Top 15 Highest Paying Consulting Jobs

Consultants play an integral role in solving problems a business may encounter. A consultant has to use a variety of skills like problem-solving and interpersonal communication to work with those in need of their services. Some problems they may need to solve include ones related to starting a business, merging with another business, methods to increase productivity and implement new technology.

In this article, we discuss what high-paying consulting jobs are, if those jobs require an MBA and a list of ones you can apply for today.

Read more: 10 Best Skills to Include on a Resume

What are the highest-paying consulting jobs?

Consultants become accountable once hired to render their expertise, analysis and purpose solutions to minimize risk for an organization. It's a job that is highly desirable for an organization, especially if they need an outsider's opinion on the state of their company and where it's heading. Consulting jobs can be lucrative for employees depending on the area they specialize in and the company they work for.

Do consulting jobs require an MBA?

A consultant is not required to have an MBA to perform the responsibilities required. Usually, a consulting position requires you to only have a bachelor's degree in areas like business, finance or economics, but it's more important to communicate the value of the professional experience you have on your resume and during an interview with a hiring manager. The way you communicate your experience determines if your career goals align with the consulting firm's and if you can solve the problem they're seeking solutions for.

Read more: Setting Goals to Improve Your Career

Top 15 highest-paying consulting jobs

Here is a list of the top 15 highest paying consulting jobs you can work in. Take note of this list when you're applying for consulting jobs to earn the highest possible salary.

1. Marketing consultant

National average salary: $56,068 per year

Primary duties: A marketing consultant works with a company to drive its target audience to their business. They also help improve conversion rates and monitor this metric to find out how many customers browse their website and become buyers of their product. They advise which marketing channel works best to communicate with clients, track leads and retain clients once they're signed.

2. Associate consultant

National average salary: $58,889 per year

Primary duties: An associate consultant works for a chief consultant who is their supervisor and leads projects based on the management's direction. They also draft specified legal documents for different scenarios in addition to providing training for clients and fellow consultants and researchers to give calculated advice for companies.

3. HR consultant

National average salary: $63,540 per year

Primary duties: A human resources, or HR, consultant renders advice on human resources policies for clients. HR policies can include employee training, benefits administration, setting goals and communicating them to lower-level employees and documentation processes for new employees. They also ensure that clients have updated compliance procedures regarding employee information and streamlining workflow for front line managers.

4. Technology consultant

National average salary: $64,898 per year

Primary duties: A technology consultant makes important decisions regarding the type of technology a company uses to service its clients. The technology they use depends on the industry they work in, but they can set up and maintain frameworks for startup companies, find ways to optimize performance and help with integrations that need to be made for computer hardware.

5. Investment consultant

National average salary: $65,666 per year

Primary duties: An investment consultant collaborates with other investors on products, advice and discovers their aspirations for the future, so they can meet their financial targets. This type of consultant can have experience in various positions within the financial sector, including banks and private equity firms. A consultant may be requested to oversee the investments made to see if they're turning a profit or it's viable in the long run.

6. Sales consultant

National average salary: $66,862 per year

Primary duties: A sales consultant sells a client's product to generate revenue and profit for the organization. They also attract more leads to their business, which enhances the opportunity for them to become paying customers. Furthermore, they can address client issues presented to them and administer solutions based on their needs. Sales consultants may have a strong social media presence because of their ability to drive awareness of a brand.

7. Environmental consultant

National average salary: $67,572 per year

Primary duties: An environmental consultant can make targeted predictions on the environmental impacts of business decisions for their clients. They also check if current business practices meet environmental standards set up by the state and the federal government. Some of these consultants may already work for the government or small nonprofit organizations to promote sustainable procedures.

8. Software consultant

National average salary: $71,395 per year

Primary duties: A software consultant is similar to a technology consultant, but they solely work on a company's software components and procedures. A large company may have both positions working for their company. However, they can collaborate on if software solutions match up with the current technological infrastructure of the organization and how it can speed up an organization's workflow.

9. Business consultant

National average salary: $71,853 per year

Primary duties: A business consultant develops a strategy for companies to expand their acquisition of customers and establishes detailed goals to show this result. They may work on HR and marketing procedures listed above if they're a small company, but their main responsibility to give the proper resources to execute their business plan.

10. Consultant

National average salary: $74,997 per year

Primary duties: A regular consultant can fall under the scope of a business consultant, but this title accounts for consultants who may work on their own and help individuals as well as businesses. They can give ad hoc advice or coach their clients to continue to ensure they reach success.

11. Security consultant

National average salary: $80,652 per year

Primary duties: Support specialists are responsible for reviewing and solving computer network and hardware problems for a business. They can work in a variety of industries to provide general support to a company's employees, or they can work at a technology or software as a service (SaaS) company and provide technical support on user experience issues that require technical assistance.

12. Management consultant

National average salary: $84,642 per year

Primary duties: A management consultant comes up with different ways to improve the effectiveness of an organization's processes. They use industry data and research and apply to practices that solve current problems with workflows, employee performance and how finances are spent.

13. Financial consultant

National average salary: $88,497 per year

Primary duties: A financial consultant solely works on improving the financial state of a business. They may work with accountants to properly address the organization's financial situation and address it with stakeholders as well as create financial strategies for savings, retirement and insurance, so they'll know the number of assets they have leftover to scale their company.

14. Systems consultant

National average salary: $93,956 per year

Primary duties: A systems consultant helps large businesses and corporations with their IT functionality. They troubleshoot issues and give live technical support to employees when needed. This position is similar to a technology consultant, but a systems consultant can be more specialized in systems currently in place and managing their data.

15. Senior consultant

National average salary: $98,468 per year

Primary duties: A senior consultant oversees a team of consultants to ensure that tasks can be carried out appropriately and efficiently. They'll usually be the main point of contact on client calls, as they'll speak face-to-face with the company executive team. Also, they may take the lead more on sales cycles, so their clients keep generating profit while their teams work on troubleshooting operational issues that arise.