This is the generic, name-free template for the Consultant track — APB's client-facing, full-cycle (360) recruiters. It maps the progression Executive Consultant → Senior Consultant → Principal Consultant, with Managing Director as the distinct leadership capstone (its own PD — see Section 08). A 360 Consultant owns the client and the Job Order end-to-end: BD, qualification, delivery, offer and close. Before issuing:
- Replace every [SQUARE BRACKET] placeholder with the individual's details — name, tier, desk, vertical, reporting line, dates, and the tier's quarterly numbers.
- Pick the operative tier (Section 05). Keep the tier card that applies as the scope of record; the others remain visible as the progression map.
- 4-floor model — Cash, Activity, Pipeline, Quality (Section 06). Stretch = Goal + 1 placement (EC/SC); PC stretch = Goal + 2, and PC also carries desk-level floors.
- Optional overlays — EC may carry a Desk Lead in Training overlay for a new-desk launch; PC typically carries the Desk Lead role. Keep or remove per the seat.
- Targets are bracketed — drop in real numbers per person/desk at signing; canonical source is the Cockpit / HQ KPI calculator.
- Compensation is handled off-PD — base, commission rate, and threshold mechanic sit in the employment contract / offer letter, attached at signing.
Why this track matters
[Consultant Name], this Position Description sits on APB's Consultant track — the firm's client-facing, full-cycle recruiters. As a 360 Consultant you own the whole arc: winning the business, taking the brief, running the search, and closing the placement. You own the client relationship and the Job Order; the Talent Partner track owns the candidate side of the work you allocate to them.
This track is a real ladder. You start as an Executive Consultant building the full cycle, grow into a Senior Consultant carrying your own number and BD pipeline, and progress to Principal Consultant — the senior consulting tier, typically the Desk Lead, accountable for the desk. The Managing Director capstone sits above the track as a leadership and ownership seat. This document defines what good looks like at each tier and the gate to the next.
The Consultant track
Desk Lead in Training (an EC overlay, for new-desk launches) and Desk Lead (usually held by the Principal) are operational roles, not career levels — a hat on top of the tier. The career ladder is EC → SC → PC; the Desk Lead role can be carried at PC, or temporarily at EC/SC where the firm needs it.
What a 360 Consultant owns
- Business Development — win and grow accounts: prospecting, the Client Briefing, qualifying with RAPID, and converting prospects to signed Terms of Business.
- Own the Job Order — every JO you win is yours: brief quality, search strategy, the shortlist, and the commercial outcome.
- Run the search — directly, or by allocating the candidate side to a Talent Partner. You stay accountable for the result either way.
- Manage the client — interviews, feedback, offer management and negotiation. Once a candidate is through their first interview, you carry the process to close.
- Apply the standards — RAPID, 6Rs, fee structure, locked naming. ECs apply them; SCs and PCs increasingly set the standard on their desk.
When a Talent Partner is allocated to your Job Order, you give them task direction on that JO (a dotted line) — the brief, priorities, feedback. You do not manage them: their people management, standards and SLA sit with delivery leadership (the Team Leader / MD). The handoff is clean — the Talent Partner sources, screens and sets the candidate up to the first interview; you take it from there.
Where you sit
The desk runs a shared-book model — accounts belong to the desk, led by the Desk Lead (usually the Principal). Candidate delivery is supported by the Talent Partner track, allocated to your Job Orders by delivery leadership. A Principal who holds the Desk Lead role reports to the Managing Director and carries desk-level accountability (Section 05).
The tiers in detail
The entry tier of the track and a ~12-month stepping role to Senior Consultant. AU Executive Consultants generate their own Job Orders and carry their own Pipeline Floor.
- Own your work — practise BD, win JOs, run searches end-to-end to APB's standard.
- 4-floor model — Cash, Activity, Pipeline, Quality. Stretch = Goal + 1.
- Optional overlays — a Ramp Period for new hires; a Desk Lead in Training overlay if launching a new desk.
- Path forward — Senior Consultant. Path A: SC under a Principal; Path B: SC plus the Desk Lead role.
The second consulting tier. Carries a higher cash bar, own BD pipeline, and own Pipeline Floor — operating with greater autonomy and partnering with the desk's Principal.
- Carry your own number — full 360 ownership, higher Goal than EC.
- 4-floor model — Cash, Activity, Pipeline, Quality. Stretch = Goal + 1.
- Begin mentoring — role-model the standard for ECs on the desk.
- Path forward — Principal Consultant, which requires a desk-lead opportunity or firm growth creating a second-Principal slot.
The senior consulting tier — the highest personal billings on the track — and typically the Desk Lead, accountable for the desk's number.
- Two tiers of accountability — your own personal billings (Part A) and, as Desk Lead, the desk's overall performance (Part B).
- 4-floor model + desk-level floors — your personal floors plus the desk's. Stretch = Goal + 2 (wider than EC/SC).
- Desk Lead overlay — Authority Matrix, EC pipeline-allocation responsibility on the desk, BD strategy and ICP, and desk activity cadence. Mentoring is required.
- Reports to the Managing Director.
Floor · Goal · Stretch
The four floors
All four fire independently — a consultant can be hitting cash today and still be missing on the leading indicators that determine next quarter.
A Principal holding the Desk Lead role carries the four personal floors plus desk-level floors — the desk's cash against its quarterly target and the desk's pipeline health. Part A is the Principal's own number; Part B is the desk's.
If a floor is breached
Performance management is structured, not punitive. The progression below applies when any floor is breached for the duration noted.
How the work is done at APB
| Standard | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Fee Structure | 18.5% contingent · 25% retained · 6-month guarantee on packages $100K+ · 3-month guarantee on packages under $100K · 4-week exclusive right to replace under guarantee. EC applies; SC/PC may negotiate within authority. |
| Locked Naming | Client Briefing · Search Brief · Terms of Business · Candidate Profile · Briefing Deck · JO · Job Opp · BD. No deviation. |
| Account Lifecycle | Prospect → Signed Prospect → Client. Accounts belong to the desk under the shared-book model. |
| Codex Modules | M1 (BD) · M2 (TA) · M3 (Job Order Delivery) · M4 (Invoicing & Commercial). Full-cycle fluency across all four is the bar. |
| Commercial authority | ECs escalate pricing/terms outside standard via the Desk Lead to the MD. SCs and the Desk Lead carry defined authority; final fee on a desk sits with the Desk Lead. |
Where this track leads
- Minimum 1 year tenure at APB.
- Two consecutive quarters of target attainment at the EC Goal — not a one-off.
- Unsupervised delivery — running JOs end-to-end without the Desk Lead being hands-on.
- Demonstrated BD capability — winning and growing your own work.
- Sustained top-tier billings as an SC — the personal number is no longer in question.
- Desk-lead readiness — mentoring, commercial judgment, and ICP/BD strategy for a desk.
- An opening — a desk-lead opportunity or firm growth creating a second-Principal slot. PC is gated by structure, not just performance.
Beyond Principal sits the Managing Director — firm leadership, P&L, and owner economics across all desks. It is not simply the top rung of the consultant ladder: it carries the firm's Three Pillars (People & Performance · Commercial & Growth · Operating System), firm-level KPIs, and no personal placement target. It has its own Position Description — this track leads up to it, not into it.
How we show up
Compensation
Sign-off
This Position Description is to be read alongside (a) your employment contract and (b) the APB Codex, the firm's operating system covering frameworks, naming standards, and module-level playbooks. A new PD is issued on each tier promotion; the Managing Director capstone has its own PD. Material changes between reviews are issued as a revised PD with a new effective date.