountabilities

• Reporting to the Global Head of Leadership, Coaching & Mentoring
• Lead the strategic design and implementation of the organisation’s leadership development and culture change agenda, ensuring alignment with business strategy, talent priorities, and future capability needs.
• Act as the senior authority on leadership effectiveness, providing thought leadership and evidence-based insights that shape leadership frameworks, expectations, and development strategies.
• Drive accountability across the leadership population by embedding leadership behaviours, mind-sets, and performance expectations that directly impact productivity, engagement, and results.
• Influence and advise senior stakeholders, including the executive team, on leadership strategy, organisational culture, and the conditions required for high performance.
• Oversee the design and execution of large-scale, multi-phase leadership development programmes — ensuring strategic alignment, budget optimisation, stakeholder buy-in, and measurable impact.
• Champion psychological safety, inclusion, and empowerment across the leadership culture — designing interventions and enabling leaders to foster trust-based, high-performing environments.
• Leverage insights from internal data, diagnostics, and external benchmarking to drive continuous improvement and innovation in leadership strategy.
• Represent the organisation externally as a leader in the field of leadership development and organisational transformation, staying ahead of emerging trends.
• Partner with HR, Talent, DEI, and business leaders to integrate leadership development with succession, performance, and culture strategies.
• Act as a role model for strong, inclusive, and empowering leadership, drawing on personal leadership experience to mentor and coach others.

Key Capabilities & Knowledge

• Strategic Leadership Development Expertise – Deep knowledge of leadership theory, frameworks, and practical application in complex organisational contexts.
• Leadership Track Record – Demonstrated experience as a senior leader with the ability to bring real-world leadership insights into strategic discussions and programme design.
• Influence & Credibility at Executive Level – Able to confidently engage and advise C-suite leaders and senior stakeholders on leadership strategy and culture.
• Organisational Culture & Change Leadership – Skilled in enabling cultural transformation through leadership behaviour change and aligned development interventions.
• Psychological Safety & Inclusive Leadership – Proven expertise in embedding psychologically safe practices and inclusive leadership at scale.
• Performance & Productivity Focus – Strong understanding of how leadership drives team productivity, engagement, and business outcomes — and how to influence these through development.
• Programme Leadership – Exceptional programme management capability, with experience leading enterprise-wide development programmes from concept to evaluation.
• Data & Impact Orientation – Strong analytical capability and commercial acumen; able to link leadership initiatives to business performance and report outcomes credibly.
• Innovation & Thought Leadership – Ability to shape future-facing leadership strategies and bring fresh thinking that challenges convention and creates momentum.

Experience

• 10+ years of experience in senior leadership development, organisational development, or transformation roles.
• Proven experience in designing and leading complex, organisation-wide leadership and cultural change programmes.
• Demonstrable experience as a senior leader, with responsibility for people, performance, and strategy.
• Strong record of consulting, influencing, and driving change at executive and board level.
• Experience working in global, matrixed environments with diverse stakeholder groups.
• Comfortable managing large budgets, navigating complexity, and driving enterprise-scale impact.

Qualifications

• Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Organisational Development, Business, Psychology, HR, or a related discipline.
• Formal coaching qualification (e.g., ICF, EMCC), change management certification (e.g., PROSCI), or leadership psychometric accreditation is highly desirable.
• Recognised thought leadership in leadership development, organisational change, or culture transformation is a significant advantage.

Why Join QinetiQ?

As we continue to grow into new markets around the world, there’s never been a more exciting time to join QinetiQ. The formula for success is our appetite for innovation and having the courage to take on a wide variety of complex challenges.

As a QinetiQ employee, you’ll experience a unique working environment where teams from different backgrounds, disciplines and experience enjoy collaborating widely and openly as we undertake this exciting and rewarding journey. Through effective teamwork, and pulling together, you’ll get to experience what happens when we all share different perspectives, blend disciplines, and link technologies; constantly discovering new ways of solving complex problems in a diverse and inclusive environment where you can be authentic, feel valued and realise your full potential. Visit our website to read more about our diverse and inclusive workplace culture.  www.qinetiq.com/en/careers/life-at-qinetiq

Our Benefits

• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
• Competitive holiday allowance, with the option to purchase additional days
• Compressed working option with Friday afternoons or alternative Fridays off
• Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance
• Employee discount portal: Personal Accident Insurance, Travel Insurance, Restaurants, Cinema Tickets and much more
• We are proud to support the Armed Forces community by honouring the Armed Forces Covenant
• Volunteering Opportunities - helping charities and local community

Our Recruitment Process:

We want to make sure that our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible and we aspire to bring out the best in our candidates by creating an environment where everyone feels value, heard and supported.  If you have a disability or health condition that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your Recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Many roles in QinetiQ are subject to national security vetting being completed, applicants who already hold the appropriate level of vetting may be able to transfer it upon appointment. A number of roles are also subject to additional restrictions, which mean factors such as nationality or previous nationalities may affect the roles that you can be employed in.

Please note that all applicants for this role must be eligible for SC clearance, as a minimum.

UKSV National Security Vetting Solution: guidance for applicants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)