In the consulting industry’s era of AI upheaval, even job titles aren’t safe from change.
Mo Reynolds, Deloitte U.S.’s chief people officer, hosted the meeting where these changes were announced. While the presentation focused on the consulting division, the changes will be firm-wide and impact all of the firm’s U.S. divisions, which comprises about 181,500 employees, according to Deloitte’s 2025 U.S. Facts and Figures page.
Under this new system, consultants can expect to see a divergence from the familiar progression of analyst, consultant, and manager, according to the presentation. Those roles will be replaced by more specific titles that include a reference to a “job family” and “sub-family.” Following the change, a “senior consultant” could expect their title change to become “Software Engineer III,” “Project Management Senior Consultant,” or “Senior Consultant, Functional Transformation.”
A new leadership class simply titled “Leaders” will join the senior ranks of partners, principals, and managing directors. And internally, employees will also be assigned alphanumeric levels, such as L45 for what is currently a senior consultant and L55 for managers. However, the presentation stressed that the day-to-day work, leadership, and the firm’s “compensation philosophy” will all remain the same.
The move—which is set to take effect on June 1, 2026—mirrors changes proposed as part of the debate on the future of consultancy in the age of AI. For decades, consulting firms have relied upon a pyramid model for workers, with a fleet of junior consultants in entry-level positions—clocking in to handle time-consuming tasks like research, modeling, and data analysis—overseen by a hierarchy of senior consultants and managing directors. AI is reshaping how some junior consultants approach their tasks, which could cause that pyramid model to crumble.
A Deloitte spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
The consulting industry is facing an existential moment as AI forces firms to reassess their professional identities. As for Deloitte, the proposed changes are designed to ‘drive greater market relevancy and clarity’ in an increasingly automated landscape, according to the internal presentation.
