Career Manager (Private Sector, Professional Services)

About the role

Here at Appian, our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them, ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment, holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian, you’ll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things, together. Career Manager - CNA McLean, Virginia, USA | Work Model: On-site at Appian Headquarters Guide Commercial North America Consultants through transformative career journeys while building operational excellence that directly fuels Customer Success and business growth. ABOUT THE TEAM The People Team partners with Appian's Professional Services organization to develop world-class consulting talent delivering AI-Powered Process Automation solutions to government clients. This team owns the full consultant lifecycle—from onboarding through career progression—ensuring our consultants have the coaching, development, and support needed to drive client transformation. Your work directly impacts retention, performance, and the capability of teams solving complex mission-critical challenges. THE OPPORTUNITY As Appian scales its footprint, the demand for exceptional consulting talent has never been higher. This role exists to ensure our consultants don't just deliver projects—they build careers, develop deep expertise, and become trusted advisors to clients. You'll shape how we grow, retain, and elevate talent in a high-stakes environment where performance and people development are inseparable from business success. WHAT YOU'LL DO Oversee and continuously improve systems and processes that support talent development, evaluation, feedback, and retention. Partner with top consultants to develop consulting career development frameworks. Contribute and enhance performance management processes, including feedback cycles, performance reviews, and promotion calibrations, in collaboration with Project Engagement Managers and Technical Advisors. Work closely with Customer Success global leaders to align talent development and retention initiatives with regional business objectives. Ensure career aspirations and business needs are aligned in support of consultants’ professional growth, skill development, and career progression. Serve as a trusted resource to consultants, fostering ongoing conversations around career growth and performance. Guide consultants through their learning and development journey, advising on training, skill-building, and engagement opportunities to advance their careers. Connect consultants with the most appropriate advisors to support their career ambitions. Drive strong engagement through frequent consultant interaction and alignment with key internal stakeholders. Support internal operational processes (e.g., feedback tracking, timesheets, compliance) to ensure efficiency without disrupting client-facing responsibilities. You’re a people person, capable of providing proactive 1-on-1 counsel to 50 consultants, promoting a positive and productive work environment. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS You have a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, Organization Development, or a related field. 5-7 years of experience in Human Resources, Talent Management, or Career Counseling within a consulting or professional services environment. Proven experience managing a pool of resources in a consulting or professional services organization with strong one-on-one coaching and mentoring capabilities. Ability to strategically align workforce capability development with short and long-term business objectives. Proven ability to develop talent in a way that directly supports business performance and growth. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS Detail-oriented, highly organized, and excel at setting up meetings, tracking goals, and managing processes. Adept at navigating challenging situations and driving difficult conversations toward resolution with tact and professionalism. Facilitative working style; you excel working in a place characterized by ambiguity and unknowns. You lead with questions, not only answers. Passion for continuous improvement. Possess humility and continual drive for learning. Collaborative and support others; you do not view the world as a zero-sum game. #TalentManagement #CareerDevelopment #PeopleOperations #PerformanceManagement #ProfessionalServices The base salary range represents a good faith and reasonable estimate of the range at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be dependent on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant work experience, qualifications, internal peer equity, and market and business conditions that exist when extending an offer. A discretionary bonus may be awarded in recognition of individual and company performance. In addition, Appian provides generous benefits offerings that include a 401(k) plan with company match, flexible time off, paid parental leave, medical, dental, and vision plans, life insurance, disability insurance, wellness programs, flexible spending accounts, health savings account contributions, an employee referral bonus program, and learning and development resources. Certain positions may be eligible for equity awards. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation, commission, bonus, or benefit plans. Base Salary Range $100,000 - $200,000 USD Tools and Resources Training and Development: During onboarding, we focus on equipping new hires with the skills and knowledge for success through department-specific training. Continuous learning is a central focus at Appian, with dedicated mentorship and the First-Friend program being widely utilized resources for new hires. Growth Opportunities: Appian provides a diverse array of growth and development opportunities, including our leadership program tailored for new and aspiring managers, a comprehensive library of specialized department training through Appian University, skills based training, and tuition reimbursement for those aiming to advance their education. This commitment ensures that employees have access to a holistic range of development opportunities. Community: We’ll immerse you into our community rooted in respect starting on day one. Appian fosters inclusivity through our 8 employee-led affinity groups . These groups help employees build stronger internal and external networks by planning social, educational, and outreach activities to connect with Appianites and larger initiatives throughout the company. Benefits Appian offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, wellbeing, and financial future. Benefits may include health coverage, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with free mental health support, life and disability insurance, an Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), a retirement/pension plan, wellness dollars, tuition reimbursement, family-forming benefits and more. Benefits vary by country—please ask your Talent Acquisition contact for details specific to the location you are applying to. About Appian Appian provides AI automation for mission-critical work. We automate complex processes in large enterprises and governments. Our platform is known for its unique reliability and scale. We’ve been automating processes for more than 25 years and understand enterprise operations like no one else. For more information, visit appian.com . [Nasdaq: APPN] Follow Appian: LinkedIn , Youtube , Instagram , Facebook Appian is an equal opportunity employer that strives to attract and retain the best talent. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Appian provides reasonable accommodations to applicants in accordance with all applicable laws. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at ReasonableAccommodations@appian.com . Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address. Appian's Applicant & Candidate Privacy Notice