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Principal Consultant, Operating Model & Ways of Working

Location: North America (Remote, with travel up to 50%)
Type: Independent Consultant

Position: Principal

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About Sooner Safer Happier

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Sooner Safer Happier (SSH) is a global consultancy and movement focused on enabling better ways of working - to deliver better value, sooner, safer, and happier. As authors of the widely adopted book Sooner Safer Happier, we partner with large, complex organizations across the globe to shift from outputs to outcomes, improve flow, and create sustainable cultures of continuous improvement. We do this by aligning strategy to execution, enabling cultural change, and empowering organizations to sustainably improve performance using modern, human-centric practices. Our clients span Fortune 100 enterprises, financial institutions, global retailers and fast-moving digital companies. SSH operates across EMEA, the Americas, and APAC.

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About the Role


We’re seeking a highly experienced and motivated independent consultant, based in North America, to join our network. In this client-facing role, you’ll help design and implement operating models, improve ways of working, and advise senior leaders across major enterprises. You’ll be embedded within some of the world’s most recognized companies, bringing clarity, simplicity, and pace to complex enterprise change initiatives.​

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Skills and Experience

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  • Deep experience in operating model design and implementation at significant scale (enterprise or divisional level).

  • Deep expertise in the product operating model, with the ability to clearly articulate its principles, patterns, and antipatterns.

  • Proven experience in value stream management, including value stream mapping and leveraging VSM to inform future-state operating model design.

  • Demonstrated ability to improve ways of working at both the team and team-of-teams levels through coaching and training.

  • Excellent communication and visual storytelling skills - able to produce high-quality, client-ready deliverables, at pace.

  • Broad technology and architecture exposure, with the ability to advise on topics such as Conway’s Law, CI/CD, and architectural decoupling.

  • Experienced in lean portfolio management and OKRs.

  • Experienced in setting up agile tooling such as Jira or Rally, and able to advise on tooling patterns at a portfolio level.

  • Strong data, analytical, critical thinking and report-writing skills - able to create pivot tables and graphs that provide crisp, actionable insights.

  • Advanced facilitation and workshop design skills.

  • Experienced in product discovery - able to coach teams to break down large goals into iterative, value-driven releases, incorporating HCD or design thinking techniques, as well as data-driven learning loops.

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About You

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  • 10-15+ years of business and transformation experience, including roles in industry and consulting – with a recognized consulting firm (e.g., tier-one, Big Four).

  • Action-oriented with a hands-on, client-first mindset and a strong sense of urgency.

  • Meticulous attention to detail.

  • You’re a community builder who actively contributes to growing an engaged Americas SSH community.

  • You’re a culture-carrier who embodies the SSH ethos, principles, and patterns.

  • You’re adept at collaborating with a global network of professionals, whilst contributing to SSH product development and thought leadership.

  • You have executive presence - able to influence senior leaders and teams with credibility, empathy, and evidence.

  • You’re curious, with a strong ability to learn new skills, and the adaptability to apply these skills in new and different contexts.

  • You’re method-agnostic - blending frameworks and tailoring approaches to the client context.

  • You’re based in the US or Canada.

  • You’re open to travel, up to 50%.

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Example day-to-day activities:

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  • Diagnostic baselining: interviewing senior stakeholders, conducting surveys and translating this data into actionable insights, as part of SSH’ organizational sensemaking and change roadmap planning.

  • Value stream optimization: value stream mapping, outcome mapping, team kick off, team norms, cadence establishment and embedding OKRs.

  • Preparing high-quality presentations and other reports for clients.

  • Visualization of work across a value stream / team of teams - for example building value stream workflow boards or Kanban boards.

  • Showing the “how” when it comes to events and ceremonies, and transferring these skills to client teams (from day one).

  • Surfacing flow impediments through a proactive posture, illuminating impediments and helping to drive them to a close.

  • Servicing clients while developing thought leadership materials and helping to build a pipeline of new opportunities.

  • Executive coaching to assist leadership including role modelling leadership behaviours.
     

What’s in it for You:

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  • Join a purpose-driven global movement changing the world of work.

  • Work alongside a world-class network of practitioners.

  • Be a trusted advisor to Fortune 100 clients and global brands.

  • Contribute to shaping the future of work through hands-on delivery and thought leadership.

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