Contractor/consultant vs senior consultant

The differences between contractor/consultants and senior consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior consultant has an average salary of $100,188, which is higher than the $84,811 average annual salary of a contractor/consultant.

The top three skills for a contractor/consultant include healthcare, post implementation and data analysis. The most important skills for a senior consultant are healthcare, project management, and java.

Contractor/consultant vs senior consultant overview

	Contractor/Consultant	Senior Consultant
Yearly salary	$84,811	$100,188
Hourly rate	$40.77	$48.17
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	64,573	241,206
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	4

What does a contractor/consultant do?

A contractor is a self-employed businessperson who agrees to work for a fixed price. His/her job involves the evaluation of clients' needs and actual performance of work. On the other hand, a consultant is a skilled independent businessperson who provides expert teaching and training in a specific market by assisting existing staff for the improvement of operations, problem-solving, and development of strategies. His/her role is to assess clients' needs and provide expert advice and opinion. However, both individuals are not employees, since they came from outside of the organization to perform such services.

What does a senior consultant do?

Senior consultants are individual contributors whose services are tapped by the organization for guidance on specific projects. They are experienced experts in a particular field that the company operates in or would like to have projects in. They are given primers on specific projects, and they comment on the feasibility of the undertaking. Once the task is deemed feasible, senior consultants act as guides throughout the project's planning and initial implementation stages. They provide their expert opinion to ensure the success of the project.

Contractor/consultant vs senior consultant salary

Contractor/consultants and senior consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Contractor/Consultant	Senior Consultant
Average salary	$84,811	$100,188
Salary range	Between $58,000 And $123,000	Between $76,000 And $131,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	Cerner	Conning
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between contractor/consultant and senior consultant education

There are a few differences between a contractor/consultant and a senior consultant in terms of educational background:

	Contractor/Consultant	Senior Consultant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Northwestern University

Contractor/consultant vs senior consultant demographics

Here are the differences between contractor/consultants' and senior consultants' demographics:

	Contractor/Consultant	Senior Consultant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8%	Male, 69.9% Female, 30.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 14.2% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	11%	12%

Differences between contractor/consultant and senior consultant duties and responsibilities

Contractor/consultant example responsibilities.

Manage design and development of cloud-base billing application for streamlining payroll and invoicing, as well as offering real-time business analytics.
Assist PMO in defining project scope, task and budget, collaborating closely with developers.
Bill and provide appropriate documentation to submit reimbursement for services to appropriate insurance to include Medicaid, Medicare, etc.
Motivate and ensure SME team member engagement in projects.
Provide Linux server setup, documentation, and internal support.
Develop and implement SQL store procedures and DTS packages to process client billing data.

Senior consultant example responsibilities.

Lead the execution of LSMW objects and ABAP programs for testing of provide data files.
Manage the application administration through Linux shell scripting.
Manage installation of software, train end-users on Medicare and Medicaid rules, regulations and third-party reimbursement methodologies.
Manage internal, external systems/application of healthcare software within assign areas from inception to successful implementation in private medical practices.
Experience in SDLC processes, and ability to manage application-relate projects from customer requirements definition to delivering application content solutions.
Manage technical infrastructure, application development, and other capital improvement projects for early stage Internet start-ups and non-profit organizations.

Contractor/consultant vs senior consultant skills

Common contractor/consultant skills

Healthcare, 30%
Post Implementation, 25%
Data Analysis, 7%
Project Management, 5%
Financial Statements, 3%
Medicaid, 3%

Common senior consultant skills

Healthcare, 8%
Project Management, 5%
Java, 4%
Architecture, 4%
SR, 4%
C++, 4%

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Contractor/Consultant
Contractor/Consultant vs Senior Consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

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