Career Manager

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 - Chennai

Chennai, India | Work Model: On-site

Guide our Chennai 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 our 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 to 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 one-on-one counsel to 50 consultants, promoting a positive and productive work environment.

• 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.

• 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 in a place characterized by ambiguity and unknowns. You lead with questions, not only answers.
• Passion for continuous improvement.
• Possess humility and a continual drive for learning.
• Collaborative and supportive of others; you do not view the world as a zero-sum game.

• 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.

A market leader in business process management and case management software, Appian delivers an enterprise application platform that unites users with their data, processes, and collaborations.