Management Consultant – Public Sector (entry level)

Join The PSC's consulting team through our New Consultant Development Programme: an entry-level role in public sector management consultancy, working on projects that directly improve public services. 

To be eligible for this role, you must: 

• Have a strong analytical skillset — a STEM degree or equivalent relevant experience 

• Have less than two years of full-time work experience 

• Have the right to work in the UK (this role isn't eligible for visa sponsorship) 

• Be eligible for security clearance, which includes having been continuously resident in the UK for the five years immediately before applying. See below for more detail of these requirements. 

As an Associate Consultant, you'll join a dynamic, high-performing team tackling some of the biggest challenges facing public services, bringing curiosity, judgement, and a drive to solve problems that matter. 

• We're looking for a small number of exceptional individuals to join us in January, July or October 2027. 

Applications close Monday 19 October 2026. 

About The PSC 

The PSC exists to make public services brilliant for organisations, society and individuals. We are united by the disruptive belief that better public services reduce inequalities and lead to a stronger society. Our vision is to be first choice for public service leaders seeking to deliver high impact change. 

Since 2006 we’ve committed ourselves to some of the biggest challenges facing the public sector – from transforming mental health inpatient services with Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust to assisting the UK Space Agency in building the Monitor Your Satellites system to track space debris, to supporting parts of the UK government in understanding smart data, sustainability and the use of AI. 

We work together with ambitious leaders in some of the UK’s biggest public service organisations, creating lasting public value and helping to build a sustainable future. 

What you can expect from a consulting career at The PSC

Consultancy work is dynamic and ever-changing - no two projects are the same and each new project may feel like starting again. The role demands resilience and the ability to navigate ambiguity. At the same time, there is a strong commercial dimension: we must balance scope, resources, and time, ensuring our work is of high quality and provides real value.  

As an Associate Consultant, you can expect to get stuck into a client project from day one, collaborating with other consultants, senior clients and front-line public service staff. Our project assignments vary from a few weeks to several months, and each one provides different learning opportunities. Your work will involve approaches and deliverables that have impact and make a real difference to our clients, including data collection, interpretation and analysis, researching directly with the users affected by public services, collaborative problem solving, and communicating clearly with individuals from the frontline to the boardroom. Every team member plays their part in understanding complex and ambiguous problems, designing evidence-based solutions, gaining buy-in from clients, and putting solutions into practice through hands-on delivery, coaching and training. At times, your role will therefore require an ability to work outside of traditional hours with regular travel to clients all over the UK. Client requests sometimes come at short notice so agile working and being comfortable with uncertainty is an important trait.  

You can expect to develop your skills, knowledge, and experience quickly. As an Associate Consultant you will learn mostly through substantial client-facing project roles, supported by our structured New Consultant Development Programme, which includes a range of formal training (including data analysis, digital skills, programme management and facilitation), on-project mentoring, plus opportunities to learn from colleagues within your cohort and the wider company.  

Joining a small, growing business, you will become more involved in the development of personal client relationships, which will become an important aspect of your role. You will have the opportunity to contribute to our business through internal initiatives and our business unit teams, ultimately helping to shape the company.  

What we look for

We rely on exceptional individuals who can deliver our mission through our core values: curious and bold, honest and respectful. We look for a growth mindset — candidates who show potential, a willingness to learn, and an entrepreneurial, thought-leading approach. Our consultants are exceptional problem solvers with strong interpersonal and analytical skills, motivated by better experiences and outcomes for public service users.  

We're particularly interested in people with a STEM background and the analytical thinking that comes with it. You'll need to demonstrate 

• A background in STEM or related analytical discipline (e.g. science, technology, engineering, mathematics, economics or similar) 

• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to break down complex or ambiguous challenges in a logical and structured way 

• Clear, confident communication, written and verbal 

• A collaborative mindset and the ability to work with a range of people 

• A proactive, curious and self-motivated approach 

• A genuine interest in improving public services 

How you will be valued and rewarded 

Like the rest of the team at The PSC, you’ll benefit from a supportive, inclusive and flexible working environment: 

• A variety of training courses including Delivering Fast Effective Projects, data analytics, digital skills, communication and equality, diversity and inclusion 

• Merit-based progression 

• A broad wellbeing offer including some private health insurance 

• The opportunity to buy or sell up to five days of leave each year 

• Unpaid leave entitlement after two years of tenure 

• Equal maternity and paternity offer, including up to 12 months leave, eight weeks at full pay and 18 weeks at half pay 

• Pro bono time allowance 

• 24-hour confidential Employee Assistance Programme 

• Salary sacrifice benefits including cyclescheme, electric vehicle scheme and nursery scheme 

• Quarterly profit share 

How to apply

Eligibility:  

• Background: Candidates to have either a STEM degree or relevant experience  

• Work experience: Have less than 2 years of professional work experience: We're looking for candidates with less than two years of relevant work experience. This means full-time employment in a professional or graduate-level role. For example, if you've worked as a doctor, engineer, analyst, or in another professional capacity, that counts. Part-time or casual work in an unrelated field, doesn't count towards this total. 

• Right to work: Candidates will need to have the right to work in the UK. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa, as it does not meet the government's requirements for this route. 

• Security clearance: This role requires Security Check (SC) clearance. To be eligible, you must have been continuously resident in the UK for the five years immediately before your application date. Time spent abroad on HM Government, Armed Forces or UK government postings may still count, but gaps in UK residency for any other reason are likely to make you ineligible.  

• Start dates: Available start dates for this role are January, July and October 2027.  During your application you will be asked to indicate your preferred start date.  Please note, we are asking you commit to the start date you choose and if your application is successful, you will receive an offer for your preferred date. You need to complete your studies before your start date.  

Application process: Please apply online via the link on our website. Our application process involves undertaking a timed numerical test and completing an online application. If you successfully pass the numerical test, we will send you a writing assignment to be completed within one week. All application stages are blind reviewed: we pride ourselves on removing bias from our application and interview processes by not reviewing CVs until the final decision stage. Two rounds of in-person interviews will take place at our London office in November.  

Use of AI in the application: We recognise that generative AI tools are increasingly becoming a part of everyday life and therefore have developed our AI policy to demonstrate our view on AI within our application process. As part of the application process, you will be required to agree and adhere to our Policy for the Use of AI.   

Joining The PSC

Diversity and Inclusion: We believe that diverse identities, experiences and ideas are essential to tackling the complex problems facing public services and are actively seeking candidates from diverse backgrounds. Successful applicants will become part of a diverse, high performing team united by the same mission. The PSC is an equal-opportunities employer and operates an anonymised recruitment process to ensure candidates are assessed on their skills, capabilities and potential. We are proud to partner with upReach, a charity which works to improve social mobility by creating conditions for undergraduates from less advantaged backgrounds to access and sustain top graduate jobs. If you have any accessibility needs, please contact us via email.

Sustainability: The PSC is committed to driving positive, sustainable change across public services. Our sustainability policy sets out our specific commitments to ambitious targets as well as expanding our positive impact with clients and partners. You can read more about this on our Sustainability page.