Accounting/Business/Finance Consulting Analyst/Associate Intern

If your background is in Accounting, Business, or Finance, learn more about internship opportunities at Charles River Associates!

About Charles River Associates

Charles River Associates 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 provide clients with clear, implementable solutions to complex business concerns.

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

• 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).
• Intellectual Property (Chicago, Houston, New York)
  • Our Intellectual Property team provides expert witness testimony regarding economic damages as well as non-litigation consulting services including valuation and compliance for all types of intellectual property to assist clients in achieving their strategic and financial objectives.

Learn more about our work by reviewing our Services and Industries on our website.

Position Overview

Our Summer Analyst/Associate Internship program mirrors the analyst experience to give you an understanding of our business and experience project work at Charles River Associates. Throughout the 8-10 week program, Analyst/Associate Interns work alongside senior colleagues to deliver live client consulting projects within the practice area. Along the way, you’ll benefit from professional development and wellness support programs, social events to connect you with peers and a collegial work environment. Successful interns will be offered a full-time position following graduation.

During the internship program, you may work on many aspects of a project:

• Work alongside, and in a collaborative environment with, talented and diverse colleagues, including PhD-trained economists, finance and accounting professionals (CFAs and CPAs), and valuation experts;
• Conduct economic and industry research while analyzing client materials to build an understanding of a case’s issues;
• Perform/develop financial and economic analyses or valuation models to support case theories and present those results to colleagues and clients;
• Program, build models, and perform regression analyses using languages such as Excel, Stata, R, Python, SQL, or SAS;
• Investigate accounting irregularities and respond to allegations of fraud, misconduct, waste, and abuse;
• Use your accounting and financial skills to prepare analyses of financial data, including financial models, for litigation and expert reports and testimony;
• Investigate and analyze financial evidence, including financial records and transactions, to identify trends and anomalies, and clearly and concisely organize and summarize your findings;
• Leverage your database skills to effectively analyze large data sets;
• Communicate with team members, clients, and other professionals, to share investigative and analytical findings, and assist with the drafting of written reports to summarize procedures performed and findings.

Check out our blog about a typical day at CRA and how you can make an impact!

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree candidates graduating in December 2027/Summer 2028 with an academic focus in Accounting, Business, Finance, or a related area;
• Solid working knowledge of finance, accounting, and economic methodologies;
• Command of a broad range of research and quantitative analysis skills (including strong Excel skills);
• Familiarity with generally accepted accounting principles, corporate governance, and regulatory environments;
• Experience in gathering, standardizing, and analyzing voluminous transactional data;
• Experience in data analysis and intelligence gathering, including querying and mining large data sets to discover transaction patterns, examining financial data, and filtering for targeted information;
• Curious and analytical thinkers who bring creative approaches to non-standard problems;
• Effective written and oral communication skills;
• 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.

To Apply

To be considered for a position in the United States, we require the following:

• Resume – please include current address, personal email and telephone number;
• Cover letter – please describe your interest in CRA and how this role matches your goals. Also, please note if you have interest in a particular practice and/or a location preference;
• Transcript – may be unofficial.

If you are interested in applying for one of our international locations, please visit our Careers site to view and apply for available jobs.

Please also note that candidate resume review will commence October 15, and continue on a rolling basis until positions are filled.

Career Growth and Benefits 

• CRA’s robust skills development programs, including a commitment to offering 100 hours of training annually through formal and informal programs, encourage you to thrive as an individual and team member. Beginning with research and analysis skill building, training continues with technical training, presentation skills, internal seminars, and career mentoring and performance coaching from an assigned senior colleague. Additional leadership and collaboration opportunities exist through internal firm development activities.
• We offer a comprehensive total rewards program including a superior benefits package, wellness programming to support physical, mental, emotional and financial well-being, and in-house immigration support for foreign nationals and international business travelers.

Work Location Flexibility

CRA creates a work environment that enables our colleagues to benefit from being together in the office to best deliver on our promise of career growth, mentorship and inclusivity. At the same time, we recognize that individuals realize a range of benefits when working from home periodically. We currently ask that individuals spend 3 to 4 days a week on average working in the office (which may include traveling to another CRA office or to a client's location), with specific days determined in coordination with your practice or team.

Responsible AI Use in Recruiting

We believe that recruiting is fundamentally a human process, and we are committed to a hiring process that is consistent, transparent, and people-focused. While AI and other technology-enabled tools help our team operate more efficiently, we strive to provide every candidate with a personalized, thoughtful, and high-touch experience. As CRA invests significant human effort to find qualified members for our teams, we expect candidates to invest corresponding human effort to learn about CRA, prepare thoughtful application materials, and engage with our interviewers. Read more about appropriate hiring manager, recruiting team, and candidate AI at CRA on our website.  

Our Commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity

Charles River Associates is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Salary and other compensation

A good-faith estimate of the hourly base salary range for this position is $30-$37.50. Starting pay within this range may vary based on factors such as education level, experience, skills, geographic location, market conditions, and other qualifications of the successful candidate. This position may be eligible for additional bonus incentive compensation. CRA offers a comprehensive benefits package, subject to eligibility requirements, which includes: 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; and commuter benefits.