Accenture Career Levels

Accenture is a global consulting firm with over 500,000 employees, so while there are variations by geography and workforce, the overall Accenture career levels are relatively similar.

The most common question I get is career levels within the consulting and strategy workforce in the US, so let’s cover those.

Level 1: Senior Managing Director (SMD)
Level 2: Client Account Director (MD)
Level 3: Senior Client Account Executive (MD)
Level 4: Client Account Executive (MD)
Level 5: Associate Director or Principal Director
Level 6: Senior Manager or Senior Principal
Level 7: Manager or Principal
Level 8: Associate Manager or Associate Principal
Level 9: Consultant, Team Lead, or Specialist
Level 10: Senior Analyst
Level 11: Analyst
Level 12: Associate
Level 13: New Associate or Assistant

You can find the salary by career level here.

Many people think “Managing Director” is the top level without realizing the multiple levels of Managing Director.

As you work up the career ladder, you’ll get more money, but also more responsibilities. Salary is the main competent for most employees until you get to Managing Director when the equity component plays a much more significant role.

What are Accenture promotions cycles?

You can read about the typical Accenture promotion raises and bonuses here, but the promotion cycles vary by workforce and performance.

The typical years at a level for each role is 2-3 years in the beginning but gradually increase as you climb up the ladder.

Accenture tries to be a meritocracy, so promotions are much more performance-based than seniority-based.

Promotions are determined during “laddering” sessions which typically flow up a path:

Project -> Client -> Workforce or Geography

It’s essential to have the proper representation at each laddering session to ensure you’re getting a fair shot.

You’re represented by your project leadership in the project/client calls, but you become more dependent on your career counselor for representation as you move to the workforce or geography laddering.

When I was at Accenture, it was always my goal to have respected career counselors who have pull in the laddering meetings because it makes a difference.

How long does it take to make Accenture Managing Director?

While there are multiple paths to Managing Director at Accenture, the easiest to quantify is from Analyst to MD. The time has stretched out as Accenture has grown, but the fastest time is usually 12-14 years.

Each career level would require years of experience:

Analyst – 2 years
Consultant – 3 years
Manager – 3 years
Senior Manager – 4 years

This would be an example of a faster progression to Managing Director, but the longer paths usually stall more in the Manager/Senior Manager roles.

Accenture maintains an attrition rate in the mid to upper-teens, so not many people make it all the way to Managing Director.

Many will peak out at Level 5 or Level 6, and the Level 5 role (Associate Director) was put in place to allow SME’s to stay within the firm without worry about “up or out”.