United Kingdom · Internal consulting · Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Solutions Design Consultant

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

See how AI is changing this job, and get the full read by email.

Start my free AI Fluency module

The first step towards Advanced Problem Framing & Hypothesis Testing is getting confident with the AI tools already in your week, so start with Using and Checking AI Tools in Daily Work, free.

Free to start, no card.

Keep this job description

Where should we send it?

One email: what AI is changing in this job, the new skills it asks for, where it leads, and where to start free. With a link back here. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

Leading a team? Try this with up to five of them for 14 days, free.

Experience bandMid-Level (2-5 years)
Direct reportsNo direct reports
Reports toSenior Solutions Design Consultant
UK framework levelUsually a coordinator, or early in a professional job

Also advertised as Business Process Analyst · Internal Consultant · Process Improvement Specialist · Business Transformation Analyst

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in what real qualifications cover

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

EAL Level 4 Diploma in Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing (Development Competence) Excellence, Achievement & Learning Limited · Level 4 · covers 1 of 7 standards

ETCAL Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Engineering Technical Support ETC Awards Limited · Level 3 · covers 1 of 7 standards

EAL Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering - Technical Support Technician (Development Competence) Excellence, Achievement & Learning Limited · Level 3 · covers 1 of 7 standards

EAL Level 3 NVQ Extended Diploma in Engineering Technical Support Excellence, Achievement & Learning Limited · Level 3 · covers 1 of 7 standards

NOCN Level 4 certificate for Data Analysts NOCN · Level 4 · covers 1 of 7 standards

City & Guilds Level 4 Diploma For ICT Professionals (Systems and Principles) City & Guilds Limited · Level 4 · covers 1 of 7 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Developing low level engineering software EAL Level 4 Diploma in Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing (Development Competence)

Performing Low Level Programming for Engineering Software ETCAL Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Engineering Technical Support

Practical Data Science NOCN Level 4 certificate for Data Analysts

IT Consulting Skills City & Guilds Level 4 Diploma For ICT Professionals (Systems and Principles)

The future skills this job leans on

Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision

Foresight Fluency seeing round the corner

Systems Fluency seeing the whole picture

Your Plan Illustration

Built for Solutions Design Consultant

4 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

Developing low level engineering software Excellence, Achievement & Learning Limited · covers 1 of 7 standards Level 4
Performing Low Level Programming for Engineering Software ETC Awards Limited · covers 1 of 7 standards Level 3
Practical Data Science NOCN · covers 1 of 7 standards Level 4
IT Consulting Skills City & Guilds Limited · covers 1 of 7 standards Level 4

These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Solutions Design Consultant?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

Advanced Problem Framing & Hypothesis Testing
Influence & Negotiation Tactics

Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

Data Fluencyturning numbers into a decision
Foresight Fluencyseeing round the corner
Systems Fluencyseeing the whole picture

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Solutions Design Consultant plan as you set up, starting with the free AI Fluency module. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

Ready to pay? Subscribe for £70 a month

Keep this read. One email with what AI is changing in this job, the new skills it asks for and where to start free. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

3What this role really is

A Solutions Design Consultant looks at how departments work and helps design better ways of doing things.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Microsoft Excel Advanced

Performing complex data analysis (VLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, Pivot Tables, Power Query for data cleaning), building simple financial models, and creating visualisations for reports.

SQL (Structured Query Language) Intermediate

Writing queries to extract, filter, and join data from various enterprise data warehouses for analysis and reporting. You'll be comfortable with basic to moderately complex joins.

Power BI / Tableau Intermediate

Building and modifying dashboards from existing data models and templates to track project KPIs, visualise findings, and present data-driven insights.

Lucidchart / Microsoft Visio Intermediate

Creating clear 'as-is' and 'to-be' process maps, swimlane diagrams, and workflow visualisations from defined requirements and interviews.

Microsoft PowerPoint Intermediate

Developing compelling, data-driven narratives and executive-ready presentations from your analysis, ensuring a clear, logical flow and impactful visuals.

