Associate Principal, Work & Career Architecture + Total Rewards, London

Korn Ferry

Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm. We help clients synchronize strategy and talent to drive superior performance. We work with organizations to design their structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people to bring their strategy to life. And we advise them on how to reward, develop, and motivate their people.

Our 11,000 colleagues serve clients in more than 50 countries. We partner with 99% of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies and our clients are 25 times more profitable than their peers, outperforming the S&P 500 by over five times. We achieve this through five core solutions:

• Organizational Strategy
• Assessment and Succession
• Talent Acquisition
• Leadership Development
• Total Rewards

ARE YOU READY TO ‘BE MORE THAN’?

No one knows more about aligning talent and organizational strategies than us. With our unique expertise, we help clients release the power of their collective genius and drive superior performance.

At Korn Ferry, we’re passionate about creating a diverse, autonomous, and flexible environment. Having a career at Korn Ferry means talent thrives and excellence is always recognized and rewarded.

You’ll be empowered to share your ideas and follow them through. And because we’re all about taking talent further, you can look forward to exceptional training and development opportunities in every role.

OUR PURPOSE

To enable people and organizations to exceed their potential.

OUR VISION

To be the preeminent organizational consultancy.

OUR VALUES

Inclusion – We embrace people with different points of view and work as one team.
Honesty – We say what we mean and do what we say, holding ourselves to the highest standards.
Knowledge – We are insatiably curious and committed to continuous learning.
Performance – We never settle for the status quo and strive to be better every day.

The Opportunity

Position

Associate Principal – Work & Career Architecture / Total Reward

Location

London (hybrid working)

Reporting Relationship

Principal / Senior Principal

About Korn Ferry Consulting

Our Consulting Line of Business spans 29 countries across EMEA, working across six major markets within our four main solution areas: Organizational Strategy, Total Reward, Leadership & Development, and Assessment & Succession.

Within Consulting, the integration of Work & Career Architecture (W&CA) and Total Reward is critical to helping organisations build coherent, scalable people frameworks. These frameworks underpin fair reward, transparent careers, and effective talent management.

This role is primarily private-sector focused.

Role Overview

The Associate Principal – Work & Career Architecture / Total Reward plays a senior role in the design and delivery of integrated work, career, and reward engagements. You will lead significant workstreams, act as a trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders, and ensure the quality and coherence of integrated frameworks across complex engagements.

This role represents a step up from Senior Consultant, with increased accountability for client leadership, solution shaping, quality assurance, and team development.

Key Responsibilities

Integrated Solution Leadership

• Lead W&CA and Total Reward workstreams within complex client engagements.
• Shape integrated approaches linking job architecture, job evaluation, career frameworks, and reward structures.
• Ensure alignment between work measurement outcomes and reward design decisions.
• Translate client strategy and context into practical, scalable people frameworks.

Client Advisory

• Build trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders.
• Lead client meetings, workshops, and decision forums focused on work, careers, and reward.
• Act as a senior advisor on trade-offs relating to work design, career progression, and pay.
• Support Principals and Senior Principals in overall client relationship management.

Delivery Oversight & Quality

• Own the quality and consistency of W&CA and Total Reward deliverables.
• Provide oversight, guidance, and coaching to consultants within delivery teams.
• Ensure application of Korn Ferry methodologies with rigour and consistency.
• Proactively identify and manage delivery risks and dependencies.

Team Leadership & Development

• Coach and develop Senior Consultants and Consultants.
• Provide clear direction, feedback, and performance support.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performance team environment.

Capability Building

• Contribute to the development of W&CA and Total Reward capability, tools, and ways of working.
• Share learning and best practice across the Consulting community.
• Support internal initiatives that strengthen Korn Ferry’s integrated propositions.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong integrated expertise – Deep experience across W&CA and Total Reward.
• Senior client advisory skills – Credible and confident with senior stakeholders.
• Systems thinking – Able to connect work, careers, reward, and organisational context.
• Structured problem-solving – Brings clarity and rigour to complex design challenges.
• Inclusive leadership style – Builds trust, accountability, and collaboration.
• Resilience and adaptability – Comfortable navigating ambiguity and change.
• Technology literate – Fluent in Microsoft Office and comfortable using AI-enabled tools (e.g. Copilot, ChatGPT).

Experience & Qualifications

• Significant experience delivering work & career architecture and/or reward engagements.
• Proven track record of leading workstreams within complex consulting programmes.
• Experience advising senior client stakeholders on work, career, and reward topics.
• Background in consulting, reward advisory, or senior internal people roles.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

The Korn Ferry Difference

At Korn Ferry, talent matters. We believe that when people are engaged in the right roles, developed, and rewarded, the firm flourishes. We place a high value on developing our colleagues from day one and throughout their careers.

Development is a partnership. We attract self-starters who take ownership of their growth, driven by curiosity and a desire to be better today than yesterday.

Talent Development

Through the Korn Ferry Institute, you will have access to world-class intellectual property, formal development programmes, and continuous on-the-job learning.

Benefits

We offer a competitive total rewards package, including performance-related bonuses and a broad range of benefits. Our packages vary by country but are designed to support wellbeing, performance, and long-term growth.

Diversity Matters

We are committed to building an inclusive environment where colleagues are valued for their contribution and supported to thrive. We welcome flexible and agile working arrangements and candidates returning after career breaks.

Isn’t it time you joined us?