Consulting Associate - European Competition practice

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.

Position Responsibilities 

CRA's European Competition practice specialises in providing economic advice on matters of competition policy and regulation.  We assist firms and their legal advisors in all types of competition proceedings: firms considering merger and acquisition opportunities or involved in merger control proceedings; and firms undergoing investigations relating to cartels, restrictive commercial agreements, abuse of dominance or state aid.  We also provide advice to firms involved in regulatory proceedings and sector inquiries. We offer assistance on the estimation effects of damages in cartel cases, international arbitration and intellectual property disputes.  

For more information on the Antitrust & Competition Economics practice in Europe visit http://ecp.crai.com.

The Consulting Associate position is the entry-level position for applicants with a postgraduate qualification in economics and up to three years of experience. Consulting Associates work closely with Vice Presidents and other senior staff, scholars and industry experts on project teams, and will have the possibility of working on some of the largest, high-profile and most significant competition cases in Europe, providing conceptual input to projects and helping to shape the cases. Consulting Associates may:

• Identify potential issues and conduct analyses that can be used to illustrate economic arguments;
• Assemble compelling evidence from data and research that support our expert opinions and business recommendations;
• Program, build models and/or perform regression analyses in statistical analysis programs (such as Stata, Python, R), including large data projects requiring use of cloud computing;
• Assist in the development and presentation of client deliverables, including expert reports and white papers summarising opinions, conclusions, and recommendations using financial, market, industry or client-proprietary data;
• Assemble compelling evidence and identify useful analyses from data and research that illustrate economic arguments and support expert opinions and business recommendations;
• Interact with clients and communicate complicated economic concepts and arguments to non-experts in an understandable, accessible manner;
• Ensure the integrity and accuracy of analyses and opinions; and
• Participate in practice-building activities (training, recruiting, publication, expertise sharing, etc.).

Desired Qualifications

• MSc/MPhil in economics from well-regarded institutions with a strong foundation in microeconomics, preferably with a specialization in industrial organisation or statistics/econometrics, as well as a good first degree in economics;
• Up to 3 years of professional experience, ideally in a consulting or competition policy environment;
• Fluency in English;
• High degree of numeracy and some comfort with data manipulation is essential, familiarity with econometric techniques is desirable;
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills;
• Demonstrated high level of initiative and leadership;
• Strong teamwork and collaboration capabilities;
• Excellent time management and task prioritization skills.

To Apply

Applicants should submit the following materials for immediate consideration:

• Curriculum Vitae – please include current contact information;
• Covering letter – please describe your interest in a role with CRA's Antitrust and Competition Economics practice in Brussels and how this role matches your goals;
• Academic results – for the most recent degree.

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 expect that individuals 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.

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 Diversity

Charles River Associates is an equal opportunity employer. As part of our focus on equity and inclusion, we work to ensure a fair and consistent hiring process. We celebrate diversity and we are committed to an inclusive work environment.

The statements included in this job description are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified.