PA organizes career paths across six broad areas: consulting, corporate functions like HR, finance, and marketing, design engineering and science, digital and data, early careers, and leadership. Across all of them, the company positions its people as the real differentiator, with an emphasis on adapting quickly, empowering colleagues, and working together to fuel both individual and collective growth.

PA's purpose, believing in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future, extends into how people are expected to work day to day: adapting constantly, challenging each other constructively, and diving into unfamiliar problems together. The company frames this less as a slogan and more as a working style, one built around bringing bright people and breakthrough technology together to deliver real results for clients, communities, and the wider world.

PA runs a dedicated early careers track built to spark curiosity and set new joiners on a path to long-term success, alongside a leadership track for people ready to take on direction-setting roles later on. Learning is treated as continuous rather than a one-time onboarding exercise: employees have access to a mix of internal and external training programs so they can shape their own development and build skills at their own pace.

The hiring process typically starts with an online application, including a CV and, for design roles, a portfolio, followed by an introductory call with a recruiter to discuss fit in more detail. From there, candidates move into assessments and interviews tailored to the specific role, which can include online tests, technical assessments, assessment centres, case studies, group exercises, or competency-based interviews, with at least one interview conducted face-to-face in a local office where possible. Final interviews are typically held with a Partner or function lead, and PA asks that candidates avoid using AI tools like note-takers or meeting assistants during interview sessions to keep the process authentic and get a genuine sense of each person's thinking.

PA operates a hybrid working model that generally expects two days a week in the office or on a client site, though some client assignments may require more time on-site depending on the role. Benefits vary by location but typically include healthcare coverage, generous annual leave with the option to buy extra days, a company pension, life assurance, income protection, and PA shares, alongside up to three paid volunteering days a year and a Give as You Earn charitable giving scheme.

PA frames inclusion and equality as an extension of its core purpose, aiming to build a workplace that values human difference and diverse ways of thinking so everyone can do their best work. The company says it recruits, retains, rewards, and develops people based solely on their abilities and contributions, without regard to characteristics like age, disability, religion, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status, and it actively welcomes applications from underrepresented groups.