Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between business analyst-consultants and functional consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a business analyst-consultant, becoming a functional consultant takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a business analyst-consultant has an average salary of $90,127, which is higher than the $85,317 average annual salary of a functional consultant.
The top three skills for a business analyst-consultant include strong analytical, business process and data analysis. The most important skills for a functional consultant are business process, prototyping, and ERP.
| Business Analyst-Consultant | Functional Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $90,127 | $85,317 |
| Hourly rate | $43.33 | $41.02 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 166,560 | 51,066 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A business analyst-consultant is responsible for overseeing the project management and ensuring that the operations meet the agreed-upon project deliverables. Business analyst-consultants closely coordinate with the clients for their specifications and requirements, monitoring the resources and processes for the project completion, and aligning those to the clients' budget goals. A business analyst-consultant helps the development team on strategizing techniques for brand promotions with minimal costs with maximum quality and productivity. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on identifying business opportunities to drive revenues and increase profitability.
A functional consultant is responsible for supporting a team of business analysts and software engineers in designing and creating a software system and related computer applications, following the specifications of a client on their software needs. Functional consultants analyze different technological approaches, evaluate technical solutions, and utilize the best system method to meet the requirements of a client efficiently. A functional consultant performs multiple diagnostic tests to ensure the optimal performance of the system. They should also have excellent communication skills, especially in coordinating with the clients on updates and adjustments as needed.
Business analyst-consultants and functional consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Analyst-Consultant | Functional Consultant | |
| Average salary | $90,127 | $85,317 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $122,000 | Between $65,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | BNY Mellon | Workday |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a business analyst-consultant and a functional consultant in terms of educational background:
| Business Analyst-Consultant | Functional Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | - |
Here are the differences between business analyst-consultants' and functional consultants' demographics:
| Business Analyst-Consultant | Functional Consultant | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9% | Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 25.2% White, 51.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 8% |