What is an RPA Consultant? Useful Certifications, Career Prospects, and How to Make the Transition

Job listings and career opportunities for RPA consultants are rapidly increasing. Many positions offer attractive compensation, and it is becoming one of the most sought-after roles for professionals with knowledge and skills in IT and AI. It is said that even those without consulting experience or junior software engineers have a chance of being hired. This article takes a deep dive into the skills and certifications needed to become an RPA consultant, salary expectations, future prospects, and points to keep in mind.

What is an RPA Consultant?

An RPA consultant is a professional who works to improve operational efficiency and reduce the burden on employees within a company by proposing and supporting the optimal implementation of RPA software. It can be best described as supporting business transformation through an IT tool known as RPA software. Around the time the Japanese government introduced its work-style reform initiatives, RPA began attracting attention as a means to reduce the time burden on workers. Japan in particular faces the challenge of a shrinking labor force due to its aging and declining population, which has further driven interest in RPA adoption.

What Exactly is RPA?

RPA stands for Robotic Process Automation. As the word “robotic” suggests, it was developed to have software robots execute a wide variety of tasks. RPA is sometimes referred to as a “Digital Labor” or virtual intelligent worker. This is because cognitive technologies such as AI and machine learning are leveraged to automate a wide range of operations. Just a little over a decade ago, AI was far from the level where companies could confidently delegate real work to it. Today’s RPA has evolved into software capable of automatically handling the majority of business tasks. There is no doubt that more and more companies across all industries will embrace RPA-driven business transformation going forward. This is precisely why there is growing demand for professionals who can lead such projects as RPA consultants.

What Does an RPA Consultant Do?

An RPA consultant’s job involves listening to and organizing the operational details of user departments, and supporting decision-making around RPA implementation. After RPA is introduced, they verify its effectiveness and maintain the tools throughout the operation process. Restructuring systems and making course corrections to pursue even greater efficiency through RPA is also an important responsibility. Additionally, they provide training to help employees in user departments get the most out of RPA, and analyze whether the introduction of RPA is contributing to reduced workloads and cost savings for the organization.

Is Being an RPA Consultant Demanding?

Not just in RPA, but consultants involved in any kind of IT project today are generally said to face heavy workloads. One reason is that the role demands a rare combination of specialized knowledge, hands-on experience, and a broad range of business insights, which means only a limited pool of people are truly suited for it. However, this is also why RPA consultants tend to be highly valued by both their own organizations and their client companies. It is possible to negotiate for reasonable working conditions during the job search and offer alignment process. That said, guiding RPA implementation and operations over an extended period—while gaining buy-in from various departments and executive teams at client companies—is a core responsibility of the RPA consultant role. Depending on the time of year, demanding periods are inevitable. Given that one of the very reasons driving RPA adoption is workplace reform for employees, RPA consultants themselves are also expected to be mindful of achieving a healthy work-life balance by consciously switching between “on” and “off.”

Salary of an RPA Consultant

While high income is not guaranteed across all RPA-related roles, the average annual salary for company employees in RPA-related positions ranges from approximately 5 million to 9 million yen. As it is still a relatively new field, the timing is such that talented professionals are in high demand, and salaries tend to be set higher even for those with limited experience. For freelance consultant positions, some job listings offer maximum annual compensation exceeding 30 million yen in an effort to secure top RPA consultant talent, drawing significant attention. Even for RPA engineers, offers exceeding 20 million yen per year have been reported, reflecting the extremely high demand for RPA professionals. For projects handled by our company, Miraiz Works, Inc., the monthly compensation for RPA consultant engagements — assuming 100% utilization — ranges from 800,000 to 1,500,000 yen, with an average of around 1,000,000 yen. There are also engagements with reduced hours or fully remote options, making it possible to earn a high income through side work or concurrent employment.

How to Transition to a Career as an RPA Consultant

Currently, the number of RPA job openings is surging in line with work-style reform initiatives. In fact, the total number of RPA-related job listings is said to have grown more than six times compared to the previous year. Demand for RPA consultants far outpaces supply, and while many consulting firms are posting RPA consultant openings, the lack of experienced candidates means that junior software engineers are frequently being hired based on their potential.

In the RPA field, those with a background at Accenture are considered particularly advantageous for career transitions. In 2016, Accenture topped the “Transformation Enablers” category in the RPA Premier League Table, and the firm continues to enjoy overwhelming support as a career destination for junior software engineers looking to specialize in RPA. If you are considering making RPA your area of expertise, it may be worth adding Accenture or companies in its business network to your list of potential employers.

