Companies have traditionally owned and managed most, if not all, of their resources. However, companies in pursuit of high performance know that they need to focus on their core business, make the most of market opportunities and energize their operations. So they develop long-term relationships with outside providers to deliver increasingly specialized services such as IT, HR, distribution and accounting.
Outsourcing relationships are durable and long-term. They are based on contracts that define the service to be delivered and customize the service to the needs of the client. Accenture offers specialized services based on proven methodologies because we have more than one client and we know what works. We bring innovative solutions to our clients, and have a greater ability to respond quickly to marketplace developments and to redesign business processes than they do. We can also provide a greater range of services, continuous improvement and more sophisticated performance measurement procedures.
The main reason people choose a career in Accenture’s outsourcing business is because of the work we do. With many of the world’s leading companies as our clients, every project is significant and presents new challenges.
We have more than 15 years of experience with a range of outsourcing clients and expertise in areas like IT management, human resources and accounting. You will be able to apply the proven practices in your profession and always stay up-to-date with the latest thinking in your particular area. At the same time, you will be picking up the most advanced skills in your area, and you will be part of a broad, global network of people from whom you can learn and with whom you can share ideas and approaches.
We recognize that people have different career expectations. In a company the size of Accenture, you are likely to find a wider range of career opportunities and better training than you would in a functional role in a traditional company. Another reason to choose a career in Accenture’s outsourcing business is the importance of your role. You’ll get more responsibility and the satisfaction of making a significant contribution to our business as well as those of our clients as we strive to achieve high performance.
The majority of our outsourcing people work in what we call “client operations.” They design, manage and implement the day-to-day activities associated with key business functions. You could have a customer-facing position where you’ll have opportunities to think differently, provide input to improve processes and ultimately deliver better services to clients.
We also have project-based Services professionals working with one or multiple clients in planning outsourcing solutions, developing deals, transitioning and enabling outsourced operations, and/or managing the service delivery. Depending on the project, you could be staffed on short- to medium-term assignments for up to 18 months.
Accenture’s global network of delivery centers provides our clients with proven solutions, proprietary software assets and industry best practices to deliver an outsourcing solution at a fraction of the cost required to run the process in house. You could work in one of our delivery centers providing centralized services to our clients in finance and accounting, procurement, customer service, human resources and other services.
Services people have a wide range of different needs and career goals, so there is no strictly prescribed “one-plan-fits-all” career model. Instead, we have a flexible system designed to accommodate your individual requirements and to provide the broadest possible range of career opportunities.
Your role will fall into a particular career level, based on the scope of your responsibilities, your level of autonomy and your impact on the business. There is no fixed term for any career level—you may stay in the same career level for the duration of your employment at Accenture or you may be promoted to the next career level if there is a business need, a position becomes available and you are ready to move up. Promotions are based on your performance, whether you have acquired the necessary skills and whether you are willing and able to take on the responsibilities at the next level.
At the basic career levels, we will encourage you to develop a broad set of skills as the foundation for your career. Once you have reached the appropriate level and we consider that you are ready to progress, you will then move into one of two career paths—managerial or specialist.
The managerial career path is for people who are good at managing others and who have a well-developed business sense. It includes people in all kinds of roles from a project manager who moves from assignment to assignment to a team leader at a long-term client engagement.
The specialist career path is for people who want to develop leading-edge or marketable skills that are necessary for our continued success, without taking on responsibility for day-to-day people management. The specialist career path requires very deep skills in a business function or process, or in technology architectures, and involves fewer direct reports than the managerial career path.