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What is a senior consultant, business development and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

Senior business development consultants use their business expertise to help companies get off the ground or grow their business. They use their knowledge of business and finance to help a client develop a business plan, draft strategic proposals to grow their business, and oversee the implementation process. Senior business development consultants are familiar with technologies used in business, such as Salesforce systems, and help their clients implement them. They can even use their interpersonal skills to develop strategic partnerships and hire the best candidates.

A senior business development consultant does not work full time for their client. Instead, they consult on a temporary basis and move on to another client once the project is successful. Senior business development consultants can work for consulting firms or as freelancers.

Senior business development consultants need to be experts in their field. Most have a bachelor's or even a master's degree in business. They also need many years of experience in consulting and business before working their way up to a senior position. The long years of hard work are worth it, since senior business development consultants earn an average salary of $116,533 a year.

ScoreSenior Consultant, Business DevelopmentUS Average
Salary
7.7

Avg. Salary $104,556

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
6.1

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
2.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.50%

Asian 4.10%

Black or African American 11.16%

Hispanic or Latino 15.89%

Unknown 5.44%

White 62.91%

Gender

female 28.23%

male 71.77%

Age - 44
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 - 44
Stress level
6.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.2

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Senior consultant, business development career paths

Key steps to become a senior consultant, business development

  1. Explore senior consultant, business development education requirements

    Most common senior consultant, business development degrees

    Bachelor's

    74.9 %

    Master's

    14.7 %

    Associate

    5.9 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior consultant, business development skills

    SkillsPercentages
    SQL31.79%
    Healthcare17.37%
    Project Management12.76%
    SR11.10%
    UAT9.94%
  3. Complete relevant senior consultant, business development training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior consultants, business development 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 senior consultant, business development based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior consultant, business development resumes.
  4. Research senior consultant, business development duties and responsibilities

    • Improve the company's Salesforce CRM system to maintain an accurate list of leads, clients and projects/cases.
    • Manage and negotiate key vendor relationships including financial transaction processing, product marketing, advertising and collateral fulfillment to maximize ROI.
    • Track the entire sales cycle in SalesForce and assemble the back office resources to ensure the proper client satisfaction.
    • Develop and maintain an accurate list of prospects and clients in a proprietary client relationship management system (CRM).
  5. Get senior consultant, business development experience

    Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a senior consultant, business development. The most common roles before becoming a senior consultant, business development include vice president, business development, business development manager team lead and account executive.
  6. Prepare your senior consultant, business development resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior consultant, business development 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 senior consultant, business development resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable senior consultant, business development resume templates

    Build a professional senior consultant, business development 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 senior consultant, business development resume.
    Senior Consultant, Business Development Resume
    Senior Consultant, Business Development Resume
    Senior Consultant, Business Development Resume
    Senior Consultant, Business Development Resume
    Senior Consultant, Business Development Resume
    Senior Consultant, Business Development Resume
    Senior Consultant, Business Development Resume
    Senior Consultant, Business Development Resume
    Senior Consultant, Business Development Resume
  7. Apply for senior consultant, business development jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior consultant, business development 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 senior consultant, business development job

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Average senior consultant, business development salary

The average senior consultant, business development salary in the United States is $104,556 per year or $50 per hour. Senior consultant, business development salaries range between $81,000 and $133,000 per year.

Average senior consultant, business development salary
$104,556 Yearly
$50.27 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do senior consultants, business development rate their job?

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Senior consultant, business development reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

As it seeks to solve problems in innovative way

Cons

It needs more patience to apply the true solution and satisfy your client


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A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

Innovating a business model is key for a profitable business and growth. Without a proper and sustainable business model, even the best product or technology innovations will not flourish. Learn the skills and knowledge needed to start improving your business as you learn through real-life examples from fellow entrepreneurs, innovators and leading experts on business model innovation. Benefit business owners, entrepreneurs, business consultants or business developers who seek better understanding of business models and the tools to develop them.

Cons

There's nothing much not to like about this role.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Pros

Learn about many businesses and help to improve business profitability with mergers and partnerships.


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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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