What is a change management consultant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Angela Grotto Ph.D.

A change management consultant is a person who helps organizations manage and navigate change. They are experts in identifying, planning, and implementing changes that can improve an organization's performance, productivity, and profitability. Change management consultants work with clients to develop strategies, processes, and tools that help facilitate change and ensure that it is accepted and embraced by employees. Their ultimate goal is to ensure that the changes are successful, sustainable, and beneficial to the organization.

What general advice would you give to a Change Management Consultant?

Angela Grotto Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Management, Manhattan College

When job searching, be active and persistent - Network by setting up Zoom informational calls with professionals (alumni, people with whom your family work) to learn about jobs that you are interested in or to learn about organizations where you would like to work and then follow up with them; have someone you trust who is a professional review your resume and social media profile pages; carve out time every day to apply to jobs; use Handshake and LinkedIn as a resource; keep sending out applications; while job searching, volunteer or start your business project that showcases your skillset and then discuss it during your interviews.
When interviewing, be creative - Use experiences from your academic career to demonstrate your capabilities. There are many skills you learn in class that are transferrable to the professional world. For example, as a student, you likely had to pivot to full remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than seeing this as a disadvantage, discuss how the new learning format has prepared you to work remotely as an employee, how small group projects have primed you to collaborate on a virtual team, and how small classes have equipped you to use technology such as Zoom.
When deciding on a job offer, be open-minded - Your first job may not be the one you had imagined or hoped for upon graduation. Still, it may be a stepping stone to your ideal career or a way to build your network of professional connections. You create meaningful and valuable relationships with others who may one day help you get the job you want.
When you land the job, be flexible - Show your employer or your boss that you're willing to step outside your comfort zone and do tasks that you were not necessarily trained for or are unrelated to your degree. Also, when circumstances at work change, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, show that you are willing to step up and do a different job, do someone else's job, or work on another project or team. This flexibility will demonstrate your versatility and how you can adapt to new and unpredictable situations. Lastly, embrace the "gig" economy - be willing to start as a temporary or contract worker with a company to get your foot in the door and build more professional connections.

ScoreChange Management ConsultantUS Average

Salary

7.2

Avg. Salary $91,599

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.8

Growth Rate 11%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 11.77%

Black or African American 8.35%

Hispanic or Latino 9.09%

Unknown 4.52%

White 66.09%

Gender

female 54.22%

male 45.78%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.7

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

2.2

Work Life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Change Management Consultant?

Pros

Opportunity to work with a variety of clients
Potential for high earnings
Chance to make a meaningful impact on organizations
Opportunity to develop strong problem-solving skills
Opportunity for professional growth and development

Cons

Long hours and high workload during peak periods
High pressure to meet client expectations and deadlines
Significant time spent on documentation and reporting
Difficulty in measuring success and outcomes of change initiatives
Difficulty in balancing multiple client demands simultaneously

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Key steps to become a change management consultant

Explore change management consultant education requirements

Most common change management consultant degrees

Bachelor's

68.6 %

Master's

23.9 %

Associate

3.5 %

Start to develop specific change management consultant skills

Skills	Percentages
Organizational Change Management	13.66%
Client Facing	10.24%
Organizational Design	5.62%
Organizational Development	5.48%
Communication Plan	5.18%

Complete relevant change management consultant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New change management consultants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a change management consultant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real change management consultant resumes.

Research change management consultant duties and responsibilities

Achieve 2006-07 Sarbanes-Oxley compliance through training and change management
Lead CMM and ISO quality training sessions for internal personnel.
Manage and partner with Skillsoft for all eLearning training for the company.
Play key role in corporate efforts to achieve world class organization status and ISO certifications.

Prepare your change management consultant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your change management consultant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a change management consultant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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Apply for change management consultant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a change management consultant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average change management consultant salary

The average Change Management Consultant salary in the United States is $91,599 per year or $44 per hour. Change management consultant salaries range between $66,000 and $126,000 per year.

Average Change Management Consultant Salary

$91,599 Yearly

$44.04 hourly