MSPs Close the Skill Gap: The Rise of Multi-Faceted Roles

Today’s MSP doesn’t solely focus on keeping the lights on by providing break/fix support. The rise of multi-disciplinary roles is a direct response to MSPs offering more holistic, bundled service offerings aimed at positioning themselves as strategic “IT enablers.” As most MSPs know, the new endgame is aligning services through strategic partnerships, rather than relying on purely transactional, reactive support. But how are the smart MSPs doing it?

By hiring consultative technical engineers. Hiring consultative engineers is nothing new to MSPs, but its prevalence is on a whole new level in 2024. Previously, “consultative” was typically a plus. However, to bridge the gap, MSPs are now writing job descriptions for senior and mid-level MSP talent, requiring them to meld their tech knowledge with substantive consultative abilities.

Here are the trending MSP job titles and salary ranges MSPs are most commonly doubling up on:

Mid-Level Multi-Disciplinary Roles: Combining projects, solutions, and account management at the mid-level is the most common place for MSPs to double up on skills. As MSPs evolve into a “one-stop shop,” they increasingly require their mid-level talent to manage both technical and client-facing responsibilities.

Level 2.5 + Technical Alignment: This hybrid role typically operates in that grey area between mid-tier support and higher-level escalations/engineering. But recently, their job descriptions are written to include benchmarks for hitting metrics associated with proactive support and/or client-facing consultative capacities such as roadmapping, QBRs, or performing technical alignment. Their value lies in their ability to balance substantive technical knowledge while instilling confidence in performing account management, ensuring customer satisfaction, upselling, and handling contract renewals.

Salary Range: $77,000 - $90,000 Average: $81,000

Senior Multi-Disciplinary Roles: MSPs need senior technical talent capable of selling, managing projects, and building not just solutions—but relationships. Hiring senior project engineers or—depending on the size of your MSP—the highest-level escalation engineers, who can hop into pre-sales engagements and consult on client strategy to bridge the gap between transactional and full-service models.

Senior Engineer / Level 3 + Strategic Relationships: MSP Senior Engineers are no longer hired just for their billable hours. The trend is to hire senior-level talent able to meld their substantive technical vision with fostering client relationships. Skills like account management, pre-sales capabilities, project management, and design are increasingly expected, making MSPs feel like they’re looking for a “unicorn”—but it’s now the new norm. Senior Solutions Engineers and TAM roles are now becoming one. Smart MSPs know that’s part of the answer if they want to move beyond transactional services and start selling more of their service offerings to their client base.

Salary Range: $86,000 - $115,000 Average: $99,000

Whether it’s mid-level positions balancing support and alignment or senior engineers accountable for revenue-generating liaison roles, the ability for MSPs to offer bundled services is what sets modern 2024 MSPs apart from the era of break/fix. By investing in multi-faceted roles, MSPs are closing the skills gap and positioning themselves to succeed in a more consultative industry landscape.