| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | CA and Consulting |
| Level | Manager |
| Reports to | Associate Director (Consulting) |
| Direct reports | Senior Consultant, Consultant, Consulting Analyst |
| Experience | 5 to 8 years in consulting, with two years leading project teams |
Consulting Manager job description template
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Job title: Consulting Manager
Department: CA and Consulting
Reports to: Associate Director (Consulting)
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Consulting Manager runs the delivery of advisory projects: scope, plan, team and output. They break a client problem into workstreams, staff consultants and analysts, keep the work on method and on schedule, and make sure the final deliverable answers the question the client paid for. The role owns delivery quality and the day to day client relationship, while commercial ownership sits with the engagement manager or the account lead. A good Consulting Manager turns a rough brief into a clear plan, keeps the team productive, and hands over recommendations the client can actually use.
Key responsibilities
- Turn the client brief into a delivery plan with workstreams, milestones, owners and a clear final deliverable.
- Staff the project with the right mix of consultants and analysts, and set each person's role and workload.
- Run the project day to day: track progress against the plan, remove blockers and keep the team to method.
- Structure the analysis, review the team's work, and make sure findings are evidence based and logically sound.
- Manage the client relationship during delivery, run status meetings and handle scope questions before they grow.
- Build the storyline for the final deliverable and quality check every slide, model and number before it goes out.
- Flag scope changes, risks and delays to the account lead early, with options rather than just problems.
- Coach consultants and analysts on structuring, analysis and client communication through the project.
- Capture reusable material from the engagement into the firm's knowledge base.
- Support proposals with delivery plans, staffing estimates and timelines when the account lead is bidding.
Requirements
- MBA, CA, or a relevant postgraduate degree
- Working knowledge of the practice's delivery methods
- A project management certification is an advantage
- 5 to 8 years in consulting, with two years leading project teams
KRAs and KPIs for a Consulting Manager
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| On time delivery | Project milestones and final deliverables met on the agreed dates |
| Deliverable quality | Final deliverables accepted by the client with no major rework requested |
| Team productivity | Planned versus actual effort kept within the agreed budget for the project |
| Client satisfaction | Positive client feedback at engagement close on at least 90 percent of projects |
| Scope control | Scope changes raised with the account lead before work starts, not after |
| People development | Every consultant on the team receives feedback and a rated review each project |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: MS PowerPoint, MS Excel, Project planning tools, Data visualisation tools, Collaboration tools.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Engagement Manager, Associate Director (Consulting), Practice Manager
Interview questions for a Consulting Manager
- How do you turn a vague client brief into a delivery plan with clear workstreams?
- A consultant on your team is producing weak analysis close to a deadline. How do you handle it?
- The client keeps adding requests mid project. How do you protect the timeline and the budget?
- Walk me through how you build the storyline for a final recommendation.
- How do you decide the right team size and mix for a six week engagement?
- Tell me about a project that went off track. What was the root cause and how did you recover it?
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What does a consulting manager do?
A consulting manager runs the delivery of an advisory project: the plan, the team, the analysis and the final deliverable. They break the client problem into workstreams, keep the work on schedule and on method, review the team's output and manage the client day to day. They own delivery quality while commercial ownership sits with the account lead.
What is the difference between a consulting manager and an engagement manager?
A consulting manager focuses on delivery: running the project, the team and the output. An engagement manager owns the engagement commercially as well: the client relationship, the budget, billing and change orders. In smaller firms one person may do both, but the engagement manager carries the commercial result while the consulting manager carries execution.
What skills does a consulting manager need?
A consulting manager needs strong problem structuring, project and team management, data analysis and clear communication. They must turn a rough brief into a plan, keep several consultants productive and quality check every deliverable. Client handling and the judgement to spot scope creep early matter as much as the technical analysis.