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Management consultant

Works to improve an organisation's position or profile or a particular section such as IT, human resources or production.

Job description

Management consultants work with a wide variety of clients providing independent advice and guidance. They are called in from time to time for specific assignments as part of normal management practice in a similar fashion to architects, designers and lawyers being engaged when the need arises. They frequently tackle problems which confront any individual client only once in a decade or more. They can assist a new business start-up, and work with established businesses supporting them to develop, grow and become more competitive. Consultants can operate as specialists or generalists, but all typically provide services across a variety of industry sectors in the following areas:

Strategy
Programme management
Operations
Human resources
Change management.

Management consultancy firms can range from those that offer end-to-end solution provision, to niche firms that offer specialist skills and knowledge. Whether specialists or generalists, consultants use four key resources: objectivity, broad experience, analytical skill and full-time attention to each assignment.

Work activities

Fulfilling business needs that cannot be undertaken successfully by the client due to lack of time or other resources
Using their independence to manage difficult or political situations on behalf of their client, often using change management expertise and human resource knowledge
Gaining an independent and innovative overview of businesses in order to identify areas of improvement or development, stimulating the client to change or adopt desired practices.