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What is a process improvement consultant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Angela Grotto Ph.D.,
Dr. Dianne Welsh

A process improvement consultant creates innovative solutions and strategies to improve the performance of their organization. This is achieved by the assessment of the operations of their clients or organization and identification of associated weaknesses.

After this, a process improvement specialist goes ahead to recommend appropriate solutions to tackle the determined challenges. You are tasked with the responsibilities of staff observation and determining means to improve productivity. Also, you have to assist your client in reaching specific goals and providing relevant advice for new projects.

For this job position, you need a bachelor's degree in business, management, or finance. A graduate degree like an MBA and extra certifications could be of advantage for this position. Good communication, as well as critical and analytical thinking, are necessary skill requirements to become a process improvement consultant. Annually, a process improvement consultant earns an average salary of $78,777.

What general advice would you give to a process improvement consultant?

Angela Grotto Ph.D.Angela Grotto Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor of Management, Manhattan College


  1. When job searching, be active and persistent - Network by setting up Zoom informational calls with professionals (alumni, people with whom your family work) to learn about jobs that you are interested in or to learn about organizations where you would like to work and then follow up with them; have someone you trust who is a professional review your resume and social media profile pages; carve out time every day to apply to jobs; use Handshake and LinkedIn as a resource; keep sending out applications; while job searching, volunteer or start your business project that showcases your skillset and then discuss it during your interviews.
  2. When interviewing, be creative - Use experiences from your academic career to demonstrate your capabilities. There are many skills you learn in class that are transferrable to the professional world. For example, as a student, you likely had to pivot to full remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than seeing this as a disadvantage, discuss how the new learning format has prepared you to work remotely as an employee, how small group projects have primed you to collaborate on a virtual team, and how small classes have equipped you to use technology such as Zoom.
  3. When deciding on a job offer, be open-minded - Your first job may not be the one you had imagined or hoped for upon graduation. Still, it may be a stepping stone to your ideal career or a way to build your network of professional connections. You create meaningful and valuable relationships with others who may one day help you get the job you want.
  4. When you land the job, be flexible - Show your employer or your boss that you're willing to step outside your comfort zone and do tasks that you were not necessarily trained for or are unrelated to your degree. Also, when circumstances at work change, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, show that you are willing to step up and do a different job, do someone else's job, or work on another project or team. This flexibility will demonstrate your versatility and how you can adapt to new and unpredictable situations. Lastly, embrace the "gig" economy - be willing to start as a temporary or contract worker with a company to get your foot in the door and build more professional connections.
ScoreProcess Improvement ConsultantUS Average
Salary
6.9

Avg. Salary $88,903

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
6.8

Growth rate 11%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 12.69%

Black or African American 8.16%

Hispanic or Latino 8.96%

Unknown 4.50%

White 65.53%

Gender

female 36.99%

male 63.01%

Age - 43
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43
Stress level
6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
2.2

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Process improvement consultant career paths

Key steps to become a process improvement consultant

  1. Explore process improvement consultant education requirements

    Most common process improvement consultant degrees

    Bachelor's

    68.5 %

    Master's

    18.7 %

    Associate

    7.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific process improvement consultant skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Lean Six Sigma13.79%
    Project Management13.75%
    Healthcare12.49%
    Six Sigma Training8.20%
    Data Analysis7.86%
  3. Complete relevant process improvement consultant training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New process improvement consultants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a process improvement consultant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real process improvement consultant resumes.
  4. Research process improvement consultant duties and responsibilities

    • Work with various team leads to organize and post documentation on SharePoint.
    • Create cost analysis for ERP systems with potential to track and manage WIP inventory.
    • Lead development and installation of the voice/data network for a national healthcare management company.
    • Analyze and document procure to pay and order to cash processes in Visio.
  5. Get process improvement consultant experience

    Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a process improvement consultant. The most common roles before becoming a process improvement consultant include project manager, consultant team lead and senior project manager.
  6. Prepare your process improvement consultant resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your process improvement consultant resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a process improvement consultant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable process improvement consultant resume templates

    Build a professional process improvement consultant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your process improvement consultant resume.
    Process Improvement Consultant Resume
    Process Improvement Consultant Resume
    Process Improvement Consultant Resume
    Process Improvement Consultant Resume
    Process Improvement Consultant Resume
    Process Improvement Consultant Resume
    Process Improvement Consultant Resume
    Process Improvement Consultant Resume
    Process Improvement Consultant Resume
  7. Apply for process improvement consultant jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a process improvement consultant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first process improvement consultant job

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Average process improvement consultant salary

The average process improvement consultant salary in the United States is $88,903 per year or $43 per hour. Process improvement consultant salaries range between $66,000 and $118,000 per year.

Average process improvement consultant salary
$88,903 Yearly
$42.74 hourly

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Process improvement consultant reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

Improve 5's & increase productivity, manpower reduction...n+/- concept..

Cons

Can be managed accordingly situation.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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