(2027 Bachelor's/Master's graduates) Economics Consulting Analyst/Associate

About Charles River Associates

Charles River Associates (CRA) is a leading global consulting firm that provides economic, financial, and business management expertise to major law firms, corporations, and governments around the world. CRA advises clients on economic and financial matters pertaining to litigation and regulatory proceedings, and guides corporations through critical business strategy and performance-related issues. Since 1965, clients have engaged CRA for its combination of industry experience and rigorous, fact-based analysis that provides clear, implementable solutions to complex business concerns.

Practices Hiring Candidates with This Profile

• Antitrust & Competition (Boston, Chicago, Oakland, Salt Lake City, Washington, DC) – Economists provide analysis and testimony in matters involving mergers and acquisitions, antitrust litigation, and global competition policy.
• Energy (Boston, New York, Washington, DC) – The Energy team provides expert witness services for civil litigation, international arbitration, and regulatory proceedings, primarily in electricity and gas markets.
• Finance (Boston, Chicago) – Finance experts work on valuation issues (shareholder class actions and corporate valuation disputes) and matters focused on financial markets and institutions (alleged market manipulation and insider trading).
• Financial Economics (Washington, DC) – The Financial Economics group provides analytical expertise and advisory services in financial economics and consumer credit markets to financial institutions, legal teams, and regulators.
• Labor & Employment (Chicago, College Station, Los Angeles, New York, Tallahassee, Washington, DC) – The team provides in-depth analysis, expert reports, testimony, and advisory services on complex labor and employment issues such as wage and hour litigation and pay equity disputes.

Responsibilities

• Work alongside talented and diverse colleagues, including PhD-trained economists, finance and accounting professionals (CFAs and CPAs), and valuation experts in a collaborative environment.
• Conduct economic and industry research while analyzing client materials to build an understanding of a case’s issues.
• Perform and develop financial and economic analyses or valuation models to support case theories and present results to colleagues and clients.
• Program, build models, and perform regression analyses using languages such as Excel, Stata, R, Python, SQL, or SAS.
• Develop familiarity with data used in analyses, including company transactional data (e.g., confidential sales data or win/loss data), financial reporting, accounting statements, social and economic survey data, and non-financial measures of organizational performance.
• Review and summarize analyst reports, academic literature, client documents, depositions, license agreements, and industry trade press.
• Assist in the production and development of research summaries, expert reports, and presentations of findings, including creation of visuals like tables and charts.
• Ensure reliability of analysis through quality control review.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree candidates graduating December 2026 or Summer 2027 with an academic focus on quantitative research (Economics, Business, Finance, Financial Economics, Accounting, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or related field).
• Completion of an honors thesis, research apprenticeship, or research seminar program is highly desired.
• Demonstrated understanding of, and ability to explain, economic, financial, and/or accounting concepts, and quantitative and qualitative analysis methods.
• Experience in Excel, Stata, Python, R, SQL, SAS, ArcGIS/ArcPy, or Cloud computing (Databricks/Spark, Google Cloud, Azure, AWS).
• Curious and analytical thinkers who bring creative approaches to non-standard problems.
• Effective written and oral communication skills.
• Eagerness to learn new skills and programming languages.
• Demonstrated high level of initiative and leadership.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and commitment to producing accurate, high-quality work.
• Strong teamwork and collaboration capabilities.
• Excellent time management and task prioritization skills.
• Clear and demonstrated interest in consulting through coursework, work experience, activities, or attendance at CRA recruiting events.

Benefits

• Robust skills development programs, including 100 hours of training annually through formal and informal programs (e.g., research and analysis skill building, technical training, presentation skills, internal seminars, and career mentoring).
• Comprehensive total rewards program, including:
  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance;
  • 401(k) retirement plan with employer match;
  • Life and disability insurance;
  • Paid time off (vacation, sick leave, holidays);
  • Paid parental leave;
  • Wellness programs and employee assistance resources;
  • Commuter benefits;
  • In-house immigration support for foreign nationals and international business travelers.

Pay

Annual base salary range for this position is $92,500–$100,000. Starting pay within this range may vary based on factors such as education level, experience, skills, geographic location, market conditions, and other qualifications. This position may also be eligible for additional bonus incentive compensation.

Schedule

Individuals are expected to spend at least 3 to 4 days a week working in the office (which may include traveling to another CRA office or to client meetings), with specific days determined in coordination with your practice or team.