On the other hand, if you already have hands-on experience in the RPA space, now is your moment. Work on earning certifications and upgrading your skills to position yourself for even more favorable offers, and consider registering with a matching agency that specializes in the RPA field to explore your options.

Can You Become an RPA Consultant Without Prior Experience?

In recent years, as demand for RPA consultants has grown, many job postings are open to candidates without experience. However, it is fair to say that receiving a job offer with absolutely no knowledge of RPA is quite difficult.

Transitioning to an RPA consultant role from a non-RPA background will require self-driven learning. For example, it is recommended to study business operations outside of IT, improve your English proficiency, and build knowledge of software tools beyond RPA.

If you have no RPA experience and feel hesitant about applying for RPA-related positions, the fastest path forward may be to register with a matching agency that handles many RPA consultant engagements and seek career counseling.

Do You Need Certifications to Become an RPA Consultant?

If you are looking for your ideal position as an RPA consultant, registering with a professional staffing agency that specializes in the IT sector and gathering as much information as possible may be the most direct route. In particular, professionals with experience in upstream IT project processes or a track record as a software engineer—those with skills and experience in IT and AI—are in high demand. That said, there are no mandatory certifications required to become an RPA consultant. However, there are certifications that, once obtained, can give you a significant advantage when being evaluated by companies as an RPA consultant candidate.

RPA Engineer Certification

One example is the “RPA Engineer Certification,” which tests knowledge of “WinActor,” an RPA tool developed by NTT Data Corporation. It is divided into two difficulty levels: Associate and Expert. Earning the Expert certification can be expected to yield a certain level of recognition from client companies. Pass rates are not publicly disclosed at this time, but it appears that questions are frequently drawn from WinActor manuals and past exam problems. Candidates who increase their hands-on time with WinActor to thoroughly learn its features and develop the ability to independently create scenarios tend to have a relatively easier time passing. The basic “Associate” level exam can be taken online every day, making it easy to test your readiness.

UiPath RPA Certification Exam

The “UiPath RPA Certification Exam” is a credential that demonstrates knowledge of RPA projects and validates your capabilities as an RPA consultant. As the name suggests, the exam focuses primarily on RPA software developed by UiPath and its operation, and upon passing, you are authorized to call yourself a UiPath-certified RPA consultant.

Like the previous certification, this one is also divided into levels: “Associate,” which tests foundational RPA knowledge, and “Advanced Developer,” which only advanced practitioners can pass.

Skills Required of an RPA Consultant

Job conditions for RPA consultants, including compensation, tend to be very favorable. However, the skills and level of knowledge required are commensurately high, so thorough preparation is necessary if you are aiming to advance your career in this field. Let’s take a look at what kind of professionals are in demand.

Knowledge of RPA Programming

Compared to a general consultant, one major differentiator for an RPA consultant is the need for knowledge related to robots. When helping a company grasp the concept of RPA, deliberately using the term “robot” often makes it easier for them to form a mental image.

Of course, RPA is an “IT tool” — not a robot or an AI in the traditional sense. However, companies considering adoption find it far easier to understand when framed that way rather than as an IT system.

We mentioned earlier that RPA is sometimes called a “Digital Labor,” but let’s set aside the idea of an AI robot that thinks like a human, and instead think of it as a “simple robot” that can only act according to its manual. That said, even as a simple robot, RPA’s key advantages are its accuracy and dramatically faster processing speed compared to humans. An essential process is having the employees who will use the system on the ground give it instructions, teach it tasks, and divide work with it.

A consultant must be proficient in the “language” that bridges the human users and the IT tool. Reinterpreting business workflows in a way that the robot can understand is a task that falls to the consultant. This is why programming knowledge is also necessary. Since consultants often write program design documents, programming design skills can be considered an essential capability.