Asana / Jira Intermediate

Managing your personal tasks, tracking project progress, updating project boards, and creating basic status reports within a defined project structure.

Confluence / Notion Intermediate

Contributing to project documentation, creating and managing team knowledge bases, and ensuring a 'single source of truth' for project information.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choice	Coming in	Where you are now	The step above
Project Approach for a Workstream	Follows defined methodology; all steps reviewed by manager.	Chooses appropriate methodology for routine problems; consults manager on novel approaches.	Defines methodology and approach for entire project; consults Director on strategic alignment.
Solution Design (Specific Process Step)	Designs based on detailed instructions; reviewed for accuracy.	Independently designs specific process steps; reviews with manager for alignment and impact.	Designs end-to-end solutions for complex processes; gains consensus from key stakeholders.
Stakeholder Communication	Drafts communications for manager review; participates in meetings.	Drafts and delivers routine project updates; consults manager on sensitive communications.	Leads all project communications; manages stakeholder expectations proactively.
Budget Allocation	No authority; flags potential costs to manager.	No authority; contributes cost estimates for business cases.	Recommends budget allocation up to £5K; seeks approval for larger amounts.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Deliverable Quality & Accuracy

The clarity, accuracy, and completeness of your analyses, process maps, and presentation materials.

Target · Fewer than 2 rounds of significant revisions per major deliverable from your Senior Consultant.

You submit an 'as-is' process map for review. Your manager identifies one minor clarification needed and no errors, meaning it's ready after one quick edit. That's a win.

On-Time Task Completion

Your ability to complete assigned tasks and workstream deliverables within agreed-upon timelines.

Target · 90%+ of individual tasks and workstream milestones delivered on or before the deadline.

You commit to delivering the initial data analysis for a project by Tuesday. You deliver it Monday afternoon, allowing more time for review.

Solution Adoption (Initial)

The initial uptake of your recommendations or designed processes by the target business unit.

Target · 75%+ of key stakeholders confirm they've begun using the new process/tool within the first month of implementation.

After you've designed a new expense approval process, 8 out of 10 team leads in Finance confirm their teams are actively using it, rather than reverting to the old way.

Data Sourcing & Preparation Efficiency

How quickly and effectively you can gather, clean, and prepare data for analysis.

Target · Reduce data preparation time for routine analyses by 15% through improved scripting or data source understanding.

You used to spend 8 hours cleaning a specific dataset. Now, by writing a better SQL query and automating some Excel steps, you get it done in 6.8 hours.

Clarity of Communication

Your ability to explain complex ideas and recommendations in simple, understandable terms to non-technical stakeholders, both verbally and in writing.

Stakeholders consistently understand your points without needing repeated explanations. Your emails are concise and clear. You can summarise complex findings in a single paragraph. People say, 'Ah, I get it now!'

Problem Framing & Root Cause Identification

Your skill in moving beyond symptoms to accurately identify the underlying causes of a business problem within your workstream.

Your initial problem statements accurately reflect the core issue. You ask insightful 'why' questions. Your proposed solutions address the root cause, not just the surface-level problem. Your manager rarely has to redirect your problem analysis.

Stakeholder Engagement & Relationship Building

How well you build rapport and effectively engage with your immediate project stakeholders and peers.

Stakeholders are responsive to your requests. They feel comfortable sharing information with you. You receive positive informal feedback from colleagues about your collaborative approach. People actually enjoy working with you, which is important in internal consulting.

Proactive Issue Identification

Your ability to spot potential roadblocks, data gaps, or emerging challenges within your workstream and flag them early.

You bring potential issues to your manager's attention before they become major problems. You anticipate data challenges. You highlight risks in project meetings rather than waiting for them to materialise.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy

Solving Tricky Problems

You get a real buzz from taking a messy, ill-defined business challenge and breaking it down into a clear problem statement, then figuring out how to fix it. The more complex, the better, usually.

