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
Lead Transition Management Consultant (L4)
3-5 years as an L4Skills to master
- Mastering programme-level change strategy, managing highly complex and politically sensitive projects, building and leading small project teams, and influencing senior stakeholders up to the Director/VP level.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully led 2-3 large-scale, enterprise-wide change programmes from end-to-end.
- Consistently received feedback on strong leadership, mentorship, and strategic thinking.
- Demonstrated ability to manage programme budgets and resources effectively.
- Proactively contributed to the development of internal change management methodologies or tools.
- 2
Senior Manager, Organisational Development (from HR)
5-7 years in a senior OD roleSkills to master
- Deepening understanding of programme management, financial acumen for transformation initiatives, and developing specific change management methodologies (e.g., ADKAR).
You're ready to move on when
- Led significant cultural transformation initiatives or organisational redesign projects.
- Proven ability to influence executive leadership on people-related strategies.
- Strong analytical skills to measure the impact of OD interventions.
- Experience managing external consulting partners.