Knowledge of Accounting and Finance, Where RPA Adoption is Advancing

When selecting target operations for RPA implementation, consultants are expected to have a working knowledge of the business operations in user departments. While it is difficult to fully understand the detailed workings of every department, having even a general level of familiarity makes a world of difference. For instance, having a solid understanding of accounting and finance operations—areas where RPA adoption is currently advancing—is a significant advantage. From the client company’s perspective, whether or not a consultant understands specialized terminology such as “accounts receivable,” “accounts payable,” “reconciliation,” and “withholding tax” makes a substantial difference. It facilitates smoother communication about the features to be incorporated, and it builds a strong sense of trust when the client company is deciding to move forward with RPA adoption. Having that knowledge also allows you to accurately convey the pros and cons of RPA implementation, and helps reduce the risk of missing critical information during the discovery process. Since accounting operations represent a major domain for RPA, having expertise in a department where client companies are likely to adopt RPA first is a powerful asset. It also has the added benefit that the know-how gained from accounting-focused consulting can be applied to engagements with other client companies. For those aiming to become RPA consultants, studying accounting and finance knowledge is one effective approach to take early on. Incidentally, the next most common industries for adoption are healthcare, financial services, and real estate. In the healthcare sector, RPA is particularly well-suited for clinical trial operations at pharmaceutical companies, so familiarity with the PMDA application standard workflow, for example, could improve your chances of being hired. In financial services and real estate, RPA tends to be used in loan screening processes. Having specialized knowledge of regulations and required documentation in these fields increases the likelihood of being valued as a promising professional.

Logical Thinking and Communication Skills

This is not unique to RPA, but active listening is one of the key skills required of any consultant. It is important not only for gathering the necessary information from the individuals and departments who will be the end users, but also for uncovering latent needs. Among the staff in client company user departments, there are many who know their own operations better than anyone else, yet when it comes to actually explaining them to a consultant, they may not know where to begin. It is genuinely difficult to describe one’s daily work objectively to an outsider. In RPA consulting, business items are listed out during the target operations selection phase. In most cases, the items will be mixed together in a complex, disorganized state. As a first step toward business transformation, the ability to structure these items and organize them into a format that a third party can understand is an essential skill. However, a deeper challenge lurks here. That challenge is the tendency for “RPA adoption” to be associated with “workforce reduction.” In reality, the goal is workplace reform for employees and a reduction of workload on the front lines — but depending on how it is communicated, it can easily be perceived as nothing more than staff cuts. While cost reduction is certainly important from a management perspective, what is needed is the elimination of wasteful costs, and it is essential to have management understand that this is a measure designed to free employees to focus on more creative work. People will always have some degree of resistance to changes in the work they have been doing. Professionals who can be sensitive to those psychological concerns while still fostering smooth communication are recognized as highly valuable.

The Future Prospects and Considerations for RPA Consultants

In terms of industry trends, compounded by the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, the domestic market size for IT tools was projected to reach 31.5 billion yen in fiscal year 2022. In fact, the number of companies rushing to implement RPA has increased, and demand for cultivating talent with RPA skills and experience has grown as well. In response, major staffing companies began investing in developing RPA-proficient talent around the summer of 2018, and such efforts are expected to accelerate further going forward. As a result, RPA consultants and professionals with RPA expertise are expected to be sought after by a wide range of companies. Potential career paths that leverage knowledge in RPA include:

• Joining a company as an in-house RPA consultant or software engineer
• Joining a company as a professional responsible for spreading RPA knowledge internally
• Joining a consulting firm as an RPA consultant
• Starting your own independent business

In any of these paths, the broad knowledge and qualities mentioned earlier will be required, but this is undoubtedly a field with strong future prospects. At the same time, there are voices in some quarters suggesting that “RPA may fade out” or that “many companies are reluctant to adopt RPA.” The reasons cited include implementation costs and the difficulty of practical application. This likely reflects Japan’s characteristic legacy culture and tendency to follow the crowd. However, it is precisely because of this that if major players demonstrate a clear commitment to RPA adoption, a large number of companies are expected to follow suit at once, and it is anticipated that the number of domestic companies seeking RPA consultants will increase significantly going forward. Furthermore, the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted more companies to take action toward realizing work-style reform, meaning that interest in RPA is expected to continue growing.

In Closing

Among IT consultants, RPA consultants are a particularly high-demand specialty. Potential-based hiring of younger candidates is common, making it a relatively accessible career path for those transitioning from other industries or from engineering backgrounds, even without prior consulting experience.

That said, to secure favorable terms in a career transition, self-improvement efforts such as acquiring broad business knowledge, gaining experience in upstream project processes, and earning relevant certifications are also required. Because RPA is often described as “business transformation software using robots and AI,” RPA consultants tend to be imagined as highly technical, business-minded figures — but in reality, the role involves proposing and supporting the implementation of the optimal IT tools to help employees achieve a better work-life balance. If you want to work in a field where you are truly needed by people and organizations, consider taking on this challenge.