Job Type: FTE Location: Flexible (US-based, works closely with offshore leadership) Reports to: Chief Operating Officer Salary Range: $80,000-$130,000
Role Summary The Resource Planning & Allocation Manager is responsible for company-wide capacity planning, resource allocation, and utilization management across a multi-practice consulting organization of ~300 employees. This role owns the end-to-end resource operations system — ensuring the right people are deployed to the right work at the right time, while balancing utilization targets (75%), delivery quality, margin, and employee sustainability. This position sits within the Operations team, operates above individual practices, and acts as the single point of orchestration between:
Onshore practice-aligned teams
Offshore shared services and joint delivery model
Sales, Pre-Sales, and Delivery leadership
The Resource Planning & Allocation Manager is not an administrative staffing role. It is a strategic operations function with direct revenue, margin, and scale impact. Core Objectives
Achieve and sustain 75% company-wide utilization (blended onshore/offshore)
Establish a single, disciplined staffing and allocation system
Optimize onshore vs offshore mix to support scale and margin
Provide leadership with real-time visibility into capacity, demand, and risk
Reduce delivery friction, bench inefficiency, and last-minute staffing escalations
Key Responsibilities
1. Company-Wide Resource Planning & Allocation
Own the single intake process for all resource requests across practices:
Billable delivery
Revenue-linked pre-sales
Strategic internal initiatives
Validate all requests for:
Role clarity
Skill alignment
Start date and duration
Onshore vs offshore suitability
Balance competing priorities across practices based on:
Revenue impact
Client commitments
Utilization targets
Strategic initiatives
Outcome: No ad-hoc staffing. No bypassing the system. Predictable delivery. 2. Utilization Management & Optimization (75% Target)
Track and manage utilization across:
Company
Practice
Role
Onshore vs offshore
Actively identify:
Underutilized resources
Bench aging risks
Over-allocation and burnout signals
Drive proactive redeployment of resources to improve utilization
Partner with Practice Leads to rebalance staffing when utilization drops or spikes
Outcome: Utilization is actively managed, not reviewed after the fact. 3. Offshore Shared Services Coordination
Serve as the primary onshore interface to the Offshore Resource Manager
Coordinate demand planning for offshore shared services across practices
Enforce staffing guardrails:
Clear role definitions
Ramp expectations
Allocation discipline
Ensure offshore resources are:
Appropriately leveraged
Properly utilized
Allocated based on company-wide priorities
Important: The Offshore Resource Manager handles day-to-day offshore staffing logistics. The Resource Planning & Allocation Manager owns global orchestration and prioritization. 4. Pre-Sales & Pipeline Alignment
Partner with Sales and Pre-Sales leadership to:
Validate staffing feasibility for opportunities
Assess start-date realism
Identify capacity constraints early
Ensure pre-sales resourcing is:
Intentional
Time-bound
Aligned to revenue outcomes
Prevent over-allocation of top performers into excessive pre-sales cycles
Outcome: Fewer fire drills. Higher conversion with realistic delivery commitments.
5. Margin & Cost Discipline
Optimize team composition:
Senior vs junior mix
Onshore vs offshore balance
Identify margin risk due to:
Overstaffing
Skill mismatches
Prolonged non-billable allocations
Partner with Finance and Ops to:
Track revenue leakage
Flag staffing inefficiencies early
Outcome: Staffing decisions support growth and profitability.
6. Workforce Forecasting & Hiring Signals
Maintain rolling forecasts:
30 / 60 / 90-day demand outlook
Practice-level capacity gaps
Provide hiring recommendations based on:
Sustained demand trends
Skill shortages
Offshore leverage opportunities
Inform decisions on:
Full-time vs contract
Onshore vs offshore hiring
Role seniority mix
Outcome: Hiring becomes proactive, not reactive.
7. Governance, SOPs & Cadence
Define and enforce SOPs for:
Resource requests
Allocation approvals
Escalations
Swaps and backfills
Run structured cadences:
Weekly utilization & bench review
Monthly capacity and forecast review
Ensure consistency across practices while allowing for practical flexibility
Outcome: Resource operations run as a system, not tribal knowledge.
8. Reporting, Analytics & Leadership Visibility
Own dashboards and reporting for:
Utilization trends
Bench aging
Allocation by practice
Offshore leverage
Provide leadership with:
Clear insights
Risks
Options (not just problems)
Partner with Ops and Finance to align metrics across systems (PSA, CRM, etc.).
Required Experience & Skills Experience
8–12+ years in consulting, professional services, or IT services organizations
Direct experience with:
Resource management
Capacity planning
Utilization tracking
Experience operating in:
Multi-practice environments
Offshore / nearshore delivery models
Comfortable supporting organizations in the 250–500 employee range
Core Skills
Strong understanding of consulting delivery models
Utilization, margin, and revenue math
Workforce planning and forecasting
Process design and operational discipline
Advanced Excel / PSA / reporting tools
Critical Soft Skills
Confident, neutral decision-making
Ability to push back constructively
Trusted partner to senior leadership
Calm under pressure
Systems thinker with strong judgment
Success Metrics (How This Role Is Measured)
Company-wide utilization sustained at ~75%
Reduced bench aging
Improved offshore utilization and leverage
Fewer last-minute staffing escalations
Improved delivery predictability
Positive feedback from Practice Leads and Delivery leaders
Cyclotron is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Cyclotron values diversity, equity and inclusion, and aims to practice DE&I in all that we do.
