jobfacts

Directors in consultancy services

SOC 2020 1258

Directors in consultancy services plan, organise, direct and co-ordinate the activities, resources and development of consultancies working in a variety of sectors, liaise with clients and promotes their business.

Also calledDirectorManagerand 44 more titles
People in the job65,000across the UK
Demand for workersCritical
New adverts a month135↑ 10%on last year · 374th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
Nearly half (43%) of directors in consultancy services work for themselves. These pay figures only cover employees, so they may not reflect what self-employed directors in consultancy services earn.
Typical pay by regionUK median —
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
Show as table
UK median, —
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 135 jobs for directors in consultancy services are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as critical.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026Not published
Jul 2026143
Jun 2026157
May 2026218
Apr 2026103
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026105
Jan 2026124
Dec 202566
Nov 2025161
Oct 2025150
Sept 2025126
Aug 2025151
Jul 2025173
Jun 2025141
May 2025188
Apr 2025110
Mar 2025148
Feb 2025157
Jan 202599
Dec 202479
Nov 2024103
Oct 202478
Sept 2024101
Aug 2024121
Jul 2024114
Jun 202480
May 2024105
Apr 2024114
Mar 2024109
Feb 2024112
Jan 2024155
Dec 2023125
Nov 2023120
Oct 2023126
Sept 202398
Aug 2023147
Jul 2023158
Jun 2023227
May 2023283
Apr 2023191
Mar 2023304
Feb 2023260
Jan 2023269
Dec 2022247
Nov 2022290
Oct 2022247
Sept 2022227
Aug 2022254
Jul 2022294
Jun 2022254
May 2022323
Apr 2022310
Mar 2022352
Feb 2022357
Jan 2022324
Dec 2021261
Nov 2021210
Oct 2021238
Sept 2021195
Aug 2021274
Jul 2021248
Jun 2021222
May 2021193
Apr 2021193
Mar 2021275
Feb 2021166
Jan 2021191
Dec 2020151
Nov 2020181
Oct 2020153
Sept 2020136
Aug 2020116
Jul 2020132
Jun 2020154
May 2020107
Apr 2020166
Mar 2020327
Feb 2020359
Jan 2020310
Dec 2019167
Nov 2019202
Oct 2019277
Sept 2019267
Aug 2019235
Jul 2019276
Jun 2019278
May 2019229
Apr 2019176
Mar 2019170
Feb 2019180
Jan 2019222
Dec 2018128
Nov 2018205
Oct 2018181
Sept 2018227
Aug 2018191
Jul 2018212
Jun 2018229
May 2018240
Apr 2018181
Mar 2018210
Feb 2018207
Jan 2018214
Dec 2017177
Nov 2017257
Oct 2017274
Sept 2017232
Aug 2017246
Jul 2017228
Jun 2017262
May 2017285
Apr 2017266
Mar 2017316
Feb 2017256
Jan 2017310
Is there a shortage of directors in consultancy services?
Critical

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was not high.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsWell above usual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: online job advert density, hours and earnings due to proportion of self employed workers.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
15%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for managers and proprietors in other services, which includes directors in consultancy services. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London150
Manchester36
Birmingham22
Bristol, City of17
Leeds17
Glasgow City9
Cambridge8
Nottingham8
Newcastle upon Tyne8
Liverpool7
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where directors in consultancy services are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 13 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from United States, Germany, Turkey, ranking it 207th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of directors in consultancy services
n/p
n/p
35%!
30%!
17%!
7.3%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–34Not published
35–4435% (small sample)
45–5430% (small sample)
55–6417% (small sample)
65+7.3% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent75%
Higher education below degree!4.2%
A levels or equivalent!11%
GCSEs or equivalent!7.3%
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications!1.8%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent75%
Higher education below degree4.2% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent11% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent7.3% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published
No qualifications1.8% (small sample)

Main employers: business and other management consultancy activities (29%), engineering activities and related technical consultancy (14%), other professional, scientific and technical activities nec (7.2%), architectural activities (3.1%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
75%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work
Self-employed
43%
of people in the job

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • determines staffing, financial and other short- and long-term requirements
  • plans work schedules, assigns tasks and delegates responsibilities to staff
  • builds relationships with clients, the local business community and relevant organisations and promotes their business
  • oversees and advises multiples projects to ensure they are delivered on time and to a high quality and contributes to the assessment of clients' needs
  • plans and directs research into business' strategy, policy, organisation, procedures, methods and markets and evaluates the results
  • reviews and advises on recommendations to clients with a view to maximising growth and improving business performance

Skills

  • manage staff
  • train employees
  • create solutions to problems
  • handle customer complaints
  • manage budgets
  • recruit employees
  • comply with food safety and hygiene
  • coordinate operational activities
  • follow company standards
  • identify customer's needs
  • implement marketing strategies
  • implement sales strategies
  • maintain customer service
  • plan health and safety procedures

Knowledge

  • corporate social responsibility
  • customer relationship management
  • communication principles
  • customer service
  • geographical areas relevant to tourism
  • local area tourism industry
  • product comprehension

Suits people who like

  • Leading and persuading
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for other managers and proprietors, a group of 22 jobs that includes directors in consultancy services.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 43%about 494,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.