Consultant Development Programme - Junior Consultant
| Posting date: | 09 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £30,000 per year, pro rata |
| Hours: | Part time |
| Closing date: | 08 February 2026 |
| Location: | Lewes, East Sussex |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | The Maria Paviour Company Ltd |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: |
Summary
Contract and hours
Location: Lewes, East Sussex - 80% office attendance required
Hours: Part time, 15 hours per week.
Structure: First three months are a paid, structured probationary period focused on learning, contribution, and assessment
Term time friendly with flexible hours - minimum "keeping in touch" hours during school holidays
Appointment is subject to the right to work in the UK and receipt of satisfactory references. We are unable to sponsor visas.
About us: the Maria Paviour Company
We exist for a simple but ambitious reason: to make work a genuinely good place for humans to spend their lives.
We are a specialist consultancy working at the intersection of neuroscience, occupational psychology, and real-world organisational performance. We help organisations build cultures where people can think clearly, collaborate well, and perform at their best — not through slogans or wellbeing theatre, but through evidence, intelligence, and purposeful work.
We care deeply about happiness, because it fuels health, capability, creativity, and service. We take work seriously, and we don’t take ourselves too seriously. And we believe that service to others is one of the most reliable sources of meaning and joy at work.
Our culture is demanding, supportive, curious, and human. We value learning over perfection, feedback over ego, and progress over polish.
Overview
This Consultant Development Programme forms the first three months of employment and acts as a structured probationary period.
It is designed for professionals who want to build or re-establish a consultancy career through supported, real client work — not theoretical training or box-ticking.
During the programme you will:
Work alongside experienced consultants on live client projects
Learn how we diagnose, design, and deliver culture and capability work
Be trained in neuroscience-based coaching and human capital intelligence
Contribute to business development, research, and client delivery
Receive regular feedback, mentoring, and formal assessment
We are process-driven so that energy can go into creative, meaningful work. You will be supported — and you will also be trusted to think, decide, and act.
Attendance at our Lewes office for at least 80% of working time is required. Our work is collaborative, relational, and fast-moving — being together matters.
Pay
During probation (first three months): £1,000 per month (15 hours per week)
On successful completion of probation: £30,000 per year, pro rata
Confirmation in post is subject to successful completion of assessments and interview at the end of the programme.
Who this is for
This programme is open to people with professional experience who want to grow into — or return to — a consultancy career.
You may come from backgrounds such as:
Corporate or professional services
HR, L&D, organisational development, or people-focused roles
Client-facing, advisory, or relationship-based work
Sales or business development experience is helpful, but not essential.
This role often suits people who are:
Returning to work after a career break
Changing professional direction
Seeking a flexible, sustainable way to do serious, meaningful work
We assess applications on capability, mindset, and potential, not linear CVs. You must live within a reasonable commuting distance of Lewes (c. 30 miles) and be able to meet the office attendance requirement.
How you'll work
We are a Phoenix culture. That means:
You work to the peak of your powers
You care about outcomes, not just activity
You welcome feedback and don’t take it personally
You take responsibility, pitch in, and support others
You keep learning - and are willing to unlearn
We value initiative, judgement, and honesty. We don’t play politics. We don’t tolerate prejudice or disrespect. We do tolerate mistakes made in good faith and expect people to ask for help when they need it.
Family comes first. Energy matters. Long hours are not a badge of honour.
What you'll bring
You are likely to be:
Comfortable talking to people, explaining ideas, and building trust
Clear and thoughtful in written and verbal communication
Curious about psychology, neuroscience, and how humans behave at work
Motivated by purpose and contribution, not just status
Happy to take initiative and work with autonomy
Willing to invest in long-term development and mastery
Skills and experience
Essential:
GCSE Maths and English at grade C or above
Graduate level education or equivalent professional experience
Strong facilitation, training, and meeting management skills
Confident use of Microsoft 365
Desirable:
Experience with Active Campaign or a similar cloud based CRM
Networking and relationship building experience
End of programme
At the end of the three-month probationary period you will complete:
An assessment centre
A formal interview
Successful completion of the probationary period (including assessments) will result in confirmation as a permanent Junior Consultant, starting at £30,000 per year pro rata.
