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Principal vs executive consultant

The differences between principals and executive consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a principal, becoming an executive consultant takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, an executive consultant has an average salary of $131,331, which is higher than the $111,719 average annual salary of a principal.

The top three skills for a principal include CRM, project management and financial services. The most important skills for an executive consultant are healthcare, business development, and financial services.

Principal vs executive consultant overview

PrincipalExecutive Consultant
Yearly salary$111,719$131,331
Hourly rate$53.71$63.14
Growth rate5%10%
Number of jobs84,015118,432
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4739
Years of experience410

What does a principal do?

A principal is responsible for maintaining the orderliness of the school premises and supervising school operations, enforcing strict safety standards, and reiterating regulatory procedures. Principals' duties also include managing and monitoring school budget and expenses, improving security plans, conducting regular meetings and sharing updates with teachers and other school personnel, creating reports for school funding, and setting academic goals for everyone's compliance. A principal must administer excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills to handle major administrative tasks in maintaining the school's growth.

What does an executive consultant do?

An executive consultant gives support and guidance to the company's management team. Their duties may vary depending on each client's needs. Other companies hire consultants to solve a particular problem or assist with operations, employees, or strategic planning. They advise partner companies in business development opportunities to pursue financial goals and financial growth. They can also provide consulting services for non-profit organizations to act as an executive member.

Principal vs executive consultant salary

Principals and executive consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

PrincipalExecutive Consultant
Average salary$111,719$131,331
Salary rangeBetween $69,000 And $179,000Between $90,000 And $190,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYSouth San Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkWashington
Best paying companyKKR & Co. L.P.Mayo Clinic
Best paying industryProfessionalTechnology

Differences between principal and executive consultant education

There are a few differences between a principal and an executive consultant in terms of educational background:

PrincipalExecutive Consultant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Georgia

Principal vs executive consultant demographics

Here are the differences between principals' and executive consultants' demographics:

PrincipalExecutive Consultant
Average age4739
Gender ratioMale, 65.6% Female, 34.4%Male, 67.2% Female, 32.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage16%10%

Differences between principal and executive consultant duties and responsibilities

Principal example responsibilities.

  • Manage all documentation associate with FMLA, ADA, & DOL requests.
  • Develop schedules, payroll, and manage recruiting, hiring and company standards to ensure customer satisfaction.
  • Launch, continue to manage, and act as primary portfolio manager and trader for boutique investment consulting firm.
  • Manage the RFP process for a new medical plan TPA delivering a savings of almost $1MM in fix costs.
  • Achieve 7-digit annual revenues from start-up in one year by capitalizing on accurate niche market gap and consumer demand identification.
  • Manage all human resource matters, including payroll and benefits administration.
  • Show more

Executive consultant example 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.
  • Show more

Principal vs executive consultant skills

Common principal skills
  • CRM, 7%
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Financial Services, 6%
  • Healthcare, 6%
  • Professional Services, 5%
  • ERP, 5%
Common executive consultant skills
  • Healthcare, 17%
  • Business Development, 8%
  • Financial Services, 8%
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Process Improvement, 6%
  • C-Suite, 5%

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