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 Management Consultant (L2)
2-3 yearsSkills to master
- As an L2, you'll have mastered owning specific workstreams, like designing a full communication plan or managing training logistics. You'll be adept at stakeholder analysis for individual projects and starting to get comfortable with resistance management.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently delivering high-quality change deliverables with minimal supervision.
- Proactively identifying project risks and proposing solutions.
- Successfully managing stakeholder expectations on your assigned workstreams.
- Demonstrating strong analytical skills in assessing change impacts.
- 2
Project Manager (with Change Focus)
3-5 yearsSkills to master
- You'll have a solid understanding of project delivery, but you'll have gravitated towards the 'people side' of project management. This means you've actively managed user adoption, stakeholder engagement, and communications within your projects, often going beyond the typical PM remit.
You're ready to move on when
- Leading projects where user adoption was a critical success factor.
- Experience managing project communications and stakeholder engagement.
- A clear interest and demonstrable skill in the human side of project delivery.
- Ability to translate technical changes into business and people impacts.
- 3
HR Business Partner / Organisational Development Specialist
4-6 yearsSkills to master
- You'll bring a deep understanding of organisational dynamics, employee behaviour, and talent management. You'll have experience in areas like talent strategy, culture change, or learning & development, and a strong desire to apply this at a broader organisational level.
You're ready to move on when
- Experience leading or supporting organisational design or culture change initiatives.
- Strong understanding of employee engagement and motivation.
- Ability to influence at various levels within the HR function and business.
- A passion for driving large-scale people-centric transformations.