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
Senior Performance Improvement Consultant (L3)
3-5 years as a Senior ConsultantSkills to master
- Mastering end-to-end project leadership for medium-complexity initiatives, advanced stakeholder management, and deep expertise in 1-2 core methodologies (e.g., Lean Six Sigma).
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently delivering projects on time and budget with quantifiable results.
- Proactively mentoring junior team members and being a go-to expert for specific methodologies.
- Successfully navigating challenging stakeholder situations and building strong relationships.
- Demonstrating a clear ability to take initiative and solve problems independently.
- 2
External Management Consultant (from a top-tier firm)
5-8 years in external consultingSkills to master
- Adapting to an internal client model, building long-term relationships within a single organisation, and transitioning from project-based work to continuous improvement.
You're ready to move on when
- A desire to move from project-hopping to deep, sustained impact within one company.
- Strong track record of client delivery and managing complex engagements in external consulting.
- Ability to translate external best practices into our specific organisational context.
- A genuine interest in building internal capabilities rather than just delivering recommendations.
- 3
Senior Project Manager (with process focus)
5-7 years as a Senior Project ManagerSkills to master
- Deepening process analysis skills, formalising improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean Six Sigma), and shifting focus from project delivery to process optimisation.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully managed large, complex projects that involved significant process change.
- Demonstrated ability to identify and resolve process bottlenecks within projects.
- A clear interest in moving beyond project coordination to actual process design and transformation.
- Experience leading and developing project teams.