What does an internal consultant do?
An internal consultant is responsible for providing consultation on the business process and operations to identify key areas of improvement and review its effectiveness to support the business goals and objectives. Internal consultants must have excellent organizational skills and expertise in business planning and project management to strategize and improve existing methodologies that would raise the company's performance. They also develop training and programs necessary for the employees to maximize their productivity and manage efficiency.
Internal consultant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real internal consultant resumes:
- Manage project and perform UAT of any changes from AppStore releases that relate to sales compensation elements.
- Manage a team responsible for designing service-orient application architecture, standards and best practices guidelines, security and data access frameworks.
- Conduct UAT sessions to validate requirements against application.
- Perform gap analysis and create needed architecture and systems overviews documentation from existing Visio drawings, program coding and PowerPoint presentations.
- Analyze internal knowledge infrastructure and develop optimized information system/organization.
- Identify key performance indicators (KPIs), then used it to measure and set improvement targets.
- Incorporate CRM education to promote data tracking and marketing accountability.
- Develop and present a comprehensive CRM training program for corporate and charter operators.
- Analyze internal knowledge infrastructure and develop optimized information system/organization.
Internal consultant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Internal Consultants are proficient in Project Management, Process Improvement, and Internal Controls. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Internal Consultants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Management, 18%
Top performer in a leadership/management development rotational program, providing project management and consulting services to various lines of business.
- Process Improvement, 18%
Created quality improvement training curriculum and manuals and provided training to and facilitation of teams involved in process improvement activities.
- Internal Controls, 9%
Fulfilled end-to-end functional requirements of internal audit, including business process re-engineering and in-depth revision of internal controls for TMS divisions.
- Sigma, 8%
Lead and Facilitated Root Cause Analysis Team: Utilized Lean Six Sigma approach to lead and facilitate Root Cause Analysis team.
- Internal Clients, 7%
Assigned outbound calls for multiple clients to establish new credit card payment process for internal clients.
- Business Development, 7%
Support practice business development activities.
Most internal consultants use their skills in "project management," "process improvement," and "internal controls" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential internal consultant responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for an internal consultant to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "management analysts must be able to interpret information and use their findings to make proposals." Additionally, an internal consultant resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "gather and analyze data to monitor effectiveness of hr programs. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform internal consultant duties is communication skills. Internal consultants responsibilities require that "management analysts must be able to convey information clearly in both writing and speaking." Internal consultants also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "resulted in successful hr communication with entire brazil organization (over 9000 employees). "
Interpersonal skills. This is an important skill for internal consultants to perform their duties. For an example of how internal consultant responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "management analysts work with managers and other employees of the organizations for which they provide consulting services." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an internal consultant: "leveraged deep knowledge of hr policies and employment law, as well as, strong interpersonal and communication skills. ".
Problem-solving skills. For certain internal consultant responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of an internal consultant rely on this skill, as "management analysts must be able to think creatively to solve clients’ problems." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what internal consultants do: "serve as liaison between the regional manager and agency teams in developing solutions to agency hr issues and concerns. "
Time-management skills. Another crucial skill for an internal consultant to carry out their responsibilities is "time-management skills." A big part of what internal consultants relies on this skill, since "management analysts often work under tight deadlines and must use their time efficiently to complete projects on schedule." How this skill relates to internal consultant duties can be seen in an example from an internal consultant resume snippet: "project management - meets deadlines, exceeding participation expectations by coordinating people and resources from inception to completion with feedback integration. "
The three companies that hire the most internal consultants are:
- Lincoln Financial Group98 internal consultants jobs
- Guidehouse17 internal consultants jobs
- Citi4 internal consultants jobs
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Compare different internal consultants
Internal consultant vs. Program management consultant
A program management consultant is responsible for analyzing project requirements based on clients' specifications, developing quality improvement techniques, and reviewing project deliverables. Program management consultants work closely with the project team to identify project initiatives and resolve complexities that may arise. They also inspect the resources and materials to be utilized during the project and determine cost-reduction processes without compromising quality and efficiency. A program management consultant coordinates with the clients for progress updates and informs them of any plan adjustments as needed.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an internal consultant are more likely to require skills like "internal controls," "internal clients," "data analysis," and "continuous improvement." On the other hand, a job as a program management consultant requires skills like "customer service," "management program," "healthcare," and "scrum." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Program management consultants tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $107,612. In contrast, internal consultants make the biggest average salary, $94,516, in the technology industry.The education levels that program management consultants earn slightly differ from internal consultants. In particular, program management consultants are 4.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an internal consultant. Additionally, they're 1.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Internal consultant vs. Senior management consultant
A senior management consultant is an experienced professional who is in charge of a team of management consultants to help an organization solve issues, maximize growth, and improve business performance. Senior management consultants must conduct company research so that they can better understand the organization. They prepare business proposals and presentations as well as identify issues to form hypotheses and solutions. Senior management consultants must also implement recommendations or solutions and ensure that an organization receives the necessary assistance to carry it all out.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real internal consultant resumes. While internal consultant responsibilities can utilize skills like "internal controls," "internal clients," "data analysis," and "continuous improvement," senior management consultants use skills like "analytics," "business process," "portfolio," and "business analysis."
On average, senior management consultants earn a higher salary than internal consultants. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, senior management consultants earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $135,771. Whereas internal consultants have higher pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $94,516.senior management consultants earn similar levels of education than internal consultants in general. They're 1.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for internal consultants in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Brian Simmons
Associate Provost, Columbia International University
Internal consultant vs. Senior business consultant
A senior business consultant specializes in performing research and analysis to optimize business processes. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with different departments to gather necessary data, devising strategies to reduce cost, assess risks, and identify the strength and weaknesses of operations to recommend solutions. They may also train and mentor junior consultants, produce progress reports and presentations, and assist clients through calls and correspondence. Furthermore, as a consultant, it is essential to adhere to the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an internal consultant is likely to be skilled in "internal controls," "internal clients," "continuous improvement," and "business processes," while a typical senior business consultant is skilled in "healthcare," "sr," "analytics," and "strong analytical."
Senior business consultants earn the best pay in the professional industry, where they command an average salary of $111,128. Internal consultants earn the highest pay from the technology industry, with an average salary of $94,516.senior business consultants typically earn similar educational levels compared to internal consultants. Specifically, they're 2.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Internal consultant vs. Solutions consultant
A solutions consultant is an individual who has an in-depth knowledge of technology that can help a company to overcome issues, increase sales, and have a better connection with their customers. Solutions consultants are responsible for heading the installment of customized software solutions and train dealers and customer sales engineers to administer the customized solution. They represent the company by attending tradeshows and events to demonstrate their company's technology. Solutions consultants must also ensure to demonstrate technical feasibility through beta tests plus trial programs.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between internal consultants and solutions consultants, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an internal consultant might have more use for skills like "process improvement," "internal controls," "sigma," and "internal clients." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of solutions consultants require skills like "pre sales," "sales process," "cloud," and "customer satisfaction. "
The technology industry tends to pay the highest salaries for solutions consultants, with average annual pay of $102,827. Comparatively, the highest internal consultant annual salary comes from the technology industry.solutions consultants reach lower levels of education compared to internal consultants, in general. The difference is that they're 11.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of internal consultant
Updated January 8, 2025