Spending an afternoon digging into disparate data sources to understand why a particular process step consistently fails, and then sketching out a new, simpler workflow.

Seeing Your Impact

You're not content with just writing reports; you want to see your recommendations actually put into practice and make a difference. There's a satisfaction in knowing your work has genuinely helped someone's day-to-day.

Getting an email from a department head thanking you because the new process you designed has cut their team's weekly admin time by two hours.

Continuous Learning & Growth

You're always keen to pick up new tools, methodologies, or learn about different parts of the business. Every project is a new puzzle, and you enjoy expanding your knowledge base.

Volunteering to take on a project in a department you know little about, just to understand their challenges and how they operate, or diving into a new Excel function to automate a task.

What frustrates people

The 'Immune System' Response: You'll spend weeks designing a brilliant solution, only for the business unit to resist it, viewing your recommendations as criticism rather than help. Change is hard, and not everyone welcomes it.
Data Scavenger Hunt: Expect to spend a lot of time just trying to find and clean basic operational data from five different, siloed systems. Each system is usually guarded by a different department, meaning lots of chasing.
Scope Creep: You'll start with a clear problem, but then stakeholders will keep adding 'just one more thing' to the project. Managing this can feel like herding cats, and it's a constant battle.
Implementation Black Hole: You might hand over a meticulously designed plan, only to watch the business fumble the execution. You have accountability for the design, but often limited authority over the actual delivery.
Being the 'PowerPoint Janitor': Sometimes, your strategic skills will be wasted on tidying up slides and making executives' vague ideas look presentable at 10 PM the night before a board meeting. It's not glamorous, but it happens.

What this role does not give you

A perfectly predictable day-to-day routine – every project is different.
Direct people management responsibilities (though you'll influence many).
The ability to make unilateral decisions without consulting others.
A role where you can avoid internal politics – it's part of the job, sadly.

8Who you work with

Your work directly influences the efficiency and effectiveness of our internal operations. By designing better solutions, you help teams reduce manual effort, improve data quality, and make faster, more informed decisions. This frees up our people to focus on higher-value work, which ultimately helps our bottom line and improves our overall service delivery. Honestly, you're a bit of an unsung hero, making everyone else's job a bit easier.

Inside the business

Your manager and the wider Internal Consulting team (for collaboration and support)
Departmental Managers and Team Leads (your primary 'clients' for projects)
Product and Technology teams (especially when solutions involve new software or system changes)
Finance (for building business cases and understanding cost impacts)
Operations (often the focus of process improvement work)

Outside the business

Occasionally, you might interact with external vendors or software providers if a project involves evaluating new tools. This isn't a core part of the role, though.

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

Demonstrable experience in business process mapping and analysis.
Proven ability to analyse data using Excel and SQL to identify insights.
Experience in creating clear, data-driven presentations for business audiences.
A track record of taking ownership of tasks and delivering them reliably.
The ability to work independently on defined workstreams with minimal supervision.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced Data Modelling & Visualisation

As projects become more complex, you'll need to move beyond simply modifying existing dashboards. You'll be expected to design new data models from scratch and create more sophisticated, interactive visualisations that tell a compelling story to senior leadership.

Star Schema Design · DAX/M Language (Power BI) · Advanced Chart Types & Storytelling · Data Governance Principles

This month: Take an online course on advanced Power BI or Tableau data modelling.
Next quarter: Volunteer to build a new dashboard from scratch for a small internal project.
Month 4-6: Experiment with different chart types and data storytelling techniques in your presentations.
Month 7-9: Seek feedback from a senior analyst or data scientist on your data model designs.

Quick win: Spend an hour each week exploring advanced features in Power BI/Tableau, trying to replicate a complex chart you've seen online.

Basic Python for Data Analysis

While Excel and SQL are your bread and butter now, Python (with libraries like pandas) is becoming increasingly important for handling larger datasets, performing more complex statistical analysis, and automating repetitive tasks. It's not about becoming a developer, but about expanding your analytical capabilities.

