Alternatively, Grant Thornton

At Grant Thornton we do things differently - looking to the future, driving ambitious growth and pioneering positive change in our industry. Providing audit, tax and advisory services, we empower clients through strategic insight, curiosity, and genuine partnership. And we empower our people with real opportunity, an inclusive culture and work life balance. A true alternative.

With over 5,000 people in the UK, and a presence in 150 global markets, we're on an ambitious journey, from great to exceptional, and we need the best people to help us achieve our potential. And with that comes the opportunity to help redefine what our industry looks like, and what you want from your career.

Job Description:

Public Sector Consulting Assistant Manager

We're growing, and there's rarely been a better time to join us. If you want to help shape what Public Sector Consultancy becomes next, not just watch it happen, this is that moment.

Our Public Sector team works on some of the UK's largest and most high-profile public sector projects and programmes, across local government, central government and healthcare. We help clients make better strategic decisions, improve outcomes, deliver reform and secure value for money, on areas often at the forefront of the political agenda.

We're a multi-disciplinary team of over 100 analysts, accountants, economists, policy and governance experts and strategists. The varied backgrounds of our team, including management consultancy, professional services, industry, and self-employment, allow us to bring fresh thinking to client challenges. We focus on value over volume, building delivery partnerships with our clients and giving clients exceptional service. This gives our team an edge in the market.

 Our senior team has built genuine credibility in this space over many years, so you'll learn from some of the most experienced people in the market while working on complex, high-profile assignments.

We're happy to talk flexible working, including reduced hours so you can balance work and life.

A look into the role

Our assistant managers come from a range of backgrounds: public sector managers, qualified accountants (from within the firm or elsewhere), analysts, management consultants, other professional disciplines such as engineering or digital, and specialists with public sector experience.

As an Assistant Manager within Public Sector Consulting, part of our Consulting pool, you will:

• Help us to make a difference to our public sector clients supporting them to deliver modern public services that are sustainable, people-centred, data-driven and digitally enabled.
• Work across sectors (local government, health, central government and arm’s-length bodies) and capabilities (operational design and change, financial improvement and transformation, digital delivery, governance, strategy, options appraisal, business cases, major programme delivery, grant administration and data insight), building your consulting expertise with every engagement
• Develop sector and technical knowledge, bringing a unique perspective to complex client scenarios
• Play a pivotal role in delivery, with regular exposure to senior client stakeholders
• Listen actively, ask searching questions and bring innovative solutions to the table
• Help drive practice development, whether through business development, marketing or improving our consulting toolkit
• Take pride in high-quality delivery, backed by strong time management and communication
• Demonstrate understanding of Grant Thornton’s wider service offerings to support the firm’s greater integrated working with clients
• Build a strong network across the firm, with partners and across the public sector

Knowing you’re right for us

• Joining us as an Assistant Manager, the minimum criteria you’ll need is:

• A university qualification or equivalent experience in management consultancy, public sector operational transformation or public sector governance

• Genuine interest in the public sector

• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly PowerPoint and Excel

• Excellent communication and presentation skills across different media

• It’d be great if you have some of the following too, but we don’t need you to tick every box. Come with the right mentality and a can-do attitude, and we’ll help you develop the rest:

• Professional qualifications such as ACA, ICAS, CIPFA, CIMA, ACCA, ChMC, Prince2, Better Business Case or others.

• Ability to follow a framework and methodology to identifying root causes and appropriate responses, and delivering solutions

• Strong analytical and commercial thinking

• Confidence working with and influencing senior stakeholders, with real empathy

• Flexibility and adaptability to changing priorities

Knowing we’re right for you

Embracing uniqueness, the culture at Grant Thornton thrives on the contributions of all our people, we never settle for what is easy, we look beyond to deliver the right thing, for everyone.  Building an inclusive culture, where we value difference and respect our colleagues helps our people to perform at the best of their ability and realise their potential.

Our open and accessible culture means you’ll interact with leaders who are interested in you and everything you bring to our firm. The things that set you apart, we value them. That’s why we give you the freedom to bring your whole self to work and pursue your passions inside and outside of work.

Beyond the job 

Life is more than work. The things you do, and the people you’re with outside of work matter, that’s why we’re happy to look at flexible working options for all our roles, and we’ll always do our best to keep your work and life in balance.

The impact you can make here will go far beyond your day job. From secondments, to fundraising for local charities, or investing in entrepreneurs in the developing world, you’ll be giving back to society. It’s that drive to do the right thing that runs through our every move, grounded in our firm’s values – purposefully driven, actively curious and candid but kind.

We’re looking for people who want to contribute, spark fresh ideas and go beyond expectations. People who want to be able to proudly do what’s right, for the firm, our clients, our people and themselves. It’s how it should be.