How to hire an executive consultant

How to hire an executive consultant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step executive consultant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an executive consultant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new executive consultant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an executive consultant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the executive consultant you need to hire. Certain executive consultant roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an executive consultant to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an executive consultant that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of executive consultants.

   Type of Executive Consultant	Description	Hourly rate
   Executive Consultant	Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, sales agents, and financial staff members.	$43-91
   Consultant/Marketing Director	A consultant/marketing director is responsible for conducting data and statistical analysis of the current market trends to identify opportunities that would strengthen the company's brand image on the market. Consultant/marketing directors evaluate the company's marketing techniques and determine methods to improve promotional campaigns and media presence... Show more	$37-76
   Consultant/Project Manager	Consultants/project managers act as planners, leaders, and advisors in business enterprises. These professionals facilitate meetings and establish positive relationships with vendors, management, and clients... Show more	$35-65

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Healthcare
   • Business Development
   • Financial Services
   • Project Management
   • Process Improvement
   • C-Suite
   • RFP
   • Client Relationships
   • Business Strategy
   • Business Operations
   • Business Process
   • Program Management
   • Product Development
   • Performance Management

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Recruit to manage key client engagements to define global strategic sourcing projects and solutions to utilize technology and advance ERP systems.
   • Manage e-commerce website and direct email campaigns to wholesale and retail customers, initiate SEO plan: organic and paid search.
   • Manage design and development of cloud-base billing application for streamlining payroll and invoicing, as well as offering real-time business analytics.
   • Own the PMO, reporting to the COO/CEO.
   • Lead and develop the expertise of individuals in the PMO.
   • Develop protocols for RFP initiation and execution.

   More executive consultant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your executive consultant job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An executive consultant can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, executive consultants' average salary in missouri is 37% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level executive consultants 53% less than senior-level executive consultants.
   • Certifications. An executive consultant with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an executive consultant's salary.

   Average executive consultant salary

   $131,331yearly

   $63.14 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level executive consultant salary

   $90,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 23, 2025

   Average executive consultant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$148,382	$71
   2	Arizona	$144,621	$70
   3	Massachusetts	$138,525	$67
   4	New York	$133,121	$64
   5	Ohio	$129,126	$62
   6	Michigan	$124,681	$60
   7	New Jersey	$123,115	$59
   8	Wisconsin	$119,957	$58
   9	Texas	$118,981	$57
   10	Florida	$115,999	$56
   11	North Carolina	$109,304	$53
   12	Pennsylvania	$108,953	$52
   13	Georgia	$98,359	$47
   14	Colorado	$93,278	$45

   Average executive consultant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Mayo Clinic	$170,065	$81.76	4
   2	IBM	$156,543	$75.26	347
   3	Kaiser Permanente	$150,691	$72.45	46
   4	SAP	$149,096	$71.68	84
   5	Cumberland	$137,060	$65.89
   6	Graebel Companies	$131,184	$63.07	2
   7	Harvard University	$128,077	$61.58
   8	North States Ind	$128,056	$61.57
   9	Grandbridge Real Estate Capital	$126,748	$60.94	53
   10	Intergraph	$124,477	$59.84
   11	Cleveland Clinic	$124,072	$59.65	2
   12	Elevance Health	$116,038	$55.79
   13	ABB	$113,158	$54.40
   14	SIRVA Worldwide	$108,649	$52.24
   15	Liberty Healthcare	$91,567	$44.02	8
   16	State of Arizona	$59,120	$28.42	1

4. Writing an executive consultant job description

   A job description for an executive consultant role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an executive consultant job description:

   Executive consultant job description example

   Why Mayo Clinic
   Join the authority in medicine and partner with the nation's best hospital (U.S. News & World Report 2021-2022), ranked #1 in more specialties than any other care provider. At Mayo Clinic, we believe there is a better path to healing that humanizes the practice of health care and inspires hope in the people who need it most. You will be part of an amazing diverse team committed to solving the most serious and complex medical challenges - one patient at a time.
   
   Mayo Clinic offers a variety of employee benefits. For additional information please visit Mayo Clinic Benefits. Eligibility may vary.
   
   Position description
   

   The Division of General Internal Medicine , located within the Department of Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Florida, is currently seeking candidates for an appointment in our Executive and Development Section .
   
   In addition to executive health examinations, our Division offers the opportunity to engage in specialty interests, such as Women's Health, Integrative Medicine, Ehlers Danlos Clinic, Preoperative Evaluation Clinic, Undiagnosed Mass Clinic and others, as well as to be actively engaged in research and education.
   
   The ideal candidate will have at least two years of experience post residency and ideally, an established publication record.
   
   Practice and leadership experience within an outpatient practice is essential, and experience in executive health, international medicine, or concierge medicine is highly desirable. These are very dynamic and growing practices within Mayo Clinic with tremendous opportunities for physicians to become a meaningful part of the great tradition of practice at Mayo Clinic.

   I nterested applica nts should submit a cover letter and current curriculum vitae.

   
   
   License or certification
   Candidates must be board certified in Internal Medicine. Florida licensure/eligibility is also required.
   
   Benefits eligible
   Yes
   
   Schedule
   Full Time
   
   Site description
   Jacksonville is the largest city in area in the continental United States. A beautiful coastal Florida city that features excellent year-round climate, over 20 miles of beaches and outstanding outdoor recreational, cultural and family-oriented amenities. The “River City by the Sea” has an excellent school system, reasonable cost of living and a thriving business environment. Medical professionals and patients are drawn to Jacksonville by an extraordinary network of high-profile healthcare facilities. Jacksonville continues to grow as more people relocate from all over the U.S. and abroad, to see what the great River City has to offer!
   
   Recruiter
   Jennell Prentice Endrizzi
   
   EOE
   Mayo Clinic is an equal opportunity educator and employer (including veterans and persons with disabilities).

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find executive consultants for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any executive consultants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level executive consultants with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your executive consultant job on Zippia to find and recruit executive consultant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting executive consultants requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new executive consultant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the executive consultant position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new executive consultant. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an executive consultant?