Freelance Management Consultant Day Rate

About Unify Consulting

Unify Consulting is a boutique management consultancy based in Abu Dhabi and part of the Unify Group. We work for Abu Dhabi government entities, airport and infrastructure authorities, and private sector clients. Our work covers corporate strategy, organisational redesign, PMO and project management, AI readiness, PPP and infrastructure financial advisory, and senior leadership development. We are small by design, which lets us respond quickly to what clients need. We combine a local market presence with specialist resource, matched to the needs of each engagement.

The Role

We’re building a bench of experienced freelance consultants who work with us one assignment at a time. This is not an employment role. You’ll work as an independent contractor and invoice us for the days you work, at an agreed day rate of approximately AED 1,500–2,000 per day. The rate depends on your experience and the assignment.

There is no fixed monthly salary, guaranteed number of days, visa sponsorship or employee benefits. You must be able to work and invoice in the UAE on your own basis, for example with a freelance permit or your own trade licence. Before each assignment we’ll agree its scope, timing and days with you. You’re free to take on other work, subject to our confidentiality and conflict-of-interest requirements.

You’ll work with engagement leads across our service lines and contribute research, quantitative analysis, reports and presentations. Advanced, hands-on use of AI is central to how you’ll deliver the work. You’ll take work from brief to a checked, client-ready deliverable with limited supervision. Depending on the engagement lead, you may also join client discussions, run workshops or coordinate a workstream. Work is hybrid: some assignments need time in our Abu Dhabi office or on client sites, and others can be done remotely.

What You’ll Do

Client engagement

• Research markets, sectors, policy and comparable organisations in the UAE, GCC and internationally, combining advanced AI research with authoritative sources.
• Check sources, calculations and AI outputs, document your assumptions, and keep a clear evidence trail for every recommendation.
• Build financial and quantitative analysis such as cost models, forecasts and scenario comparisons, using Excel and AI tools and validating the results independently.
• Produce benchmarking and analysis for feasibility studies, business cases and operating models, and turn the findings into practical recommendations.
• Draft and refine client-ready reports and presentations to Unify standards.
• Support client meetings, workshops and interviews when the engagement lead needs it, including preparation, facilitation and follow-up.
• Keep project trackers, risk registers and engagement records up to date, and coordinate defined workstreams where agreed.

Practice development

• Build reusable templates, prompts and automated workflows that make research, analysis, reporting and quality control faster.
• Share AI methods that work well with the team, within the limits of client confidentiality.

Business development (where included in the assignment scope)

• Research prospective clients, sectors and tender requirements.
• Contribute proposal content, methodologies, credentials and compliance matrices for government and private sector bids.

Working as a freelancer with Unify

• Agree availability, deliverables, days and working arrangements with the engagement lead before each assignment starts.
• Record the days you work against each assignment accurately, and invoice monthly or at the end of each assignment.
• Report progress and raise risks to quality or deadlines early.

What You’ll Bring

• A bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, business administration, engineering or a related field.
• At least 5 years of experience in consulting, advisory, strategy, finance or industry roles. Previous experience in a management consultancy is essential.
• Practical command of strategy frameworks, structured problem-solving and business analysis techniques.
• A sound grasp of financial statements, cash flow, NPV, IRR and financial modelling, with the ability to test assumptions and explain the results.
• Advanced Excel, PowerPoint and Word, working knowledge of SharePoint, and the ability to produce client-ready work independently.
• Advanced, hands-on AI capability across drafting, quantitative analysis, reports, presentations and process automation. You must be able to show delivery experience; familiarity with chat tools alone is not enough.
• Strong analytical judgement: you check AI-generated calculations, code, sources and conclusions yourself.
• Clear written and spoken English.
• The legal right to work as a freelancer in the UAE and to invoice for your services.

Advantages

• Knowledge of the UAE and GCC economic and government context.
• Arabic.
• Power BI, Power Automate, scripting or similar automation tools.

AI at Unify

Advanced AI proficiency is a condition of engagement. From your first assignment you’ll use AI to draft, analyse, build reports and presentations, and automate repeatable work. You’ll choose the right tools, check what they produce and follow Unify’s data-handling and confidentiality rules. During selection we’ll ask you to demonstrate your AI workflows and outputs.

What Success Looks Like

• On your first assignment: you understand the brief quickly and deliver accurate, client-ready work on time, with little rework and clear communication.
• Over time: you show clear gains in speed and quality through AI and automation, use sound judgement, and become someone engagement leads rely on and bring back for new assignments.