Innovation Consultant

The Hiring Challenge in Advisory and Consulting Firms

Innovation engagements, new product strategy, growth ideation, venture-building, design-led problem solving, require a specific toolkit that doesn't always sit on a generalist strategy bench. Firms frequently win this work without having the dedicated capability to staff it well, and the methodology gap shows up quickly once the engagement gets past the kickoff.

The Generalist Strategy Gap

Many strong strategy consultants are comfortable with market sizing and competitive analysis but have never run a structured innovation process: ideation sprints, concept testing, business model design, the disciplines that separate genuine innovation work from a strategy deck with a new product idea attached.

The Pure Creative Gap

Other candidates bring strong design thinking or creative facilitation skills but lack the commercial rigour to size an opportunity, build a credible business case, or hold a client conversation about why an idea is or isn't worth pursuing.

Why Firms Mis-Hire

Some firms staff innovation work with whoever's available on the strategy bench regardless of methodology fit, and the engagement produces a deck rather than a tested concept. Others bring in a generalist creative freelancer with no consulting-grade commercial discipline, and the output doesn't hold up when the client asks for the business case behind it.

The Movemeon Approach

Our network includes ex-consultants from McKinsey, Bain, BCG, and innovation-focused boutiques who have run innovation and new growth engagements before moving into freelance and independent consulting.

Senior Consulting Pedigree, Tested for Innovation Methodology

Candidates are assessed not just on commercial rigour, but on demonstrated experience running structured innovation processes: facilitating ideation, testing concepts with real customers, and building the business case that turns an idea into something a client will actually fund.

What Strong Candidates Solve For

• A won innovation engagement with no dedicated capability to staff it: adding specific methodology the firm's generalist bench doesn't carry
• Ideation sessions producing volume but no tested, viable concepts: bringing the discipline to filter and validate ideas commercially, not just generate them
• New product or venture work needing a credible business case: pairing creative output with the commercial rigour a client's investment decision requires
• A client engagement scaling faster than the staffed team: adding innovation-specific capacity mid-engagement without disrupting delivery
• A practice building an innovation offering without a permanent team yet: accessing the methodology and delivery experience to staff engagements while the capability is being built internally

Built for the Interim and On-Demand Mandate

Speed to Start

Innovation Consultants are sourced and placed in days, not the weeks a permanent search requires, because innovation engagements are typically time-boxed and already underway when the capability gap appears.

Built for the Engagement's Timeline

Candidates are assessed on their ability to deliver against the specific scope and duration of the client engagement, integrating into an existing team and stepping away cleanly once the work concludes.

Why Advisory and Consulting Firms Choose Movemeon

Speed

A vetted network of 100,000+ ex-consultants delivers shortlists in days, against the weeks typical of a permanent search or a generalist freelance marketplace.

Fit

Every candidate is evaluated against the firm's specific innovation offering and the engagement's brief, so the work reflects the standard the firm has built its reputation on.

Start Your Search

Tell us about the engagement you need to staff, the methodology gap on your bench, or the timeline you're working against, and we'll put forward candidates who can start immediately.