Strategic Talent Consulting
Turning business strategy into talent strategy.
Whether growth or transformation, new market entry, succession planning or organisational design, we help turn commercial objectives into practical talent, workforce and capability strategies.
Our role is to bring independent thinking, market perspective and practical experience to the decisions that shape how an organisation builds and deploys talent.
Our offering
5 areas of strategic consulting.
Each engagement starts with the business question and ends with clear recommendations that leadership can act on.
Talent Strategy
A practical talent strategy aligned to the organisation's commercial objectives, priorities and growth plans.
Strategic Workforce Planning
Understanding the capabilities, roles, timing and investment required to deliver the business plan, and identifying where to build, buy, borrow or develop capability.
Operating Model Design
Designing how the Talent function should operate: structure, roles, responsibilities, governance, technology, suppliers and interaction with the wider business.
Succession & Capability Planning
Identifying critical roles and capabilities, assessing risk and readiness, and creating practical plans to strengthen organisational resilience.
Organisation & Team Design
Helping leadership determine the structure, capabilities and sequencing required when building, scaling or reshaping teams and business functions.
How the work runs
Four stages, agreed at the outset.
Define
Understand the commercial objective, the decision to be made and the stakeholders involved.
Diagnose
Assess the existing organisation, capability, data and relevant external context.
Design
Develop viable options and assess the implications, risks, investment and dependencies of each.
Recommend
Provide a clear recommendation, practical roadmap and measures of success.
What it could include
- Enterprise or functional talent strategy
- Strategic workforce plans
- Capability and skills-gap analysis
- Build, buy, borrow and develop frameworks
- Talent operating-model design
- Organisation and team structure
- Succession and critical-role planning
- Talent technology and supplier strategy
- Governance and decision frameworks
- Transformation roadmaps
- Implementation support
- Market and competitor context where relevant
When clients involve us
- The business is growing faster than its people strategy.
- A funding event, acquisition or strategic change has altered the organisation's priorities.
- A new business, product, geography or capability is being built.
- Leadership needs to understand what capabilities will be required over the next 12–24 months.
- The Talent function needs to evolve to support the next stage of growth.
- Headcount is increasing without a clear workforce plan.
- Critical roles or succession risks have not been formally assessed.
- Leadership wants an independent view before committing significant investment.
- The people plan and business plan no longer reconcile.
Business strategy first.
The right talent decision starts with the right question.
Recruitment begins with a vacancy.
Strategic talent consulting starts earlier, by asking what the organisation is trying to achieve, what capability it genuinely needs and which options are available.
Sometimes the answer is hiring. Sometimes it isn't.
Frequently asked questions
How is Strategic Talent Consulting different from recruitment?
Recruitment starts with an identified hiring requirement. Strategic Talent Consulting first tests the underlying business need, the capability required and whether hiring is actually the best solution.
Who typically uses this service?
Boards, founders, investors, CEOs, COOs, HR leaders and Talent leaders facing important decisions about growth, workforce capability, organisational structure or the effectiveness of their talent function.
What does an engagement produce?
The output depends on the question, but typically includes evidence, clearly defined options, recommendations, an implementation roadmap and measures that leadership can use to track progress.
Can you help implement the recommendations?
Yes. Rivya deliberately combines strategy with execution. We can remain involved to support implementation or provide fractional leadership where additional capability is required.
Does market intelligence still form part of the work?
Where it is relevant. External market, competitor, compensation and talent intelligence can be incorporated when it helps leadership make a better-informed decision.
Other services
Partnership over transaction
Let's talk about the decision ahead.
Tell us what the business is trying to achieve. We'll help determine the talent questions that need answering.