ICT research manager to ICT research consultant
An ICT research manager already meets 34% of what the ICT research consultant role asks for. The move turns on 35 required skills not yet in the profile.
76.3/ 100
1 How much of what an ICT research consultant is expected to do is already part of an ICT research manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the ICT research consultant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An ICT research consultant role treats 14 of its required skills as things an ICT research manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply reverse engineering
- apply statistical analysis techniques
- conduct literature research
- conduct qualitative research
- conduct quantitative research
- conduct research interview
What stands in the way is 35 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 29 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An ICT research consultant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ICT research manager background worth leading with.
- already held monitor ICT research information skills
- already held apply reverse engineering working with computers
- already held execute ICT user research activities information skills
- already held innovate in ICT communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held plan research process information skills
- already held provide user documentation communication, collaboration and creativity
All 29 carried skills, including the 14 the ICT research consultant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 43 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn consult with business clients required
- still to learn interact with users to gather requirements required
- still to learn manage intellectual property rights required
- still to learn use methodologies for user-centered design required
- still to learn communicate with a non-scientific audience required
- still to learn develop professional network with researchers and scientists required
- still to learn disseminate results to the scientific community required
- still to learn draft scientific or academic papers and technical documentation required
- still to learn evaluate research activities required
- still to learn increase the impact of science on policy and society required
- still to learn interact professionally in research and professional environments required
- still to learn mentor individuals required
- still to learn promote the transfer of knowledge required
- still to learn publish academic research required
- still to learn speak different languages required
- still to learn think abstractly required
- still to learn write scientific publications required
- optional, not held apply blended learning optional
- optional, not held provide written content optional
- optional, not held teach in academic or vocational contexts optional
- still to learn create prototype of user experience solutions required
- still to learn apply for research funding required
- still to learn apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities required
- still to learn conduct research across disciplines required
- still to learn demonstrate disciplinary expertise required
- still to learn integrate gender dimension in research required
- still to learn manage findable accessible interoperable and reusable data required
- still to learn manage research data required
- still to learn perform scientific research required
- still to learn promote open innovation in research required
- still to learn promote the participation of citizens in scientific and research activities required
- still to learn synthesise information required
- still to learn develop software prototype required
- still to learn digital data processing required
- still to learn operate open source software required
- still to learn manage open publications required
- optional, not held optimise choice of ICT solution optional
- optional, not held provide multimedia content optional
- still to learn manage personal professional development required
- still to learn perform project management required
- optional, not held ICT system user requirements optional
- optional, not held web analytics optional
- optional, not held information categorisation optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an ICT research consultant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 consult with business clients practise this
- 02 create prototype of user experience solutions practise this
- 03 develop software prototype practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 29 skills that carry over
- already held apply reverse engineering skill
- already held apply statistical analysis techniques skill
- already held conduct literature research skill
- already held conduct qualitative research skill
- already held conduct quantitative research skill
- already held conduct research interview skill
- already held conduct scholarly research skill
- already held execute ICT user research activities skill
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- already held innovate in ICT skill
- already held innovation processes knowledge
- already held plan research process skill
- already held provide user documentation skill
- already held scientific research methodology knowledge
- already held ICT market knowledge
- already held LDAP knowledge
- already held LINQ knowledge
- already held MDX knowledge
- already held N1QL knowledge
- already held SPARQL knowledge
- already held XQuery knowledge
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held emergent technologies knowledge
- already held information extraction knowledge
- already held monitor ICT research skill
- already held perform data mining skill
- already held query languages knowledge
- already held report analysis results skill
- already held resource description framework query language knowledge
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT system user requirements optional
- optional, not held information categorisation optional
- optional, not held optimise choice of ICT solution optional
- optional, not held provide multimedia content optional
- optional, not held apply blended learning optional
- optional, not held provide written content optional
- optional, not held teach in academic or vocational contexts optional
- optional, not held web analytics optional
20 held skills the ICT research consultant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Agile project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT power consumption knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT project management methodologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role Process-based management knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply system organisational policies skill
- not needed by the target role apply systemic design thinking skill
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate technological activities skill
- not needed by the target role crowdsourcing strategy knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify technological needs skill
- not needed by the target role insourcing strategy knowledge
- not needed by the target role lean project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage ICT project skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role monitor technology trends skill
- not needed by the target role organisational policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role outsourcing strategy knowledge
- not needed by the target role process data skill
- not needed by the target role write research proposals skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held ICT system user requirements optional
- optional, not held information categorisation optional
- optional, not held web analytics optional
Common questions about this move
Can an ICT research manager become an ICT research consultant?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An ICT research manager already covers 34% of what an ICT research consultant is expected to do: 29 skills carry over, 14 of which the ICT research consultant role treats as required.
What skills does an ICT research manager need to become an ICT research consultant?
35 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is consult with business clients.
How hard is the move from ICT research manager to ICT research consultant?
Its learning distance is 76.3 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.