| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | CA and Consulting |
| Level | Manager |
| Reports to | Associate Director (Consulting) |
| Direct reports | Consulting Manager, Senior Consultant, Consultant |
| Experience | 6 to 9 years in consulting, including experience owning engagement commercials |
Engagement Manager job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Engagement Manager
Department: CA and Consulting
Reports to: Associate Director (Consulting)
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
An Engagement Manager owns a client engagement end to end: the relationship, the commercials and the delivery. They agree scope and fees, run the engagement to margin, manage the client's expectations, and answer to the account lead for the result. Where a consulting manager focuses on execution, the engagement manager also carries the profit, the billing and the renewal. A good Engagement Manager keeps the client trusting the firm, the engagement profitable, and the next piece of work already in view before this one closes.
Key responsibilities
- Agree the scope, timeline, fee and payment milestones for the engagement, and put them in a clear statement of work.
- Own the client relationship through the engagement, managing expectations and keeping the sponsor confident in the firm.
- Run the engagement to its budget and margin, tracking effort, cost and billing against the plan every week.
- Lead or oversee delivery, making sure the team produces the outcome promised in the statement of work.
- Handle scope changes commercially: raise change orders, agree extra fees and stop unpaid scope creep.
- Raise invoices on milestones, follow up on receivables, and keep debtor days within target for the engagement.
- Identify follow on work during delivery and shape it into the next proposal with the account lead.
- Manage engagement risk: independence, confidentiality, deliverable liability and client dependencies.
- Report engagement health, margin, risks and renewal outlook to the account lead each month.
- Set goals for the delivery team and give feedback on their performance at engagement close.
Requirements
- MBA, CA, or a relevant postgraduate degree
- Commercial understanding of consulting engagements
- A project or account management certification is an advantage
- 6 to 9 years in consulting, including experience owning engagement commercials
KRAs and KPIs for a Engagement 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 |
|---|---|
| Engagement margin | Gross margin on the engagement delivered at or above the agreed target |
| Client satisfaction | Sponsor gives a positive review at each milestone and at engagement close |
| Revenue continuity | Follow on or renewal work identified before the current engagement ends |
| Billing and collection | Invoices raised on milestone dates and debtor days kept within target |
| Scope discipline | Every material scope change captured in a signed change order before work begins |
| Delivery outcome | Statement of work commitments met with no unresolved client complaint |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: MS PowerPoint, MS Excel, CRM software, Project and billing tools, Time tracking tools.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Associate Director (Consulting), Director (Consulting), Account Director
Interview questions for a Engagement Manager
- How do you set the fee and margin for a new engagement, and what do you do when the client wants a lower price?
- The client asks for extra work that is not in the statement of work. How do you handle it commercially?
- An engagement is delivering well but the margin is slipping. Where do you look first?
- How do you build a renewal before the current engagement even ends?
- A milestone invoice is overdue and the client is unhappy about a delay. How do you manage both?
- Tell me about an engagement where you had to reset the client's expectations. How did you do it?
Managing a Engagement Manager in ZeniaHR
Hire and manage your CA and consulting team in one place
Post the role, onboard the new hire, and track attendance, leave and KRAs in ZeniaHR. Free for your first 50 employees.
Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What does an engagement manager do?
An engagement manager owns a client engagement end to end: the relationship, the commercials and the delivery. They agree scope and fees, run the engagement to margin, manage scope changes, raise invoices and shape the next piece of work. They answer to the account lead for the engagement's profit and for keeping the client confident in the firm.
What is the difference between an engagement manager and a project manager?
A project manager keeps a project on scope, schedule and budget. An engagement manager does that and also owns the commercial side: pricing, margin, billing, change orders and the client relationship. The engagement manager carries the profit and the renewal, so the role is broader than pure project delivery.
Who does an engagement manager report to?
An engagement manager usually reports to an associate director or director who owns the client account or the practice. In smaller firms they may report to a partner directly. The reporting line is the person who owns the wider account and to whom the engagement's margin and client relationship must answer.