What is a Transition Manager?

Change is ever present in today’s business world, and companies rely on Transition Managers to successfully handle the process of change. Whether the changes are financial, operational, technical or logistic, these professionals are entrusted to plan for the anticipated changes, roll them out and monitor them while mitigating risk.

A large majority of Transition Managers are employed by transition management firms, which assign specialists to companies on an as needed basis, while others are permanently employed by organizations that create continuous change, and yet others are self-employed. The working week of a Transition Manager is rarely confined to the 9-5; as they deal with time-sensitive tasks, they often required to work overtime, come in on weekends and may be expected to travel to the sites of the companies they are working with. They may be involved in various industries, but the most common ones include finance, information technology (IT) and operations.

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Transition Manager Duties and Responsibilities

The role of the Transition Manager is not a simple one – this person is the main point of contact and the responsible party for managing change in an organization, while minimizing costs and associated risk factors. This individual must first understand the operations of the company at the present time, research and recommend positive changes, and manage the steps required to make the improvements. Their responsibilities include:

Requests for Change

Transition Managers manage all Requests for Change (RFCs); this means that they collect and review incoming RFCs, consult with executives or experts about possible implications of the proposed changes and approve or deny the requests. However, the job of a Transition Manager is not finished with this step. They must be involved during the entire transition process, whether it is upgrading to a new software or making changes a customer’s investment portfolio.

Correspondence

In this role, Transition Managers are required to keep in constant correspondence with a multitude of interested parties. These may involve, stockholders, investors, executives, customers, colleagues as well as specialists. They may need to work in unison with marketing, finance, IT, Human Resources, operations and product development teams to help them implement changes, or to seek out information. They will need to advise invested parties of possible concerns, as well as make recommendations about the best solutions for change management.

Education

Another responsibility of a Transition Manager is to educate either internal or external customers in improvements or updates to operations, IT or other areas. As this person is the one responsible for recommending or approving changes, they are also the ones who are the most knowledgeable about new developments. As such, they are tasked with educating and training others in using new systems, understanding shortcomings and being available for questions.

Presentations

Transition Managers are constantly developing presentations to prospective and current clients, as well as to colleagues. As the implications and considerations for a transition may be complex and affect multiple areas of the business, the Transition Manager often creates presentations, which include speeches, PowerPoint presentations, handouts, notes, examples and research materials, to illustrate their point.

Transition Manager Skills

Transition Managers must possess various skills in order to be successful in their role. They must be confident, and able to communicate with people at all levels in various industries. They must be responsible, knowledgeable, convincing and able to adapt to change.

Core skills The skills for Transition Managers vary greatly depending on the industry in which they are employed, however the most basic skills required are

Transparency
Confidentiality
Multitasking
Organizational skills
Analytics
Project Management

Advanced skills With time, experienced Transition Managers add these advanced skills to their proverbial toolbox

Asset management
Corporate communications
Marketing
Product development

Tools of the Trade Most Transition Managers utilize various tools to do their jobs, such as

Transition Management software
Analytic tools
Internet
Microsoft Office applications

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Transition Manager Salary

Business Change Managers, including Transition Managers, may be compensated differently depending on the industry in which they are employed, as well as the individual firm and their experience level. An average salary a Transition Manager can expect to make is $90.906, according to online sources. Those with less than 5 years of experience make an average of $73,000, while those with 10 or more years of experience typically earn over $109,000 annually.

Transition Manager Resources

The field of transition management is innovative, challenging and exciting. If you would like access to more resources to learn more about working as a Transition Manager, follow the links below to view websites, groups and books that can provide additional information.

On the Web

X-PM Events

Global events for Transition Managers.

Transition Management Consulting, Inc. Blog

A blog by Transition Management Consulting, Inc. (TMC), a consulting firm dedicated to supporting associations and nonprofits during leadership transitions.

Transition Management Associates Blog

A blog by a firm, which has been providing HR Consulting Services in career transition consulting since 1992.

The Association of Change Management Professionals

An association dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of change management practices that support the success of individual and organizational change for the realization of intended business results.

Books

Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change

by William Bridges A classic practical guide to dealing with the human side of organizational change.

The Nonprofit Leadership Transition and Development Guide: Proven Paths for Leaders and Organizations

by Tom Adams In this book, the author, an expert in succession planning who has worked with hundreds of organizations, shows how intentional leadership development and properly managed leadership transitions provide nonprofits with the rare opportunity to change direction, maintain momentum, and strengthen their capacity.

On LinkedIn

A community of over 100,000 professionals in with a specialty in Change Management, Change Consulting, Strategy Implementation, Leadership, Organizational & Digital Transformation, Transition, Development, Disruptive, Innovation.

Transition (Change management, consultation, migrations)

A group open to all the people in the outsourcing domain (primarily Transitions/ Migrations/ Change Management/ Project Management areas) for best practice sharing, job/ candidate search, networking across locations, for Q&A, help & assistance.

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