Python Fundamentals · Pandas Library · NumPy Library · Basic Data Visualisation (Matplotlib/Seaborn)

This month: Complete an introductory online course on Python for data science (e.g., DataCamp, Coursera).
Next quarter: Try to automate one repetitive Excel task using a simple Python script.
Month 4-6: Work through a few Kaggle datasets using pandas to practice data cleaning and analysis.
Month 7-9: Seek opportunities to collaborate with a data scientist or more experienced Python user on a project.

Quick win: Install Anaconda and Jupyter Notebooks today. Start with a 'Hello World' program and then try importing a CSV into a pandas DataFrame.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up

Actively seeking out internal projects that stretch your capabilities and expose you to new parts of the business.
Participating in internal knowledge-sharing sessions and presenting your project learnings to the team.
Taking online courses (e.g., on Coursera, Udemy, DataCamp) to deepen your skills in data analysis, SQL, or visualisation tools.
Attending industry webinars or virtual conferences related to business process management or internal consulting best practices.
Finding a mentor within the organisation (beyond your direct manager) to gain different perspectives and advice.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

Advanced Problem Framing & Hypothesis Testing

As you take on more complex problems, simply mapping 'as-is' won't be enough. You'll need to move towards forming clear hypotheses about why things are broken and then designing analysis to prove or disprove them. This shifts you from a data gatherer to a strategic thinker.

MECE Frameworks (Advanced)
Issue Trees
Hypothesis-Driven Approach
Scenario Planning (Basic)

Influence & Negotiation Tactics

At this level, you're influencing peers. To become a Senior Consultant, you'll need to influence more senior stakeholders who have competing priorities and often strong opinions. This isn't just about good ideas; it's about getting those ideas adopted.

Stakeholder Mapping (Advanced)
Active Listening for Objections
Framing for Different Audiences
Building Coalitions

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

Business Process Re-engineering (BPR)
Business Case Development
Stakeholder Analysis & Engagement
Change Management Principles
Operating Model Concepts

14The pathway

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
From Associate Solutions Consultant (L1)
18-30 months
Skills to master
- Independent task execution, initial stakeholder engagement, robust data analysis, clear documentation, proactive problem identification.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently delivers high-quality analysis and slides with minimal revisions.
- Can independently manage a small, well-defined workstream.
- Proactively identifies and flags issues without being prompted.
- Receives positive informal feedback from project team members.
2
From Business Analyst / Process Analyst (External)
Direct entry (0-6 months ramp-up)
Skills to master
- Adapting to our internal culture and tools, understanding our specific business context, building internal networks.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully navigates initial projects with minimal supervision after onboarding.
- Quickly grasps our internal processes and stakeholder landscape.
- Demonstrates strong analytical and communication skills from day one.
- Actively seeks to understand the 'why' behind our current ways of working.
3
From Operations / Finance Analyst
2-3 years (with relevant project experience)
Skills to master
- Structured problem-solving (beyond just reporting), process mapping, stakeholder management across different departments, developing 'to-be' solutions.
You're ready to move on when
- Has led or significantly contributed to process improvement initiatives in their previous role.
- Shows a clear interest in broader business challenges, not just their specific function.
- Demonstrates strong analytical skills and a desire to move into a more consultative role.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This work can lead to Lead Solutions Design Consultant, managing larger transformation programmes, or Principal Solutions Consultant, advising on a portfolio of strategic projects.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Solutions Design Consultant is actually changing.

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Developing low level engineering software, worked against Solutions Design Consultant.

Developing low level engineering software Level 4

Applied to your work in Solutions Design Consultant

The objective of this unit is to enable learners to interpret requirements, design, develop, test, and document low level engineering software components, ensuring functionality and adherence to coding standards.

