Change management consultant vs project management lead

The differences between change management consultants and project management leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a change management consultant, becoming a project management lead takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a change management consultant has an average salary of $91,599, which is higher than the $85,117 average annual salary of a project management lead.

The top three skills for a change management consultant include organizational change management, client facing and organizational design. The most important skills for a project management lead are project management, customer service, and portfolio.

Change management consultant vs project management lead overview

	Change Management Consultant	Project Management Lead
Yearly salary	$91,599	$85,117
Hourly rate	$44.04	$40.92
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	116,109	158,441
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	6

What does a change management consultant do?

A change management consultant is primarily in charge of conducting extensive research and analysis to identify which areas in an organization or company need change, whether it involves the policies, employees, and even product range. Moreover, a change management consultant must devise and implement plans out of their research, all while putting the employees and the business into consideration. There are also instances when one must produce progress reports, prepare presentations, respond to inquiries and issues, and implement company rules and regulations.

What does a project management lead do?

A project management lead is in charge of overseeing all processes involved in the planning and delivery of projects in an organization. Their responsibilities typically revolve around coordinating departments and personnel involved in every project to ensure accuracy and timeliness, managing budget and expenditures, producing progress reports and presentations, assessing risks, and delivering optimal quality results. Furthermore, as a management lead, it is crucial to lead and encourage team members, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Change management consultant vs project management lead salary

Change management consultants and project management leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Change Management Consultant	Project Management Lead
Average salary	$91,599	$85,117
Salary range	Between $66,000 And $126,000	Between $53,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City	Arlington, VA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Virginia	New Jersey
Best paying company	Slalom	Meta
Best paying industry	Utilities	Energy

Differences between change management consultant and project management lead education

There are a few differences between a change management consultant and a project management lead in terms of educational background:

	Change Management Consultant	Project Management Lead
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	Stanford University

Change management consultant vs project management lead demographics

Here are the differences between change management consultants' and project management leads' demographics:

	Change Management Consultant	Project Management Lead
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2%	Male, 59.2% Female, 40.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 11.8% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	11%

Differences between change management consultant and project management lead duties and responsibilities

Change management consultant example 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.
Establish governance procedures to manage development and refinement of functional, business, and program requirements.
Develop and release an RFP, coordinate vendor demonstrations, manage stakeholder evaluations, negotiate with select vendor.

Project management lead example responsibilities.

Manage system architecture design, software development and QA testing process.
Direct and oversee multiple PMs and/or team leads on complex projects.
Manage and maintain all financial responsibilities including receivables, payroll, taxation, budgeting, internal audit and compliance and bookkeeping.
Plan, develop, and lead cross-functional project teams to develop and implement infrastructure solutions and product offerings using PMI methodology.
Manage several mechanical retrofit projects for Verizon.
Manage ITIL process implementation review of change and configuration management.

Change management consultant vs project management lead skills

Common change management consultant skills

Organizational Change Management, 14%
Client Facing, 10%
Organizational Design, 6%
Organizational Development, 5%
Communication Plan, 5%
Stakeholder Engagement, 4%

Common project management lead skills

Project Management, 12%
Customer Service, 10%
Portfolio, 6%
Risk Management, 6%
Plumbing, 5%
Organizational Change Management, 4%

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Change Management Consultant vs Project Management Lead

Updated January 8, 2025

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