Progression
Progression is competency-based and self-paced:
Development programme participant
Junior consultant
Practising consultant
Lead consultant
Strong performers may progress quickly. Any performance-related bonuses are discretionary and subject to separate scheme rules.
Location: Lewes, East Sussex - 80% office attendance required
Hours: Part time, 15 hours per week.
Structure: First three months are a paid, structured probationary period focused on learning, contribution, and assessment
Term time friendly with flexible hours - minimum "keeping in touch" hours during school holidays
Appointment is subject to the right to work in the UK and receipt of satisfactory references. We are unable to sponsor visas.
About us: the Maria Paviour Company
We exist for a simple but ambitious reason: to make work a genuinely good place for humans to spend their lives.
We are a specialist consultancy working at the intersection of neuroscience, occupational psychology, and real-world organisational performance. We help organisations build cultures where people can think clearly, collaborate well, and perform at their best — not through slogans or wellbeing theatre, but through evidence, intelligence, and purposeful work.
We care deeply about happiness, because it fuels health, capability, creativity, and service. We take work seriously, and we don’t take ourselves too seriously. And we believe that service to others is one of the most reliable sources of meaning and joy at work.
Our culture is demanding, supportive, curious, and human. We value learning over perfection, feedback over ego, and progress over polish.
Overview
This Consultant Development Programme forms the first three months of employment and acts as a structured probationary period.
It is designed for professionals who want to build or re-establish a consultancy career through supported, real client work — not theoretical training or box-ticking.
During the programme you will:
Work alongside experienced consultants on live client projects
Learn how we diagnose, design, and deliver culture and capability work
Be trained in neuroscience-based coaching and human capital intelligence
Contribute to business development, research, and client delivery
Receive regular feedback, mentoring, and formal assessment
We are process-driven so that energy can go into creative, meaningful work. You will be supported — and you will also be trusted to think, decide, and act.
Attendance at our Lewes office for at least 80% of working time is required. Our work is collaborative, relational, and fast-moving — being together matters.
Pay
During probation (first three months): £1,000 per month (15 hours per week)
On successful completion of probation: £30,000 per year, pro rata
Confirmation in post is subject to successful completion of assessments and interview at the end of the programme.
Who this is for
This programme is open to people with professional experience who want to grow into — or return to — a consultancy career.
You may come from backgrounds such as:
Corporate or professional services
HR, L&D, organisational development, or people-focused roles
Client-facing, advisory, or relationship-based work
Sales or business development experience is helpful, but not essential.
This role often suits people who are:
Returning to work after a career break
Changing professional direction
Seeking a flexible, sustainable way to do serious, meaningful work
We assess applications on capability, mindset, and potential, not linear CVs. You must live within a reasonable commuting distance of Lewes (c. 30 miles) and be able to meet the office attendance requirement.
How you'll work
We are a Phoenix culture. That means:
You work to the peak of your powers
You care about outcomes, not just activity
You welcome feedback and don’t take it personally
You take responsibility, pitch in, and support others
You keep learning - and are willing to unlearn
We value initiative, judgement, and honesty. We don’t play politics. We don’t tolerate prejudice or disrespect. We do tolerate mistakes made in good faith and expect people to ask for help when they need it.
Family comes first. Energy matters. Long hours are not a badge of honour.
What you'll bring
You are likely to be:
Comfortable talking to people, explaining ideas, and building trust
Clear and thoughtful in written and verbal communication
Curious about psychology, neuroscience, and how humans behave at work
Motivated by purpose and contribution, not just status
Happy to take initiative and work with autonomy
Willing to invest in long-term development and mastery
Skills and experience
Essential:
GCSE Maths and English at grade C or above
Graduate level education or equivalent professional experience
Strong facilitation, training, and meeting management skills
Confident use of Microsoft 365
Desirable:
Experience with Active Campaign or a similar cloud based CRM
Networking and relationship building experience
End of programme
At the end of the three-month probationary period you will complete:
An assessment centre
A formal interview
Successful completion of the probationary period (including assessments) will result in confirmation as a permanent Junior Consultant, starting at £30,000 per year pro rata.
Progression
Progression is competency-based and self-paced:
Development programme participant
Junior consultant
Practising consultant
Lead consultant
Strong performers may progress quickly. Any performance-related bonuses are discretionary and subject to separate scheme rules.