A consulting manager helps businesses to improve performances by finding problems and creating a solution plan. Most of the time, a consultant manager is hired to solve specific business problems and improve performance as required by the client.
In essence, management consultants come in, they gather information, interview employees, analyze their data, and offer expert advice on how to solve problems and improve performance and functionality in a business.
What Does a Consultant Manager Do?
Consulting managers provide objective analysis and advice on how a business can change to become more successful.
After being hired, the consulting manager goes into a company and assesses the situation. The manager mainly focuses on four areas of a business, the structure, strategy, operations, and management.
Once enough information has been collected from the company and analyzed, she makes a report on her findings and recommends possible solutions.
From there, the consultant manager devises a plan to implement the best solutions. The process can be simplified into six steps:
● Define the problem that needs to be solved
● Decide how to investigate the problem
● Gather data through interviews and information
● Analyze the data
● Determine the best solution based on the results of data and expertise
● Implement and assist with the changes
Once the changes have been put into place and the business is functioning in the new program, the job is over, and the consultant manager will move on to another job.
Management Consulting Areas of Expertise
A consulting manager can specialize in just one or two areas of business or offer services for an entire company. This varies by management consulting firm. Departments that make use of management consultants include the following:
● Marketing
● Operations
● Logistics
● E-commerce
● Business strategies
● Human resources
● Manufacturing
● Information technology (IT)
● Finance
● Management
What Are the Job Responsibilities of a Consultant Manager?
The nature of consulting management requires that consultant managers come into a business, assess the current situation, and recommend a plan to improve the company. This takes skills, experience, expert training, and a bit of natural talent. Here are some of the responsibilities that management consultants can expect to have:
● Research and gather data to assess the organization
● Analyze data
● Interview employees, team leaders, and management
● Identify problems and come up with solutions
● Presentation of findings and recommendations to the client
● Devise a plan for implementing solutions
● Help implement solutions through further support and training
● Lead and manage the team in charge of implementing changes
● Continued communication with the client for updates and decisions
Normally, a consulting manager travels to a company and stay there from the initial phase until the changes have been implemented and the business is running on its own with the new procedures in place.
This job carries a great deal of pressure because the client is counting on the expertise of the consultant to deliver results within a specific timeframe.
What Are Key Consultant Manager Skills?
A consultant manager enjoys problem-solving and has a desire to help businesses improve their functionality and performance. The skills that enable a consulting manager to do an effective job include the following:
● Team player
● Oral and written communication skills
● Creativity
● Innovation
● Understanding of business environment
● Analytical skills
● Strategic planning and problem-solving skills
● Ability to perform under pressure
Because a consultant manager will enter a business and get to work interviewing employees and gathering information to analyze the current environment, these skills are all critical to success.
How to Become a Consultant Manager
Consultant managers need a bachelor’s degree in business administration, human resources, accounting, IT, marketing, or statistics. If you want to specialize in a particular type of management consulting, it is a good idea to get your degree in that field.
In addition, consultant managers should have some experience in the industry. For example, holding a job in operations management or human resources will give you valuable experience within those departments. It will also show you the kinds of problems that occur within companies.
Through your job experience, you can demonstrate that you have the skills to drive performance and create positive change within an organization. Consultant firms are looking for individuals who are enthusiastic about change. They want to see that you have the ability to think strategically and able to solve problems.
What to Expect as a Consultant Manager
It is always helpful to go into a career with an idea of what to expect in terms of commitment, pressure, and other related items. Becoming a consultant manager carries its own set of challenges and commitments.
For those who truly are passionate about the process of change, the job can be a dream job. However, if you dislike travel or being away from home or if you are shy and dislike pressure, you may want to rethink this career choice. Take a look at what to expect from this career:
● High levels of responsibility and pressure: You will be responsible for the process of assessing the current situation and designing a plan to make it better. Your client will have high expectations, and you will have deadlines.
● Travel: Most of the time, consultants travel to the client’s location for the duration of the project. This can involve spending a lot of time away from home.
● Development opportunities: You will normally have access to and be expected to learn through development opportunities that provide specialized training to help you develop your expertise in this field.
● Hours: The nature of this career is not a nine-to-five job, but it is a project-to-project type job. There will be deadlines and expectations, which may require that you work long hours during particular phases of a project.
How Much Can a Consultant Manager Make?
Management consulting is one of the best paying jobs in consulting. The average salary is around $92,000, but it varies depending on the type of firm. If you join a big firm, you will follow a path from entry to senior partner. The salary progression can follow this course:
1. Entry-level: Analyst: $70,000 to $100,000
2. After MBA: Associate: $150,000 to $200,000
3. Manager: $200,000 to $300,000
4. Senior Manager: $300,000 to $400,000
5. Junior Partner: $500,000 to $900,000
6. Senior Partner: $1,000,000 or more
With a career path such as this, the field of management consulting is very competitive. If you want to become a consultant manager, you must have industry experience and be motivated, and organized. You also need to show you have the required skills, drive, and confidence to be successful.
Final Thoughts
Management consulting can be the perfect job for someone who loves to use analytical thinking to solve problems and implement changes. It takes a great deal of determination, motivation, and enthusiasm, mixed with a bit of vision to become a success in this field.
If you have accumulated a lot of experience working in companies and understand how businesses run from the inside to outside, you can become a consulting manager.
Consultant managing is a lucrative and rewarding job. You will have a lot of independence, but you will need to meet strict deadlines and high expectations. However, if you love to create solutions and implement change, this job will be very rewarding.