Principal Consultant
Current vacancies
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If you share our passion for making the efforts, energy and resources of impact organisations have a greater impact, then this is the right place for you. Below are all our current opportunities for you to help us build a more effective impact sector.
As an equal opportunity employer, we particularly welcome applications from ethnic minority candidates and individuals who self-identify as being from an economically and/or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds, groups currently underrepresented in our workforce. Find out more about our approach to DEI in our Recruitment FAQs.
We are hiring!
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Principal Consultant
Location: London (Hybrid – 2 days a week in the office)
Salary: £50-60k a year (based on experience)
Contract: Permanent
Hours: 26hrs to 37.5hrs a week (0.7FTE to 1.0 FTE)
Are you an experienced consultant with an interest in the UK impact sector, looking to work on fulfilling, exciting and varied projects? Join our consultancy team to support a wide range of clients (charities, foundations, philanthropists, social enterprises, corporates, and the public sector) to be as impactful as possible. You’ll be part of a fun, values-driven interdisciplinary team of wide specialisms and expertise, who combine innovative consultancy with research and thought leadership.
We are looking for someone who can develop relationships and lead a wide range of projects, which might include developing strategies or theories of change, researching funding flows, supporting grant-making, or delivering evaluations and learning partnerships. The role offers a unique combination of working on a wide range of social impact topics, developing new business, and collaborating with inspiring multi-disciplinary colleagues.
Our organisation: NPC is the think tank and consultancy for the impact sector. We work to increase the positive impact of the sector, to improve people’s lives, make communities stronger and the planet healthier. We help organisations improve what they do, we influence policy and sector behaviour, and we support innovation to strengthen and grow the impact economy
This role: The Principal Consultant role offers a great mix of consultancy and thought leadership development:
- You will design and sponsor innovative research and consultancy projects, manage senior client and funder relationships, ensure high-quality delivery, and develop skills and capacity of NPC’s (senior) consultants.
- You will build out NPC’s external profile, developing external relationships, convening and collaborating with people through events, partnerships, training and other sector-facing activities.
- You will develop new ideas and contribute to NPC’s thought leadership, for example around best practices in (adaptive) strategy, user involvement, grant-making, innovation, measurement and learning.
- You will be responsible for developing business and raising funds to meet financial targets.
The attributes we are looking for include:
Essential
- A keen interest in the impact economy
- Relevant experience in a similar (external or inhouse) consultancy role or from the impact economy
- A strong inner drive, able to kick-start new ideas, generate business and develop client and funder relationships
- Intellectual curiosity and creativity, and showing a genuine passion for and awareness of the impact economy
- Excellent research, analytical and problem-solving skills
- Excellent client and project management skills
- High quality standards with an attention to detail
- Structured thinking and the ability to cut through complexity
- Excellent communication and facilitation skills: the ability to develop and deliver compelling presentations, to be robust and influential in discussions, and to write in a clear and engaging manner.
Desirable
- Knowledge of the impact consulting market in the UK
- A track record of successfully scoping and sponsoring consultancy and research projects, including managing and developing project teams
The diversity of work and topics, autonomy, intellectual stimulation and supportive culture make this a special role. But we understand nobody has everything in the job description. What’s more important to us is a real enthusiasm for the job, and we are committed to supporting and developing you through informal and formal learning and training.
As an equal opportunity employer, we particularly welcome applications from people who identify as being from racially minoritised and/or working class backgrounds, groups currently underrepresented in our team. We are also a level 2 Disability Confident employer. Find out more about our approach to DEI in our Recruitment FAQs.
Hybrid working, hours and benefits
Contract: permanent
We are based in London and have regular in person meetings. There is a requirement for at least two days in the office (one of the days being a Wednesday, the other a Tuesday or Thursday), but we are open to applicants who wish to work on a part-time basis, at least 26 hours per week, and agree hybrid arrangements. We also offer a range of competitive benefits.
Salary: £50,000 – £60,000 per annum, pro rata, depending on experience.
Take a look at the more detailed job description.
How to apply
Those interested in applying are invited to join a briefing call at 1pm on 13th August 2026 to get a better sense of the role and working at NPC. All potential applicants will remain anonymous during this call. Anyone who would like to attend this call should email recruitment@thinkNPC.org – you are welcome to submit questions in advance via email.
