Jess Cossens Consulting

Who we are

I'm Jess.  An experienced strategy consultant with a passion for supporting purpose-driven clients. I am a management consultant who uses strategic thinking and execution skills to make a positive difference. I am motivated and energetic and passionate about creating a more equitable, accessible world for everyone to enjoy.

Good strategic decision making should account for both logical and human elements.

My engineering training enables me to view problems through a systems-lens, understanding how disparate components fit together to drive a given result. I logically break down challenges and dive into detailed analysis to identify relevant, actionable insights. 

But we know that life is not all data and logic; our society is made up of humans with their emotions, experiences and biases. I use my humanities training to explore challenges from a more holistic, more complex, more human perspective.
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My facilitation and influencing skills enable me to manage complex stakeholder relationships and to craft compelling cases for change. To achieve real results, one must engage the hearts, minds and hands of doers and decision makers alike.

What we do

My services include:

Expert facilitation
When working on any social change mission, you will inevitably be working within a complex web of stakeholders bringing different expertise and with varying agendas. I facilitate outcomes-focused workshops, designed to explore challenges, solve problems, and align diverse groups on what has to be done.

Strategy and planning
In this ever-changing world, it's important to be deliberate in the strategic choices you make for your organisation. I collaborate with your team to clarify and articulate your purpose, vision and values, your strategic aspirations and choices, and your plan to bring it all to life.

Organisational transformation and operating model effectiveness
If your strategy is your roadmap, your operating model is your vehicle, and you want a well-oiled machine to get you where you want to be going. Whether it's individual teams and processes, or organisation-wide transformation, I work with clients to point everyone in the same direction, striving for aligned goals that effectively deliver on your mission.

Diversity, equity and inclusion
Inclusion matters. Inclusive organisations perform better commercially. Inclusive programs have greater impact. Inclusive approaches can have a positive impact that ripples through our society. I support workplaces to assess their DEI performance through a lens of intersectional gender equity, and then align on strategies to make real, tangible improvements. I also work with clients designing and delivering programs and services to identify enhancements that improve accessibility for all.

Program design and evaluation
Good program design comes back to the problem you're solving and your approach to solving it. I work with organisations to design their programs with the final impact goal in mind, and to set up evaluation frameworks based on sound program logic.

Project management and delivery
Sometimes the most important projects can be neglected amongst the whirlwind of urgent, everyday activity. If you need a strong project manager or some extra capacity to deliver on your strategic projects, I’m very happy to roll up my sleeves to support your team to get things done.

I am available for short term projects, longer term contracts and flexible models (e.g. retainers).