The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Change Coordinator / Project Support
1-2 yearsSkills to master
- Organisation, basic communication drafting, stakeholder identification, understanding project lifecycles, data entry and reporting.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently delivering tasks on time and to a high standard.
- Proactively identifying minor issues and suggesting solutions.
- Demonstrating a keen interest in the 'people side' of projects.
- Building good working relationships with project team members.
- 2
Business Analyst (with change focus)
2-3 yearsSkills to master
- Requirements gathering, process mapping, impact analysis (technical/process), stakeholder engagement, problem-solving, data analysis.
You're ready to move on when
- You've consistently gone beyond just gathering requirements, actively thinking about how users will adopt new systems.
- You've taken the lead on documenting process changes and their implications for different user groups.
- You're known for your ability to bridge the gap between technical teams and business users.
- 3
HR Specialist / HR Business Partner (with project experience)
3-4 yearsSkills to master
- Employee relations, talent management, training design, internal communications, understanding organisational culture, managing sensitive information.
You're ready to move on when
- You've played a key role in implementing new HR systems or policies, focusing on employee readiness.
- You're skilled at communicating complex or sensitive information to employees.
- You have a strong understanding of how organisational changes impact people and culture.