Consulting Associate/Cyber Incident Response and eDiscovery - Forensic Services 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 Overview

CRA’s Forensic Services practice primary purpose is to support our clients’ commitment to integrity and reliability. Our work involves assisting companies and their counsel in independently responding to allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct and non-compliance.  We are foremost in deploying cross-trained teams of forensic professionals to assist our clients in swiftly gaining deeper insights and greater value. Our commitment to our clients is to help them better anticipate and manage challenging events, to ultimately become more resilient.

We are seeking a Consulting Associate to join our Cyber Incident Response & eDiscovery team in Chicago, Boston, Washington, DC, or New York. In this role, you will support high-profile cyber incident response matters, data breach investigations, and complex eDiscovery engagements. Working alongside experienced consultants, attorneys, and clients, you will help identify and analyze potentially impacted information, transforming complex datasets into actionable insights.

Using CRA's eDiscovery technology suite, you will process, organize, analyze, and report on large volumes of structured and unstructured data to support regulatory, legal, and investigative objectives.

The role offers significant opportunities for professional development through formal training, mentorship, and exposure to complex client engagements.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Support and lead workstreams related to cyber incident response and data breach investigations involving sensitive data.
• Process, organize, and analyze large datasets using industry-standard eDiscovery and forensic technologies.
• Conduct data analysis and data mining to identify personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), and other sensitive data types.
• Manage and administer review databases, including data loading, workspace configuration, user management, and reporting.
• Conduct quality control procedures to ensure the accuracy of deliverables.
• Prepare client-facing updates and reports.
• Serve as a day-to-day resource for senior consultants by providing support throughout engagements.
• Coordinate with cross-functional project teams to manage competing priorities and meet critical deadlines.
• Contribute to corporate initiatives as needed, such as recruiting, training, business development support, etc.

Desired Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in eDiscovery, cyber incident response, digital forensics, data privacy, investigations, or a related field.
• Experience administering Relativity workspaces and utilizing core review, analytics, and reporting features; certifications are a plus.
• Experience managing document production workflows and executing quality control procedures.
• Experience processing data using tools such as Nuix, Relativity, or similar platforms.
• Experience conducting search term analysis and related reporting methodologies.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to work effectively with large and complex datasets.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and data reporting.
• Awareness of privacy regulations, data protection concepts is a plus, but not required.
• Demonstrated ability to work on multiples projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Exceptional organizational, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Willingness to travel occasionally, as required (minimal travel expected).

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

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.

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

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 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 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 annual base salary range for this position is $100,000 - $126,500. Stating 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.