Associate Director - Performance Improvement

Our Performance Improvement team is growing rapidly, with a strong and expanding focus on the Higher Education sector, and we are looking for a motivated Associate Director to help drive both client impact and practice growth.

As an Associate Director, you will partner closely with clients, particularly universities and tertiary institutions—across a diverse range of engagements, from strategic and operating model reviews through to the delivery of operational and financial performance improvement initiatives. You will also play a key role in strengthening our Higher Education capability and supporting the continued growth of the practice.

Specifically, you will:

• Collaborate with Partners, the broader team, and clients to develop and deliver impactful engagements, with a strong emphasis on Higher Education
• Analyse complex financial and operational information, identify issues, and prepare clear, practical recommendations for senior stakeholders
• Support our clients, including universities and higher education providers to evaluate and understand their financial sustainability, operating performance, and strategic position
• Proactively design and implement improvement initiatives across areas such as cost transformation, operating models, governance, and service delivery
• Contribute to practice growth through thought leadership, client development, mentoring junior team members, and supporting proposals and pursuits

This role works closely alongside Partners, with constant interaction with clients and teams across the firm.

You will enjoy:

• Genuine exposure to senior leaders – you will work directly with Partners and executive‑level client stakeholders and be relied upon as a meaningful contributor
• Market‑leading engagements – we are engaged on complex, high‑impact matters where financial, operational, and reputational outcomes are critical, particularly within the Higher Education sector
• Meaningful, purpose‑driven work – our engagements focus on improving financial sustainability and operational effectiveness for institutions that play a critical role in education and research, underpinned by rigorous analysis and pragmatic decision‑making