Head of Consulting - Forschungszulage (m/f/d)
Leonid is proud to be retained by a leading international consulting group to appoint a Head of Consulting (m/f/d) for its German business.
About the business
Our client is a well established international consulting group specialising in financial efficiency and public funding advisory. With thousands of employees across multiple countries, the group supports organisations globally in securing funding for innovation, driving growth, and improving profitability.
In Germany, the business has built a market leading position in R&D tax incentives (Forschungszulage) and supports a broad range of companies with end to end advisory services across eligibility assessment, technical documentation, financial calculation, submission, and defence. This capability is a core pillar of the German business and central to its continued growth strategy.
To support the next phase of growth, the group is seeking a Head of Consulting with deep Forschungszulage expertise to lead and further develop its German consulting organisation.
The role
As Head of Consulting Germany, you will take responsibility for the strategic, operational, and people leadership of the German consulting organisation, with a clear focus on Forschungszulage delivery excellence at scale.
You will lead a growing, specialist team of consultants across financial and technical consulting, ensuring high-quality, compliant, and consistent Forschungszulage delivery, while building scalable structures to support further growth.
This role requires strong personal credibility in R&D tax incentives, combined with proven leadership experience. You will set standards, guide complex cases, and develop the team — rather than acting as a generalist or purely commercial leader.
You will report directly to the CEO and operate within a fully remote working model.
Key responsibilities
- Full disciplinary and functional leadership of the German consulting team, with a strong emphasis on Forschungszulage specialists
- Ownership and continuous development of Forschungszulage methodologies, quality standards, and delivery processes
- Further evolution of consulting structures to support scalable, compliant, and efficient delivery
- People leadership including mentoring, performance management, and capability development within a specialist advisory environment
- Ownership of consulting performance KPIs and contribution to revenue performance
- Selective hands on involvement in complex, strategic Forschungszulage cases
- Acting as a senior escalation point for key clients, authorities, and external stakeholders
- Close collaboration with senior management, sales, and business development (with limited direct sales involvement)
- External representation of the business as a credible authority in Forschungszulage and R&D incentives
Candidate profile
- Several years of deep, hands-on experience in R&D tax incentives, with a strong and demonstrable focus on the German Forschungszulage
- Proven experience managing end-to-end Forschungszulage engagements, including technical assessment, financial calculation, submission, and interaction with authorities
- Demonstrated leadership experience leading and developing consulting teams within a specialised advisory environment
- Strong people leadership capability combined with a performance-driven mindset
- Able to translate complex regulatory and technical topics into structured, scalable consulting solutions
- Pragmatic, hands-on leadership style with strong execution skills
- Confident communicator, comfortable engaging with senior stakeholders, clients, and executives
- Strategic thinker who can operate effectively at both strategic and operational levels
- Fluent English required; German highly advantageous
Why consider this opportunity
- Senior leadership role with direct ownership of Forschungszulage consulting excellence in Germany
- High level of autonomy and trust, reporting directly to the CEO
- Fully remote working model
- Opportunity to shape, professionalise, and scale a specialist consulting organisation
- Backed by a stable, international group with strong entrepreneurial spirit
- Competitive, performance-oriented compensation package