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The differences between functional consultants and functional leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a functional consultant and a functional lead. Additionally, a functional lead has an average salary of $113,422, which is higher than the $85,317 average annual salary of a functional consultant.
The top three skills for a functional consultant include business process, prototyping and ERP. The most important skills for a functional lead are ERP, client facing, and enterprise solutions.
| Functional Consultant | Functional Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $85,317 | $113,422 |
| Hourly rate | $41.02 | $54.53 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 51,066 | 33,917 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
Functional leads are professionals who analyze business requirements and provide system design while implementing system solutions for various business initiatives. These professionals must work with clients and internal stakeholders to identify and understand the functional or business requirements. They must analyze and solve complex system problems so that they can improve the organization's overall Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) development and support process. Functional leads must also facilitate a team to design document control procedures that can significantly reduce process cycle time and cost.
Functional consultants and functional leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Functional Consultant | Functional Lead | |
| Average salary | $85,317 | $113,422 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $110,000 | Between $85,000 And $149,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Workday | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Retail |
There are a few differences between a functional consultant and a functional lead in terms of educational background:
| Functional Consultant | Functional Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between functional consultants' and functional leads' demographics:
| Functional Consultant | Functional Lead | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1% | Male, 68.1% Female, 31.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 24.9% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |