Consultant Development Programme - Junior Consultant

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.

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 consulting 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…