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 Stakeholder Engagement Specialist (L2)
2-3 years at L2Skills to master
- Moving from owning a workstream to leading an entire project's engagement strategy. This means mastering end-to-end planning, advanced stakeholder influence, and managing resistance independently.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently delivering on workstream goals with minimal supervision.
- Proactively identifying and proposing solutions to engagement challenges.
- Demonstrating strong informal leadership and mentorship of new joiners.
- Successfully managing complex stakeholder relationships on your own.
- 2
From Senior Internal Communications Specialist
4-6 years in internal commsSkills to master
- Bridging from pure communications to broader change management frameworks (ADKAR, Kotter), stakeholder analysis beyond comms, and understanding benefits realisation. It's about moving from 'what to say' to 'how to make it stick'.
You're ready to move on when
- Experience developing strategic communication plans for significant organisational initiatives.
- A strong understanding of different audience segments and tailoring messages.
- Ability to influence senior leaders on communication strategy.
- A demonstrable interest in the 'people side' of change beyond just messaging.
- 3
From Project Manager (with strong people focus)
5-7 years in project managementSkills to master
- Shifting from task and technical delivery to the human element of change. This means deep-diving into behavioural science, resistance management, and the softer skills of empathy and influence. It's about understanding *why* people struggle with change.
You're ready to move on when
- A track record of successfully managing project teams and stakeholder expectations.
- Recognised for strong communication and interpersonal skills within project contexts.
- A genuine passion for the 'people side' of project delivery, not just the technical aspects.
- Experience mitigating project risks related to user adoption or stakeholder buy-in.