Consulting Manager

About the Role

Covalent Systems is a leading Channel Partner of IFS. We're growing fast and are looking for an experienced Consulting Manager to lead our UK-based Consulting Team and support clients through high-impact ERP transformation programmes. The role reports directly to the Chief Delivery Officer.

You will lead and manage a team of 15 consultants who support the full lifecycle of customer-facing ERP projects, including implementations, upgrades and enhancements, across a wide range of industries. You'll be accountable for making sure the right consultants are on the right projects and that every delivery meets our quality standards. We're specifically looking for candidates with proven experience delivering ERP software implementations, either for customers or within end-user organisations.

The position calls for strong leadership, excellent communication skills and the ability to manage several workstreams at once, so projects land within scope, timeline and budget. We also want someone who brings fresh ideas and innovation to help our organisation grow and adapt.

Key Responsibilities

Project Planning & Delivery

• Decide which consultants are assigned to which projects, working with Project Managers on day-to-day allocation, and take responsibility for the outcome.
• Take ownership of the quality of what we deliver to clients across all projects.
• Prepare and apply prioritisation between projects, balancing client commitments with business needs.
• Make sure projects are delivered, kept within budget and invoiced on time, together with Project Managers and project sponsors.
• Give input on staffing and delivery before contracts are signed, and on team capacity and upcoming resource needs.

People Leadership

• Lead the consulting team and hold it to the expected standard of delivery.
• Run recruitment of new consultants once headcount is approved.
• Hold performance reviews at least once a year and agree a development plan with every team member.
• Prepare salary review proposals within the agreed budget, with clear reasoning for each individual based on performance.

Training & Development

• Plan and follow up training and development needs for the team, and prepare budget requests for training.
• Spot the new skills the team will need to keep Covalent Systems competitive.

Way of Working

• Develop and embed the consulting team's way of working.
• Explore new ways of delivering that improve both client outcomes and business performance.
• Work closely with the CDO, Project Managers, project sponsors and the wider management team.

Preferred Skills

• Proven track record of delivering ERP implementations, for a consultancy/partner or within an end-user organisation.
• Experience with IFS is a strong advantage; experience with other major ERP platforms is also welcome.
• Experience leading and developing a team of consultants, including recruitment and performance management.
• Solid understanding of project financials: budgets, utilisation and invoicing.
• Ability to prioritise across multiple projects and workstreams at once.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, both with clients and internally.
• A continuous-improvement mindset and the drive to shape how a growing team works.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary (depending on experience).
• Hybrid working model.
• Company pension scheme.
• Salary sacrifice company car scheme, available to eligible employees.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Benefits:

• Company events
• Company pension
• Work from home

Experience:

• Delivering ERP software implementations: 2 years (required)

Language:

• English (required)

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Willingness to travel:

• 50% (required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in High Wycombe HP11 1JT