Rationalization Consultant

Base pay range

$60.00/hr - $70.00/hr

Application Rationalization & Harmonization Consultant

Contract Duration: 12 Months

Engagement Type:
Contract

Location:

New York

We are seeking an experienced Application Rationalization & Harmonization Consultant to support a large, complex enterprise environment with thousands of applications spanning design, workflow, AI, finance, project management, and other functional domains. This role will lead a comprehensive review of the current application portfolio to identify redundancies, inefficiencies, and consolidation opportunities, while partnering closely with business and technology stakeholders to drive alignment and adoption.

• Application Portfolio Analysis & Rationalization
• Conduct a comprehensive inventory and assessment of all enterprise applications across multiple domains (design tools, workflow systems, AI platforms, finance applications, project management tools, etc.).
• Analyze application usage, cost, performance, risk, and business value to identify redundancies, overlaps, and opportunities for consolidation.
• Lead application rationalization efforts, recommending which tools can be retired, merged, or standardized without disrupting critical business functions.
• Apply deep expertise in Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) to evaluate applications from intake through retirement.
• Strategic Advisory & Executive Communication
• Synthesize complex application and usage data into clear, actionable insights for executive and senior leadership.
• Develop and present rationalization recommendations, roadmaps, and business cases that balance cost optimization, performance, and organizational impact.
• Act as a trusted advisor to upper management, helping guide strategic decisions related to technology standardization and long‑term platform strategy.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Change Management
• Partner closely with stakeholders across IT, Engineering, Finance, Operations, Product, and Business teams.
• Facilitate conversations around application consolidation in a way that is collaborative and non‑threatening, ensuring stakeholders feel heard and fairly represented.
• Navigate organizational sensitivities around application ownership and legacy tools, building consensus and driving alignment.
• Serve as a bridge between technical teams and business leaders, translating technical findings into business‑friendly language.
• Data, Reporting & Dashboards
• Design and maintain dashboards to track application performance, cost, usage, risk, and optimization progress.
• Establish KPIs and metrics to measure the success of application rationalization and harmonization initiatives.
• Ensure data accuracy and consistency across reporting used by leadership and governance teams.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration
• Work collaboratively across multiple departments and functions to support enterprise‑wide standardization efforts.
• Coordinate with architecture, security, finance, and procurement teams to align on tooling strategy, compliance, and cost controls.
• Support governance frameworks and ongoing portfolio reviews to prevent future application sprawl.

• Proven experience leading application rationalization, application portfolio management, or app harmonization initiatives within a large enterprise environment.
• Demonstrated success working with hundreds to thousands of applications across diverse functional areas.
• Deep understanding of Application Lifecycle Management (ALM), portfolio analysis, and enterprise architecture concepts.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to quickly assess data and identify inefficiencies, redundancies, and optimization opportunities.
• Experience creating executive‑level dashboards and reporting focused on application performance, cost, usage, and risk.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence without authority.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively across multiple departments and manage complex stakeholder relationships.
• Comfortable advising senior leadership and facilitating strategic discussions.

• Background in large, matrixed organizations or Fortune‑level enterprises.
• E…