Description Allied Talent Partners (ATP), a Three Cairns Group initiative, is a mission-driven, not-for-profit talent marketplace focused on solving the human capital bottlenecks slowing down sustainable development efforts in emerging economies, with an initial focus on Africa. ATP connects vetted, experienced, context-relevant professionals to high-impact opportunities in energy access and sustainable development – strengthening local capacity and fuelling economic vitality. We specialize in fixed-term, deliverable-driven engagements – from interim leadership and generalist projects to niche technical expertise – handling project scoping, talent vetting and matching, contracting, payroll, and compliance so that our clients can focus on impact.

Project High-Level Overview The client is seeking a Staffing Specialist to act as a central coordination point for the deployment and utilisation of advisory talent across projects. The role exists to ensure structured staffing decisions, minimal idle capacity, and strong alignment between project demand and available talent in a fast-paced advisory environment.

This is a hands-on operational role with responsibility for actively managing utilisation, resolving competing staffing demands, and strengthening consistency in staffing processes across teams. The position plays a critical role in maintaining delivery momentum and supporting commercial effectiveness by aligning staffing decisions with both live projects and forward-looking pipeline.

The ideal candidate will bring experience from top-tier consulting environments and demonstrate a structured, process-driven approach to workforce planning, with the confidence to operate independently and drive consistency across stakeholders.

Role and Responsibilities

Role: Staffing & Utilisation SpecialistDirect Report: TBCCandidates Required: 1

Key Deliverables Staffing allocation, utilisation & pipeline alignment

• Manage and optimise allocation of advisory staff across projects to minimise idle capacity
• Monitor utilisation and actively manage gaps through reallocation, roll-offs, or forward staffing
• Maintain visibility of upcoming project and deal pipeline, aligning staffing ahead of demand
• Partner with business development and project leads to translate pipeline into staffing requirements
• Ensure bench time is directed toward proposals, internal priorities, or value-adding work

Coordination & staffing decision management

• Act as a central coordination point for staffing decisions across teams and leadership
• Match talent profiles to project requirements across teams, geographies, and workstreams
• Resolve competing staffing demands and prioritisation conflicts across projects

Process consistency & ways of working

• Promote consistent application of staffing processes and ways of working across teams
• Strengthen structure and clarity in how staffing decisions are made and executed
• Support teams in following established staffing practices to ensure smooth delivery

Reporting & workforce visibility

• Track and report on utilisation metrics, capacity trends, and staffing risks
• Maintain an up-to-date view of team availability, skills, and deployment status across the advisory pool
• Support capacity planning by identifying hiring needs, stretch risks, and underutilisation trends

Requirements Experience Required:

• Experience in staffing, resource management, or workforce planning within consulting or advisory environments
• Background working with or within firms such as McKinsey, Bain, Dalberg, or similar
• Proven track record of managing talent pools and deployment across multiple projects
• Experience operating in fast-paced, advisory-driven environments

Technical Requirements

• Strong understanding of staffing models, utilisation management, and capacity planning
• Ability to make structured, data-informed staffing decisions
• Familiarity with staffing processes and governance frameworks
• Ability to operate independently without requiring detailed instruction

Other Skills

• Strong organisational and coordination capabilities
• Clear and confident communication across teams and stakeholders
• Ability to influence and guide teams toward structured ways of working
• Comfortable working across time zones and in dynamic environments

Working Arrangement Location: Remote, with alignment to East, West, or South Africa time zones and US

Terms Of Agreement Start Date: TBC

Contracting Period: 3 months