Consulting or Senior Associate/Finance & Management Consulting (2025 MBA/PhD graduates)

About Charles River Associates

Charles River Associates is a leading global consulting firm that provides independent economic and financial analysis behind litigation matters, guides businesses through critical strategy and operational issues to become more profitable, and advises governments on the economic impact of policies and regulations.  Our three main services – litigation, policy and management consulting – are delivered by practice groups that focus on specific areas of expertise or industries.  Learn more about how CRA can help you accelerate your career.

Practices seeking to hire candidates with this profile include (hiring locations listed):

• Energy (Boston, Washington DC)
  • Our Energy practice provides expert economic and business consulting services to a range of energy and industrial clients, including electric utilities, investors, generators, regulators, renewable energy developers, oil and gas companies, and chemicals clients.
• Finance (Boston, Chicago)
  • Our Finance experts work on valuation issues (shareholder class actions and other corporate valuation disputes), as well as matters focused on the functioning of financial markets and institutions (alleged market manipulation and insider trading).
• Life Sciences (Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Washington DC)
  • Our Life Sciences practice helps pharmaceutical, biotechnology, diagnostics, and medical device companies achieve optimum performance across key aspects of their business, including innovation, commercial success, organization, and reputation, all for the long-term benefit of patients, clinicians, employees, and shareholders. We work with life sciences businesses directly as well as with their legal counsel, industry associations, government organizations, and advocacy groups from the earliest stages of research into new therapy areas, through product development, to the delivery of products that will achieve commercial success and fulfill the expectations of our clients and their key stakeholders.

Position Overview

Senior Associates play a highly visible and integral role as day-to-day project managers. they have significant client exposure and provide input on the strategic direction of projects alongside more senior team members. Senior Associates will perform or direct a broad range of analytical tasks, manage teams in the execution of project workstreams, and distill findings into high-impact strategy recommendations. Senior Associates collaborate with teams in a range of geographies on our clients’ local, regional, and global strategic issues. To be successful in this role, you must be able to effectively conceptualize complex strategic problems and contribute to defining project plans that address those strategic issues.  Candidates at this level are expected to work independently with minimal supervision, and demonstrate the potential to grow quickly into leaders.  We highly value a strong work ethic, creativity, a positive attitude, and a high level of energy. Senior Associates may:

• Contribute to the development of strategic direction for projects and independently identify and design analytical tasks to address the key project objectives;
• Conduct primary and secondary research and analyses;
• Develop sections of client presentations, reports, and other deliverables;
• Manage client communications and relationships as day-to-day project manager;
• Supervise and train junior staff on project teams, including reviewing their analyses and interim work product and providing coaching/direction;
• Contribute to business development efforts, client proposals, and thought leadership.

Desired Qualifications

• MBA degree candidates graduating in December 2024/Summer 2025 from top-tier academic programs, with a related bachelor's or advanced degree (e.g., life sciences, engineering, finance, etc.) preferred;
• Previous consulting or transferable business experience in energy, finance or life sciences and demonstrated interest in and knowledge of the industry, with strong preference for candidates with two years of strategy consulting experience or industry experience;
• Previous client service experience, including managing relationships, facilitating meetings, and delivering presentations;
• Experience with quantitative and qualitative analysis methods and techniques;
• Staff and project management experience, including budgeting and project planning/ma