What is an Employed Consultant? | Discover the benefits of an Employed Consultant model here

Enjoy the best of both worlds with a recruitment solution that bridges the gap between permanent and contingent recruitment. Our ECM locks in key skills over a longer period to increase capability and supplement your existing skills, so that you can accelerate your goals.

What is an Employed Consultant Model (ECM)?

An Employed Consultant Model is the perfect middle ground between a contingent and permanent resourcing solution. In an ECM, specialist technology consultants employed by Lorien are supplied to clients on an interim basis, either as part of a team or individually. Lorien’s ECM solution provides our clients with the best of both worlds, top quality contingent talent but with the security of a permanent hire. Our ECs offer hundreds of skillsets, but we also offer optional training opportunities to all our ECM consultants, so we can tailor skillsets to your needs. Whether your business is under pressure to deliver more with less resources, needs additional skillsets to drive and manage change or requires a new resource blend to continually ensure external skillsets and diversity – Lorien’s ECM solutions may have the answer.

How does an Employed Consultant Model work?

Our ECMs are designed to help you benefit from dedicated, experienced resources, while keeping the door open to external knowledge. Our Employed Consultants are hand-picked for each client based on their skillset, cultural fit, experience, and attitude, and as an optional add-on we can invest in training to keep skillsets fresh – including tailoring training to specific client needs. As a permanent Lorien employee, we take on all employer responsibility, and ECs are managed through our dedicated SoW and EC HR function, led by an experienced programme manager. The purpose of a Lorien Employed Consultant Model is to add sustainable value to your business, which is why knowledge transfer is a key part of our solution. Our ECs understand that their role is to upskill, add value and share expertise. As a result, as well as technical expertise, our ECs will also bring outside-in thinking, formalise knowledge handover and work with your permanent team to upskill and develop.

Why now?

The Employed Consultant Model is our response to the UK-wide technology skills gap. We provide businesses with the opportunity to hire outside of the typical talent pool and create a sustainable source of tech talent trained specifically to meet their business needs. As more businesses invest in digital transformation, and organisational demand has matured, the desire for external expertise and ‘outside in’ thinking has increased. This, combined with the scarce skill talent in the permanent workforce and changing market conditions in the contingent workforce (e.g. IR35), makes the Employed Consultant Model an attractive solution for those looking to futureproof their workforce.

Best in class resources

Our ECs are selected through a robust selection process which includes cultural fit; technical tests and proficiency for the role; previous client experience; and references. The typical profile of an EC is a highly experienced individual with experience in training and knowledge transfer, a background working across multiple clients and diverse working cultures to gain insight, knowledge and technical proficiency, technical leadership and authority expertise, and a broader external view of technical problems and solutions. The Lorien ECM culture and mindset is to add sustainable value and our ECs will bring outside in thinking, formalise knowledge handover and as an optional extra can work with your team to upskill and develop where this is required.

Optional upskilling and reskilling

Where appropriate, we invest in training and development programmes for our ECs, however we can also assign specific training courses aligned to your business priorities and identified skills gaps as an option. This can include a knowledge transfer plan and subsequent upskill for associated teams. Our Te(a)ch programme can also be used to support the development of early talent and to build future pipelines. Te(a)ch sees individuals from non-technical backgrounds upskilled into entry-level technology roles via an ECM arrangement. We manage an application process that promotes inclusion and assesses candidates on ability and key behaviours, using technology to match candidates with client requirements. Entrants are then put through an upskilling programme specific to your tech needs, taught by industry specialists and covering theory, practical application and soft skills. Once the transition period is complete, you have the option to move the EC onto a permanent contract with your business.

Our upskilling partners

Our workforce education is delivered by specialist training organisations for quality assurance and to ensure expertise in each specialism. Each education programme has its own pathway, dedicated training experts and practical opportunities such as shadowing and workshops. For example, we partner with Cambridge Spark, who provide academies for data and machine learning. Their people come from some of the world’s largest tech companies, high-growth start-ups and well-known training providers, and are supported by the Cambridge Spark Faculty – a community of over 50 educators from top universities and leading data-driven organisations.

Read our Q&A with Cambridge Spark

Join our Employed Consultant network

Being an Employed Consultant offers the best of both worlds – the security of a permanent role, with the opportunity to gain experience with a variety of different clients. As an Employed Consultant, you will have all the standard benefits of a Lorien employee (including private healthcare, pension and leave allowances), plus a competitive salary continuous training and development opportunities and the chance to work on projects with different clients, technologies and environments. There is also the potential to eventually move to a permanent role with a Lorien client, subject to their need and your agreement. Lorien works with clients across a variety of sectors, including financial services and banking, insurance, retail and eCommerce, technology, professional services and consulting, pharmaceuticals, energy and utilities, and more.

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What are the benefits of an Employed Consultant Model?

Expertise_

Bring highly skilled workers into your business to accelerate and enhance projects, and open the door to external knowledge for your existing workforce.

Alignment_

Gain access to candidates you might not traditionally see and build tech teams with the right behavioural skills for your workforce.

Investment_

Training can be tailored to your specific business needs and tech stacks, futureproofing your business while ensuring a sustainable supply of talent.

Control_

As ECs are engaged permanently by Lorien, you take on no risk as the end client; this includes mitigating co-employment and tenure risks, as well as AWR or IR35 obligations.

Scalability_

Improve flexibility in your workforce to meet business demands, with an EC resource pool ready to deploy.

Delivery_

Performance-related bonuses ensure that resources see through contracts and deliver to a high standard. Our ECs engage on 6+ month strategic programmes, so their focus is on adding long-term value.