What does an operations consultant do?
The duties of an operations consultant may vary in one's place or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around working with clients to determine a business's strengths and weaknesses, identifying areas needing focus and development, and utilizing expertise in devising cost-effective strategies for improvement. Moreover, an operations consultant must produce evaluation and progress reports, facilitate budget coordination and training activities, and introduce new technologies. It is also essential to implement the company's policies and regulations, all while adhering to their vision and mission.
Operations consultant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real operations consultant resumes:
- Lead the design and implementation of a new customer income verification tool using SharePoint and InfoPath.
- Manage a team to leverage demand planning, supply , 6 sigma strategic sourcing processes, and negotiate vendor pricing.
- Program initiatives include case management, commercial / manage care / government dispute management, appeals, and retro authorizations.
- Manage departmental Sarbanes-Oxley compliance activities.
- Manage system security and hardware encryption.
- Revise and manage quality assurance procedures within PMO.
- Conduct UAT and QA testing on service management system to ensure system stability and functionality.
- Provide excellent customer service skills to visitors and patients by answering questions regarding facility services.
- Used Visio to create use case diagrams.
- Implement DMAIC concept and PDPC chart for control measures.
- Verify compliance, quality assurance, and track resolution through SharePoint.
- Stage and take inventory of new PC shipments for XP rollout.
- Develop a Bolton to execute Unix commands from PS to move/FTP data files between servers.
- Gain advanced skills such as VBA to optimize the process of analyzing and assessing loan data.
- Redesign the taxes site in time for tax season via scrum teams and development on cadence.
Operations consultant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Operations Consultants are proficient in Risk Management, Strong Analytical, and Business Process. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Operations Consultants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Risk Management, 13%
Performed risk assessment and corrective action plan development prior to internal audit engagements to demonstrate pro-active risk management and reduce findings.
- Strong Analytical, 13%
Utilized strong analytical skills in claims experience to create pivot tables to analyze risk drivers for CNA's Key Segments.
- Business Process, 10%
Conducted business process reviews and provided management information system recommendations and implementation services to commercial and private real estate companies.
- Operational Risk, 9%
Provided Operational Risk & Business Continuity analysis for Headstrong Inc., Prudential Commodities and organizations participating in Global Markets business lines.
- Project Management, 3%
Provided technical project management for multiple projects including rebuild of Active Directory and consolidation of data center with new equipment.
- Internal Controls, 3%
Developed accounting procedures and internal controls for off-site personnel.
Common skills that an operations consultant uses to do their job include "risk management," "strong analytical," and "business process." You can find details on the most important operations consultant responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for an operations consultant to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what operations consultants do because "management analysts must be able to interpret information and use their findings to make proposals." Additionally, an operations consultant resume shows how operations consultants use analytical skills: "identify opportunities for lean six sigma projects and conduct analysis to scope appropriately. "
Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling operations consultant duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "management analysts must be able to convey information clearly in both writing and speaking." According to an operations consultant resume, here's how operations consultants can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "act as tbmcs force level connection sme and validate communication transfer from ul to fl during test events. "
Interpersonal skills. operations consultants are also known for interpersonal skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to operations consultant responsibilities, because "management analysts work with managers and other employees of the organizations for which they provide consulting services." An operations consultant resume example shows how interpersonal skills is used in the workplace: "demonstrate strong analytical and problem solving skills and provide interpersonal and collaborative skills build strong relationships with vendors and clients"
Problem-solving skills. operations consultant responsibilities often require "problem-solving skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "management analysts must be able to think creatively to solve clients’ problems." This resume example shows what operations consultants do with problem-solving skills on a typical day: "implement dependable business processes and solutions of supply & demand forecasting, system infrastructure development, inventory maintenance and kpi monitoring"
Time-management skills. Another crucial skill for an operations consultant to carry out their responsibilities is "time-management skills." A big part of what operations 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 operations consultant duties can be seen in an example from an operations consultant resume snippet: "improved operational efficiency by reducing shrinkage, managed merchandise, markdowns and returns, to ensure vendor deadlines were met. "
The three companies that hire the most operations consultants are:
- Bank of America138 operations consultants jobs
- Deloitte100 operations consultants jobs
- Pwc65 operations consultants jobs
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Compare different operations consultants
Operations consultant vs. Senior director, operations
The senior director of operations generally works with other managers to set goals for the future of the company and evaluates performance to check whether certain goals are achieved. They are responsible for making sure that operational processes are within the prescribed budget and timeline. Also, they oversee, implement, and evaluate operation processes and procedures to see if they comply with the set standards and procedures of the company. Additionally, they lead in developing strategies and implementation plans to enhance and standardize all units of operations.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an operations consultant are more likely to require skills like "risk management," "strong analytical," "business process," and "operational risk." On the other hand, a job as a senior director, operations requires skills like "oversight," "sr," "direct reports," and "logistics." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Senior directors, operations tend to make the most money working in the hospitality industry, where they earn an average salary of $155,611. In contrast, operations consultants make the biggest average salary, $92,625, in the finance industry.The education levels that senior directors, operations earn slightly differ from operations consultants. In particular, senior directors, operations are 3.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an operations consultant. Additionally, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Operations 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.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real operations consultant resumes. While operations consultant responsibilities can utilize skills like "operational risk," "internal controls," "continuous improvement," and "mitigate risk," program management consultants use skills like "management program," "hr," "scrum," and "customer satisfaction."
Program management consultants may earn a higher salary than operations consultants, but program management consultants earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $107,612. On the other hand, operations consultants receive higher pay in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $92,625.In general, program management consultants achieve higher levels of education than operations consultants. They're 5.0% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for operations consultants in the next 3-5 years?
Robin Cormier
Assistant Professor, Montana State University - Billings
Operations consultant vs. Business operations analyst
A business operations analyst is an individual who identifies and solves issues related to the performance of the business operations. Together with the management and engineering departments, business operations analysts must analyze and review a vast amount of data to identify business opportunities. They must provide recommendations and updated policies so that they can improve the company's business performance. Business operations analysts are also required to create monthly reports and present them to upper management on their key findings and assessments.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, operations consultants are more likely to have skills like "risk management," "business process," "operational risk," and "internal controls." But a business operations analyst is more likely to have skills like "provide management," "analyze data," "hr," and "power bi."
Business operations analysts earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $69,138. Operations consultants earn the highest pay from the finance industry, with an average salary of $92,625.business operations analysts typically earn similar educational levels compared to operations consultants. Specifically, they're 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Operations 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.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between operations consultants and senior management consultants, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an operations consultant might have more use for skills like "operational risk," "internal controls," "continuous improvement," and "mitigate risk." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of senior management consultants require skills like "analytics," "portfolio," "business analysis," and "architecture. "
Senior management consultants enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $135,771. For comparison, operations consultants earn the highest salary in the finance industry.The average resume of senior management consultants showed that they earn higher levels of education compared to operations consultants. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 7.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.6%.Types of operations consultant
Updated January 8, 2025
