Implementation consultants are brought in to support large projects that a company can not handle with only in-house staff. They study the clients' goals and requirements, observe company processes, point out problems, and propose possible solutions.
As an implementation consultant, you will manage the company's unique projects creating an implementation strategy, setting goals, creating a schedule, delegating tasks, and monitoring the work. You will be there to provide guidance and troubleshoot any time an issue arises.
You will need to be proficient in business analysis to get this job right and be passionate about problem-solving. At the end of the day, you are hired to roll obstacles out of the way of a successful and flawless project.
What is an Implementation Consultant?
What Does an Implementation Consultant Do
There are certain skills that many implementation consultants have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed creativity, interpersonal skills and time-management skills.
How To Become an Implementation Consultant
If you're interested in becoming an implementation consultant, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 70.0% of implementation consultants have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 14.1% of implementation consultants have master's degrees. Even though most implementation consultants have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Implementation Consultant Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of project manager you might progress to a role such as product manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title product management director.
Implementation Consultant
Product Management Director
12 Years
Director Of Project Management
12 Years
Global Program Manager
10 Years
Contract Project Manager
10 Years
Engagement Manager
9 Years
Manager, Project Management
9 Years
Show More
Average Salary for an Implementation Consultant
Implementation Consultants in America make an average salary of $80,195 per year or $39 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $108,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $59,000 per year.
Average Implementation Consultant Salary
$80,195Â Yearly$38.56 hourly
$59,000
10%
$80,000
Median
$108,000
90%
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Implementation Consultant Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active implementation consultant jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where implementation consultants earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average Salary: Job Openings:
Number Of Implementation Consultant Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 3,965 | $88,877 |
| 2 | Texas | 1,961 | $82,028 |
| 3 | Florida | 1,350 | $68,474 |
| 4 | Illinois | 1,312 | $82,445 |
| 5 | New York | 1,267 | $94,535 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 1,142 | $84,757 |
| 7 | Virginia | 1,138 | $84,714 |
| 8 | Michigan | 1,117 | $73,323 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 975 | $82,075 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 931 | $89,502 |
| 11 | Indiana | 920 | $64,392 |
| 12 | Georgia | 884 | $82,784 |
| 13 | New Jersey | 882 | $89,306 |
| 14 | North Carolina | 878 | $85,268 |
| 15 | Ohio | 720 | $79,168 |
| 16 | Washington | 705 | $85,566 |
| 17 | Arizona | 704 | $70,616 |
| 18 | Minnesota | 615 | $74,181 |
| 19 | South Carolina | 608 | $73,543 |
| 20 | Alabama | 594 | $82,786 |
| 21 | Oregon | 571 | $81,066 |
| 22 | Kentucky | 539 | $70,854 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 490 | $70,577 |
| 24 | Missouri | 485 | $71,826 |
| 25 | Colorado | 476 | $71,025 |
| 26 | Utah | 427 | $58,776 |
| 27 | Maryland | 421 | $90,265 |
| 28 | Connecticut | 420 | $85,918 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | 403 | $60,297 |
| 30 | New Mexico | 323 | $75,473 |
| 31 | Arkansas | 263 | $55,544 |
| 32 | West Virginia | 260 | $70,688 |
| 33 | Mississippi | 247 | $70,989 |
| 34 | Kansas | 229 | $61,995 |
| 35 | Iowa | 227 | $67,522 |
| 36 | Nebraska | 200 | $62,712 |
| 37 | Nevada | 196 | $60,853 |
| 38 | Maine | 193 | $71,470 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | 188 | $67,359 |
| 40 | Rhode Island | 186 | $86,570 |
| 41 | North Dakota | 183 | $55,634 |
| 42 | Louisiana | 182 | $74,225 |
| 43 | South Dakota | 167 | $65,368 |
| 44 | Idaho | 151 | $68,775 |
| 45 | Delaware | 144 | $74,201 |
| 46 | Vermont | 126 | $69,645 |
| 47 | Montana | 124 | $54,083 |
| 48 | Hawaii | 89 | $57,127 |
| 49 | Wyoming | 79 | $65,631 |
| 50 | Alaska | 77 | $83,547 |
Top Colleges for Implementation Consultants
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,230
Enrollment
12,161
6. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
7. Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$52,930
Enrollment
5,030
8. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
9. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-State Tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
10. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
Top Skills For an Implementation Consultant
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 11.4% of implementation consultants listed technical support on their resume, but soft skills such as creativity and interpersonal skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Implementation Consultant Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Implementation Consultant templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Implementation Consultant resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Implementation Consultant Demographics
Implementation Consultant Gender Distribution
Male
54%
Female
46%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among implementation consultants, 46.2% of them are women, while 53.8% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among implementation consultants is White, which makes up 68.6% of all implementation consultants.