How the thinking builds

1 Remember
2 Understand
3 Apply
4 Analyse
5 Evaluate
6 Create

An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

See Your Progress Grow Illustration

Solutions Design Consultant

Business Process Re-engineering (BPR)
Business Case Development
Stakeholder Analysis & Engagement
Change Management Principles
Operating Model Concepts

This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Solutions Design Consultant is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

Senior Solutions Design Consultant (L3)
2-4 years

You'll move from owning specific workstreams to leading entire small-to-medium complexity projects end-to-end. You'll become the primary point of contact for business unit managers and start mentoring junior colleagues.
- Full Business Case Ownership (developing and presenting compelling financial justifications)
- Complex Process Design (architecting multi-departmental 'to-be' processes)
- Change Management Strategy (designing communication and adoption plans)
- Workshop Facilitation (leading larger, more complex stakeholder sessions)

Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, a big chunk of consulting work can be time-consuming, from synthesising workshop notes to drafting initial analyses. We're not just talking about AI in theory here; we're actively embedding it into how we work, helping you focus on the strategic, human-centric parts of your role.

As a Solutions Design Consultant, you're constantly analysing, documenting, and communicating. Imagine cutting down the grunt work by a significant margin. Our AI Productivity Hub isn't about replacing you; it's about giving you superpowers so you can tackle more complex problems and deliver higher-impact solutions faster. Think of it as your super-smart assistant, ready to take on the tedious bits.

Automated Workshop Synthesis

Use AI meeting assistants (like Fathom or Otter.ai) to transcribe your stakeholder workshops. The AI will then automatically generate summaries, pull out key themes, decisions, and action items. This means you get an instant, searchable record, freeing you from hours of manual note-taking and synthesis. You'll walk out of the meeting with the summary already done, honestly.

Accelerated 'As-Is' Analysis

Got a stack of process documents, interview transcripts, or system logs? Feed them into a large language model. It can rapidly generate a first-draft 'as-is' process map and highlight potential pain points, redundancies, and bottlenecks for you to investigate further. It won't be perfect, but it'll give you a massive head start on your discovery phase.

Rapid Benchmarking & Research

Need to quickly understand best practices for a specific business problem? Use AI research tools (like Perplexity or Consensus) to scan and synthesise industry reports, academic papers, and case studies. You'll get a summary of relevant insights in minutes, not days, allowing you to build a stronger case for your solutions without endless Googling.

First-Draft Communications & Change Plans

Give an AI your project brief, stakeholder map, and solution summary. Ask it to generate first drafts of stakeholder communication plans, project update emails, training FAQs, or even a PowerPoint presentation outline. You'll still need to refine it and add your human touch, but it'll save you a huge amount of time staring at a blank page.

Common questions

How do you become a Solutions Design Consultant?

Common routes in include From Associate Solutions Consultant (18-30 months), From Business Analyst / Process Analyst (External) (Direct entry (0-6 months ramp-up)) and From Operations / Finance Analyst (2-3 years (with relevant project experience)). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Solutions Design Consultant progress to?

This role can lead on to Senior Solutions Design Consultant (2-4 years), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Solutions Design Consultant?

Increasingly, Advanced Problem Framing & Hypothesis Testing and Influence & Negotiation Tactics. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my free AI Fluency module What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.

Solutions Design Consultant

Where should we send it?

Two short quizzes about you

Will AI change your work as a Solutions Design Consultant?

What's rising in its place

Advanced Problem Framing & Hypothesis Testing

Influence & Negotiation Tactics

Skills this role draws on

Technical

How you actually get there, here

From Associate Solutions Consultant (L1)

From Business Analyst / Process Analyst (External)

From Operations / Finance Analyst

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

Roles this leads to

One to one, on the work you already do

Everything else the record holds

The career path, and where it branches

Senior Solutions Design Consultant (L3)

Where AI is starting to help

Automated Workshop Synthesis

Accelerated 'As-Is' Analysis

Rapid Benchmarking & Research

First-Draft Communications & Change Plans

Common questions

Want a read on where you stand?