Consulting Analyst – Economic and Financial Analysis

Job Description

Accounting/Business/Finance Consulting Analyst/Associate | Charles River Associates

The Tone:
This is an early career position at Charles River Associates, located in Chicago, Houston, or New York. 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. In this role, you will contribute to advising clients on complex economic and financial matters, guiding corporations through critical business strategy, and delivering fact-based, implementable solutions. You will join a collaborative environment focused on rigorous analysis and practical outcomes for diverse clients.

The TL;DR
• Role: Early Career
• Type: Full-time
• Location: Hybrid – Chicago, Houston, New York
• Pay: $92500–$100000 yearly
• Mission: Investigate financial evidence, perform economic analyses, and develop models to support client cases, strategic objectives, and address allegations of fraud and misconduct.
• Tech Stack: Excel, Stata, R, Python, SQL, SAS

What You’ll Actually Do
• Case Understanding: Conduct thorough economic and industry research, meticulously analyzing client materials to build a comprehensive understanding of complex case issues.
• Analytical Modeling: Perform and develop sophisticated financial, economic, or valuation models to robustly support various case theories, then clearly present these analytical results to colleagues and clients.
• Fraud Investigation: Actively investigate accounting irregularities, gathering and scrutinizing evidence to effectively respond to allegations of fraud, misconduct, waste, and abuse.
• Financial Analysis: Utilize accounting and financial skills to prepare detailed analyses of financial data, including the creation of financial models, for use in litigation, expert reports, and testimony.
• Reporting & Communication: Systematically investigate and analyze financial evidence, such as records and transactions, to identify critical trends and anomalies, then clearly organize, summarize, and communicate these findings, assisting with the drafting of written reports.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Early career candidates pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with an academic focus in Accounting, Business, Finance, or a closely related field, who are graduating in December 2026 or Summer 2027.
• Experience: Demonstrated experience in gathering, standardizing, and analyzing voluminous transactional data, coupled with practical experience in data analysis and intelligence gathering, including querying and mining large data sets to discover patterns.
• Skills: Solid working knowledge of finance, accounting, and economic methodologies; a strong command of a broad range of research and quantitative analysis skills, including proficiency in Excel; and familiarity with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), corporate governance, and regulatory environments. Effective written and oral communication skills are also essential.
• Bonus: A clear and demonstrated interest in consulting, evidenced through coursework, prior work experience, activities, or attendance at CRA recruiting events, alongside a high level of initiative, leadership, meticulous attention to detail, commitment to quality, and strong teamwork capabilities.