Sometimes a business hires an outside consultant to help troubleshoot problems, improve efficiency, and cut costs. The consultant is there to advise on human capital and can suggest to their client, changes and policies that will slowdown high employee turnover. In addition, they may teach the company leaders new ways to help them save money on re-training staff. Senior consultant's in the health care industry may suggest how to better allocate and payout employee contributions, in order to get the best health plan possible.

Whether it’s a small firm with a few partners or a giant corporation with millions of employees, at one time or another, businesses may have used the services of a consultant or a senior consultant. The areas that consultants generally work in are: management, financial, scientific and technical, or professional. Consultants might oversee a scientific program, update technical services, or provide new tools that their clients cannot get for themselves.

There are different ranks of consultancy as well. Senior consultants will have generally been promoted from a regular consultant position after having demonstrated creativity and success with their casework. Their position in terms of hierarchy, may be higher than an analyst or associate consultant. The chief difference between principals and senior consultants, is they allot more time to actual casework, while spending fewer hours on managing client relations. The principal in the firm is more of a manager type and holds a higher position.

What senior consultants bring to the table are expertise and a special proficiency, or knowledge, of a particular condition. The business owner or CEO of a corporation will bring in a senior consultant when he doesn’t have the time or resources to be as effective. Government agencies on all levels (national, federal, state and local) make use of senior consultants just as the private sector does. Other clients include, institutions, universities and colleges, hospitals, unions and nonprofit organizations.

Anyone with great knowledge, education or expertise in an area can become a senior consultant, and 25 percent of consultants operate on their own. More often, businesses are outsourcing the administrative duties of their firms to someone like a senior consultant who may specialize in what they cannot.

A senior consultant may only be on the job for a limited period of time and will bill their client for the hours worked. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers in the industry logged 35.9 hours per week in 2006, higher than the national average at 33.9. Many senior consultants however, work on a contractual basis guaranteeing tight deadlines and pulling long hours to meet their demands.

A senior consultant is a highly educated person and about 42 percent have a bachelor’s degree, while 32 percent have a masters degree or higher. Many are required to have a masters in business administration (MBA). Workers can advance through the ranks from research associate to consultant, management consultant, senior consultant, junior partner, and, after many years, senior partner. Senior consultants make on average $80,500.00 per year.