I'm interested in transitioning into consulting and would love to know if there’s a realistic chance of landing a Consultant or Associate position in Procurement.
I have 4.5 years of experience as an end-to-end engineer in a manufacturing startup, where I independently managed the entire process from quote to cash. I also hold both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Civil Engineering from a top 100 university.
Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated—thank you in advance!
Hi there,
There are many consultants who come from Engineering background (study and work). What you'd need to showcase is that, besides your analytical and problem solving skills that you might have accumulated from engineering experience , you have the business sense and would be able to know how to solve business problems.
Did your 4.5 years work give you enough exposure that you can convince the firm that you pass the bar for business knowledge / business sense? Have you learned any business, economics, finance fundamentals?
If you don't have enough exposure in these fields, one common way engineers pivot to consulting is to go through the MBA program.
Best,
Emily
Hello there,
With your technical background and industry experience, a transition into consulting, especially in procurement, is definitely possible. Personally , I have passed all MBB CV screening phases shifting from a supply-chain role in the heavy industry to a generalist one at McKinsey and 30% of my projects were related to procurement.
McKinsey offers roles that align with your profile. They have an Associate Procurement position within their Implementation team, focused on helping clients with strategic sourcing and procurement transformation. They also offer a Consultant Procurement position as part of the Operations Excellence Program, which involves driving operational improvements in procurement and supply management.
See that the CV plays the most important role in showing how your experience translates into a consulting context. 80% of candidates get rejected in this phase, usually for lack of understanding on how to build a consulting-style CV. I’d be happy to help you with that!
Also, to strengthen your application, you might consider reaching out to consultants with a similar background to get a referral after your CV is ready.
Best,
Mari
hey there!
I would argue that you have a realistic chance. Your 4.5 years of hands-on, end-to-end experience in manufacturing, especially with ownership over quote-to-cash, translates well into procurement and operations consulting. Firms like BCG, McKinsey (Ops or QuantumBlack), and Tier 2 consultancies often look for candidates with strong technical and implementation backgrounds, especially in supply chain and procurement roles.
I would say that you’d likely be positioned as an Experienced Hire at the Associate or Consultant level, depending on the firm and region. Highlight cross-functional work, cost optimization, supplier management, and any analytics exposure in your resume.
Strong next step I would do: tailor your story to show how your engineering mindset drives business value, and consider referrals to the Ops or Procurement practice directly.
Let me know if you'd like help refining your positioning or resume.
Alessa
For sure there is a solid chance.
With 4.5 years of experience - you could be eligible to apply for post-MBA levels as well - but your business knowledge would remain a question to solve. A level lower than post-MBA level would definitely be doable, but post-MBA levels are surely attemptable. Both entry points have their pros and cons.
A better idea can be provided by your referee(s) in the target firms. I recommend to apply with a referral as an experienced hire to dramatically increase your changes of landing an interview.
Key areas you should focus on before applying:
Key areas you should focus around 2-months before applying:
Feel free to drop me a message and we can connect on a free intro call to draw out a detailed prep plan for you. And if you'd like - I can support you on the all the steps of preparation end-to-end.