You can apply by sending these documents to recruitment@thinkNPC.org before 9am on the 1st September 2026, quoting ‘Reference DE:02’ in the subject line:
- a cover letter that highlights your motivation and the attributes that you believe that you would bring to this role (max 1 page)
- your CV
- a completed equal opportunities form
We plan to hold interviews in September. The role is available immediately, with the start date to be agreed with the successful candidate.
Please note that we are unable to accept applications from those without the right to work in the UK, as we currently do not offer visa sponsorship for this role.
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Researcher
Location: London (Hybrid – 2 days a week in the office)
Salary: £29-32k a year (based on experience)
Do you have a passion for the impact economy? Do you want to help organisations increase their social and environmental impact? Do you know your way around research and evidence? Join our consultancy team to support a wide range of clients (charities, foundations, philanthropists, impact investors, social enterprises, corporates, and the public sector) who wish to be impactful and contribute to the greater good.
Our organisation: NPC is the think tank and consultancy for the impact sector. We work to increase the positive impact of the sector, to improve people’s lives, make communities stronger and the planet healthier. We help organisations improve what they do, we influence policy and sector behaviour, and we support innovation to strengthen and grow the impact economy
This role: Researchers support the team with project delivery, new business generation, and organisational learning. The work will contribute to high-quality research and client advice. You will work on multiple projects with ranging topics and a high exposure to senior client staff, providing a steep learning curve and many development opportunities.
The attributes we are looking for include:
- A keen interest in the impact economy
- Past exposure to research and data analysis (job or study)
- Intellectual curiosity and creativity, aspiring to have a true positive impact on the world
- Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing
- A team player, who can also work independently when needed
- Flexible, willing and enthusiastic to work on a range of different projects and tasks
- A track-record of excellence – this can be evidence in many different ways: study, community leadership, entrepreneurship, combing study with work or caregiving.
You may not have everything listed in the job description, but if you’re excited about this role and believe you could make a difference, we encourage you to apply. We are committed to supporting and developing you through informal and formal learning and training.
As an equal opportunity employer, we particularly welcome applications from people who identify as being from racially minoritised and/or working class backgrounds , groups currently underrepresented in our team. We are also a level 2 Disability Confident employer. Find out more about our approach to DEI in our Recruitment FAQs.
Hybrid working, hours and benefits
Contract: Full time, permanent
The role is available immediately, with the start date to be agreed with the successful candidate.
We are based in London and have regular in person meetings. There is a requirement for at least two days in the office (one of the days being a Wednesday, the other a Tuesday or Thursday), and we encourage especially those early in their career to be present as much as possible. We also offer a range of competitive benefits.
Salary: We offer a London Living Wage. The pay band for Researcher runs from £29,000 – £32,000 per annum, dependent on experience. In exceptional cases, we may consider appointing at a higher band (of ‘Consultant L1’) if a candidate’s experience and expertise clearly exceed the requirements of this role and align with the next level.
Take a look at the more detailed job description.
How to apply
Those interested in applying are invited to join a briefing call at 1pm on Monday 17 August 2026 get a better sense of the role and working at NPC. All potential applicants will remain anonymous during this call. Anyone who would like to attend this call should email recruitment@thinkNPC.org – you are welcome to submit questions in advance.
You can apply by sending these documents to recruitment@thinkNPC.org before 9am on the 1st September 2026, quoting ‘Reference DE:01’ in the subject line:
- a brief cover letter (as separate attachment) that highlights your motivation and suitability for this role (maximum 500 words)
- your CV (maximum 2 pages)
- a completed equal opportunities form
All applications are anonymised before screening.
Upon receipt of your application, you will be sent a short test to complete. Following this, we will screen applications and intend to run a round of online interviews, with the possibility of a second interview round (preferably in-person). We will get back to all candidates regardless of the outcome.
Please note that we are unable to accept applications from those without the right to work in the UK, as we currently do not offer visa sponsorship for this role.
Talk to us
Want to talk further about any of these roles? We can arrange for you to have a call or a coffee with one of our team.