…and it is Management Consulting. At least for the tech giants in Seattle.
In case you don’t know what Management Consulting is, check out Wikipedia:
"Management consulting indicates both the industry and practice of helping organizations improve their performance primarily through the analysis of existing business problems and development of plans for improvement.
Organizations hire the services of management consultants for a number of reasons, including gaining external (and presumably objective) advice and access to the consultants’ specialized expertise.
Because of their exposure to and relationships with numerous organizations, consulting firms are also said to be aware of industry "best practices", although the transferability of such practices from one organization to another may be problematic depending on the situation under consideration[citation needed].
Consultancies may also provide organizational change management assistance, development of coaching skills, technology implementation, strategy development, or operational improvement services. Management consultants generally bring their own, proprietary methodologies or frameworks to guide the identification of problems, and to serve as the basis for recommendations for more effective or efficient ways of performing business tasks."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_consulting
It takes a lot to be a Management Consultant. High grades in school (from a good program), usually an MBA is preferred and often at least some industry experience in your field of expertise. And the job itself can be grueling: many days traveling on the road, away from home (frequent flier miles!). But the upside is that the pay is highly lucrative, and a couple of years in the field and you are highly sought after by corporate recruiters. And, if youquent leave on good terms, there is the huge bonus of having dedicated networks. Many of the big consulting firms have job boards for their alumni (I’ve used a good number of them in the past.)
If you believe you fit this criteria, start contacting the large firms (think Deloitte, Accenture, Cap Gemini etc.) and/or networking with consultants in the field. They have offices globally, so if you are a strong candidate, chances are good that you may be able to have your "home base" in a major city close to where you are now.
Why are they so sought after? Partly due to the perception that only the top of the top are hired. Also, they must be flexible, deployable to a wide variety of client sites, self-managed, and highly motivated. With the business world becoming more globally focused every day, breadth as well as depth of experience is becoming preferred in candidates for large organizations. And with the exception of startups, most people want stability that a larger organization brings.
So something to consider for your career management if you are looking at next steps.