- The most common foreign language among implementation consultants is Spanish at 38.9%.
Work Experience Programs For Implementation Consultants
Virtual work experience programs replicate work at top companies and help you gain the skills to be successful when applying and working there. In only a few hours, learn the relevant tools necessary to complete a typical work day at that company. Virtual work experience programs are 100% free, open-access, and self-paced. No experience or application is required!
Corporate Analyst Development Program (CADP) Program
Company: JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Cost: Free
Duration: 4.25-5.75 hours
Client Research and Problem Identification Program
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 4-5 hours
Business and Human Rights Program
Company: Clifford Chance
Cost: Free
Duration: 7.5-8.5 hours
Strategy Consulting Program
Company: Accenture Australia
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Process Design Program
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Global Finance and Business Management Program
Company: JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Cost: Free
Duration: 4-5 hours
Online Courses For Implementation Consultant That You May Like
Advertising Disclosure Â
Software Engineering: Implementation and Testing
Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is the process of developing software through planning, requirement analysis, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance. This course focuses on the implementation and testing phases of SDLC, and you will examine different software development processes for large software systems development, and understand the strengths (pros) and weaknesses (cons) of different software development processes. You will also encounter defensive programming techniques...
Design and Build a Data Warehouse for Business Intelligence Implementation
The capstone course, Design and Build a Data Warehouse for Business Intelligence Implementation, features a real-world case study that integrates your learning across all courses in the specialization. In response to business requirements presented in a case study, you’ll design and build a small data warehouse, create data integration workflows to refresh the warehouse, write SQL statements to support analytical and summary query requirements, and use the MicroStrategy business intelligence...
Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM R13 Global HR Implementation
Oracle Cloud Fusion Core HR Implementation...
Job type you want
Full Time
Part Time
Internship
Temporary
Best States For an Implementation Consultant
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an implementation consultant. The best states for people in this position are New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Implementation consultants make the most in New York with an average salary of $94,535. Whereas in Maryland and Massachusetts, they would average $90,265 and $89,502, respectively. While implementation consultants would only make an average of $89,306 in New Jersey, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Rhode Island
Total Implementation Consultant Jobs: 186
Highest 10% Earn:
$118,000
Location Quotient:
1.4
$86,570
Avg. Salary
2. District of Columbia
Total Implementation Consultant Jobs: 454
Highest 10% Earn:
$131,000
Location Quotient:
2.48
$95,648
Avg. Salary
3. Tennessee
Total Implementation Consultant Jobs: 975
Highest 10% Earn:
$115,000
Location Quotient:
1.52
$82,075
Avg. Salary
How Do Implementation Consultant Rate Their Jobs?
Top Implementation Consultant Employers
We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ implementation consultants and discovered their number of implementation consultant opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that ADP was the best, especially with an average salary of $76,749. McKesson follows up with an average salary of $89,081, and then comes Wells Fargo with an average of $77,848. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as an implementation consultant. The employers include Workday, SAP, and Oracle
Most Common Employers For Implementation Consultant
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolters Kluwer | $95,635 | $45.98 | 25 |
| 2 | Accenture | $94,173 | $45.28 | 36 |
| 3 | OneTrust | $90,785 | $43.65 | 50 |
| 4 | *n/a* | $90,709 | $43.61 | 44 |
| 5 | McKesson | $89,081 | $42.83 | 193 |
| 6 | Edifecs | $87,209 | $41.93 | 124 |
| 7 | Fast Enterprises | $85,591 | $41.15 | 41 |
| 8 | Trimble | $84,836 | $40.79 | 39 |
| 9 | Allscripts | $83,932 | $40.35 | 124 |
| 10 | Arkieva | $83,818 | $40.30 | 35 |
Implementation Consultant Videos
Your Role as a SAP Functional Consultant on a project
Becoming an Implementation Consultant FAQs
How Much Do Implementation Consultants Make?
Implementation consultants make an average of $85,000 annually. This role is a third-party contract position brought in to support large projects. Pay varies by project scope, work experience, and education. Implement consultants are hired at specific times to help with strategy or roll-out.
How Much Does A Mckinsey Implementation Consultant Make?
McKinsey implementation consultants make an average of $152,000 a year. Entry-level consultants start between $91,000 to $115,00.
McKinsey is the oldest and largest management consultancy and has a hugely competitive hiring process. McKinsey advises on strategic management to corporations, government, and other organizations.
Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.