Consultant Job Description
  • Publish: April 2, 2021
  • Author: StrongerTeams Editorial
  • Reading Time:

Consultant Job Description

A Consultant is a high-level resource who is an expert at analyzing performance, identifying opportunities, and suggesting improvements regarding various aspects of an organization. 

A Consultant will possess expertise in a wide range of business processes and management techniques. 

The Consultant’s job is multi-faceted, and many Consultants will choose to specialize in a few key areas, such as Process Optimization, Sales Optimization, or Resource Management. Whatever the specialization, the Consultant needs both theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience to be effective.

Often as a third party without previous intimate knowledge of the organization, a Consultant is brought in to accomplish a specific task. They must also be quick to grasp the complexities of an organization and its workflow, as well as be able to garner support from key stakeholders within the organization.

Successful Consultants are highly skilled and highly regarded individuals who introduce and drive measurable business improvement to an organization.

Similar Job Titles:

IT Consultant, Recruiting Consultant, HR Consultant, Benefits Consultant

What Does a Consultant Typically Do?

A Consultant analyzes an organization, finds gaps and opportunities for improvement, suggests solutions, and helps implement them to generate positive business outcomes. This typically involves understanding every aspect of the department, division, or organization designated within the scope of the project to understand what can be improved and how. 

The implementation itself will be in collaboration with the organization’s existing structure, in which the Consultant plays a guiding role.

The Consultant’s tasks will include:

  1. Full business and financial analysis including trends, ratios, and forecasting
  2. Gap analysis versus targets
  3. Process or workflow analysis
  4. Preparation of an improvement project plan
  5. Launching the improvement process
  6. Training, coaching, and mentoring all stakeholders
  7. Monitoring and reporting progress
  8. Regular PR/IR reporting
  9. Hands-on implementation as required
  10. Preparation and delivery of a handover plan at project closeout

Full Business and Financial Analysis Including Trends, Ratios, and Forecasting

Business analysis involves in-depth data-crunching of all aspects of the department, division, or organization within the project scope to develop a complete understanding of business models, methodologies, GTM-strategies, trends, and current success.

Gap Analysis Versus Targets

Gap analysis involves identifying shortfalls while ensuring that gaps are fillable and that current targets are SMART.

Process or Workflow Analysis

The Consultant tracks the flow of work through the designated department, division, or organization to identify the root cause of the setbacks and get a full understanding of any and all constraints or barriers to improvement.

Preparation of an Improvement Project Plan

Based on the above analysis, the Consultant prepares a comprehensive project plan for improvement, including SMART targets, timelines, resources, milestones, and Critical Path to Success (CPS).

Launching the Improvement Process

The Consultant must launch the improvement process so that all stakeholders understand the process and what adjustments to the company’s way of doing business need to be made. Typically, this will be in the form of a launch event. The Consultant should plan, coordinate, and execute this event.

Training, Coaching, and Mentoring All Stakeholders

All those involved in the improvement project will require training on how to run the project, in addition to potential training on new techniques, practices, or methodologies. Training may be required on soft skills to ensure resistance from colleagues is minimized. All this also requires ongoing coaching and mentoring throughout the course of the project.

Monitoring and Reporting Progress

The Consultant runs weekly progress update meetings to evaluate project progress against the agreed timelines and CPS. They must also keep management regularly updated on the progress, as well as plan and create thorough reports for each project milestone.

Regular PR/IR Reporting

The Consultant should prepare and publish regular newsletters, podcasts, or similar internal communications to ensure all stakeholders are kept updated on the project’s progress.

Hands-On Implementation

When necessary, the Consultant must become actively involved, particularly when new processes are being introduced or when dealing with external stakeholders (clients or customers, for example).

Preparation and Delivery of a Handover Plan at Project Closeout

The Consultant must prepare and deliver a comprehensive plan for the organization for the first three months following the Consultant’s departure to ensure continuity and no loss of momentum.

Roles a Consultant Typically Collaborates With

A Consultant will work closely with the following people:

Collaborative Roles
IT ManagerHR ManagerVP of Sales
Chief Executive OfficerHR DirectorHR Operations Manager

Consultant Salary

The average earnings for a Consultant will typically be between $84,000 and $118,000 per annum in the U.S. The median is around $99,000.

What Is the Consultant Pay Difference by Location?

Average salaries for a Consultant differ by location as follows:

CityAverage Salary
San Francisco, CA$123,700
Seattle, WA$108,200
Denver, CO$100,100
Austin, TX$97,300
Washington, DC$110,200
Milwaukee, WI$98,000
Boston, MA$111,500
New York, NY$119,100

What Is the Consultant Pay Difference by Experience Level?

Depending on experience, pay will vary as follows:

Experience LevelAverage Salary
< 1 year$96,439
1–4 years$96,672
5–9 years$98,185
10–19 years$101,487
20+ years$102,218

Consultant Job Description Template

[Company Name] is looking for an experienced, analytical, and talented Consultant with a proven track record of success to help us remodel our organization.

As a Consultant with [Company Name] on a project basis, you will help us plan, implement, and drive change throughout the organization, delivering measurable improvement and a sustainable upward curve going forward.

Reporting to management, you will need to integrate yourself into the organization quickly, analyze our current business, find opportunities, and develop and implement a plan to take us to the next level.

You will be a highly experienced businessperson and manager, able to spot gaps, gain support, and get things done quickly.

Responsibilities

The Consultant’s tasks will include but are not limited to:

  • Conducting an end-to-end business analysis of our organization
  • Identifying and quantifying gaps and finding growth opportunities
  • Developing a thorough improvement plan, including targets, timelines, resources, and CPS
  • Onboarding a task team from within our organization
  • Launching the improvement plan
  • Monitoring, tracking progress, and reporting to all stakeholders regularly
  • Training, coaching, and mentoring all stakeholders
  • Hands-on involvement where required
  • Preparation of a handover plan at project closeout

Required Skill Set

The Consultant should possess the following qualifications, skills, and attributes:

  • Recognized tertiary qualification in business; MBA is an advantage
  • 10+ years’ experience in a senior management position
  • Expertise in diverse business processes across the board
  • Expert knowledge of business mapping techniques and business performance analysis
  • Proven expertise in project planning and project management
  • Strong analytical skills and a data-driven mindset
  • Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills

Hiring Resources for Ambitious Companies

  1. Need a top manager to lead a division? Check out the best executive recruiting software
  2. Attract and recruit top talent for your vacancies with the best sourcing tools for recruiters
  3. Want your top-performers to refer other qualified people into your company? Incentivize them and streamline the process with the best employee referral software
  4. Need a one-stop-shop for all HR-related activities? Check out the best HR software solutions top organizations are using
  5. Remove guesswork from your business decisions. Rely on raw data to run your business and gain valuable insights with HR analytics software
  6. Keep an eye on your business and hold every team member accountable with employee monitoring software
  7. Understand your team, boost output, and encourage the professional development of your team with employee review software
  8. Discover the best HR software solutions for small businesses that won’t cost too much
0 Shares
Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap