Vault’s Verdict

Perhaps the most important thing for potential employees of TIG to know at this point is that the firm was acquired in April of 2022—just a few months before we conducted our annual consulting survey.

With that in mind, feel free to peruse the selected comments, which outline a firm that is generally well-liked by its employees even as they sometimes struggle with the number of hours required. Ideally, the variety of project work and ability to make rapid career progress will only accelerate under new ownership, but those are considerations that are best raised in interviews and networking conversations—not to mention next year’s survey!

Firm Culture

“A consulting firm that takes active measures to support its members and encourage professional growth.”

“Collegial firm with talented, supportive colleagues and interesting work with clients who are driving forward the life sciences industry.”

“Opportunity to learn about interesting life science advancements and develop strategic solutions with an impressive group of peers and mentors.”

“The quality of work is always exceptional, and the project approach and deliverables are always very thoughtful and individualized to the client situation/needs. Leadership, management, and even junior staff are very knowledgeable and able to serve as strategic thought partners to the clients. Everyone who leaves for an industry role ends up hiring TIG for consulting projects. 

Obviously I'm biased, but clients often share deliverables that other consulting firms have done for them in the past that's relevant to the current project, and I really do believe that TIG produces work of a higher caliber. Whenever we're asked to pressure test previous work, we always find ways in which the approach or assumptions can and should be improved.”

“Unlike other boutique life sciences firms that focus predominantly on primary and secondary market research, Triangle Insights engages with clients in strategic planning at the product-agnostic and corporate levels as well as in cutting edge technology areas (e.g., iPSC therapy) and entirely new indication areas.”

Quality of Life

“Demanding hours tend to be driven by the project needs, rather than company culture. Time off is simple and well-respected by the team.”

“Leadership may need to better understand the difficulty of adjusting to different time zones and how impractical and counter-productive this is for junior staff.”

“Minimal travel requirements are nice, and I've never heard of anyone being denied time off that they requested. However, the vacation policy isn't great - analysts and consultants only get 10 days of [vacation + 1 flex holiday + 6 sick days], although we do get the week between Christmas and New Year’s off. Managers and above get 15 [vacation] days + 1 flex [holiday + 6 sick days] which is much more reasonable.

Work/life balance is good most of the time and leadership/management are understanding and respectful of personal commitments, but staffing and workload/hours can be a bit unpredictable - occasionally you'll end up staffed on a project that requires very long hours and consumes your life for a month. Important personal commitments are worked around, but this can still make it difficult to make plans very far in advance and know you'll be able to keep them. The workload is very reasonable most of the time, so an occasional push like that is fine other than the fact that you don't usually know very far in advance when it's coming.”

“The managers do not like or need to micromanage, so the hours are flexible as long as the work is completed. There are ebbs and flows of long days that come with any client-facing job, but the senior leaders are very aware of the demand for each project. So, after being on a busy project, they will place us on more relaxed projects to recover and prevent burnout.”

“Travel is minimal, which helps with work/life balance. Hours vary substantially, as is typical across consulting firms. Expectations in terms of hours vary within and between projects, depending on individual efficiency, client preferences, and stage in the project lifecycle, among other things. Generally speaking, the focus is on producing high-quality output on tight timelines, rather than specific hours worked, which allows for substantial flexibility for efficient employees. Taking time off is trivially easy with reasonable amounts of notice. The firm is very flexible in this regard.”

Compensation

“Compensation is fair and bonuses are generally paid out. The compensation could more closely reflect SF's cost of living though. The SF office also has a weekly lunch that encourages office attendance. There are also free snacks/drinks and occasional fun team events/happy hours.”

“The firm is transparent with regard to current and expected compensation, which supports pay equality. Compensation is in-line with industry standards.”

“The firm offers a variety of health insurance options to fit your needs, as well as a 401k matching program.”

“Triangle Insights offers a highly attractive ‘sabbatical’ program to team members who advance to engagement manager and have been with the company for 5+ years. The ‘sabbatical’ consists of up to one month paid (+ two months unpaid) time off that team members can use however they like.”

Career Development

“Best aspects of my firm are the incredible internal support from senior leadership and other members of the firm as well as the opportunity to grow and learn many different skills in a short amount of time. The worst aspects would include the smaller size of the firm - we become very, very busy with many taking on many responsibilities during busy season.”

“I feel we enjoy the opportunity to advance quickly if we want to push ourselves and take on more responsibility, but we do not have an up or out mentality.  So, it feels very safe to pursue the path that best fits you.”

“Our firm promotes based on merit. Folks without advanced degrees but that have extensive consulting/ industry experience have been promoted to leadership roles.”

“The firm is invested in its employees, so there is plenty of opportunity for training and mentorship from senior team members. We can discuss career goals and next steps to reach those goals through meeting regularly with mentors, performance reviews with managers after each project, and 1:1 check-ins with the senior leadership team.”

“Triangle's promotion policies are extremely meritocratic, and promotion schedules for high performers are some of the most favorable in life sciences consulting. The firm has also placed a substantial emphasis on responsibly bolstering the diversity of its candidates and employees, with high levels of success. Initial training involves a mock case, and ‘crash course’ on consulting. The most valuable training, in my view, occurs following initial onboarding, as both formal and informal mentorship opportunities allow for personal and professional development.”

Community Engagement

“All consulting team members at Triangle Insights have equal access to interesting/high-quality work and promotion opportunities - projects are typically staffed on a ‘just-in-time’ basis, so as junior team members wrap up one project, they will usually be staffed on their next project based on their availability. It's uncommon for team members to become specialized into strategic areas (e.g., Cell & Gene Therapy, Pricing & Market Access, New Product Planning, Commercial Due Diligence) until they reach engagement manager level.”

“Significant improvement in the last few years however, room for improvement with regards to hiring minorities in the science and business (African-Americans, Native Americans, Latinx, Southeast Asians, etc.).”

“Triangle does a great job of attracting talent from a wide variety of backgrounds, presenting the team with the opportunities to work with people who can teach them something new outside of work as well. D&I committee work also seeks to support recruiting efforts, community involvement and other efforts for typically under-represented populations within the consulting or life sciences industries.”

“Triangle has sought to substantially improve its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in recent years. Leadership has undergone diversity training, as have employees. Particular attention has been paid to responsible recruiting and limiting biases. All consultants have equal access to the same high-quality projects and promotions.”

“We have a D&I committee that plans and leads initiatives and participates in other aspects of the firm (e.g., recruitment). The leadership team has been engaged recently with a D&I consultant to review our practices and communications and provide recommendations on how we can continue to strive for a diverse and inclusive workplace.”

Business Outlook

“Overall, sales and project influx has been consistent and even better with the acquisition by TrialCard. I am looking forward to TIG's continued growth.”

“Triangle Insights has expanded their footprint in New Product Planning, Pricing & Market Access and in Cell & Gene Therapy in recent years, winning engagements to develop product-agnostic launch strategies and access strategies across channels and with cutting-edge technologies (e.g., late-stage iPSC therapies in non-oncology indications) - bona-fide strategy projects that further differentiate the firm from other boutique firms that serve predominantly as market research shops.”

“Triangle's leadership is a group of very intelligent and impressive individuals who have continued to move the firm in the right direction.”

“We can be impacted by wider market swings that impact the life sciences sector. We also recently experienced an acquisition by another company. I remain cautious with regards to how our workplace will change over time.”

Hiring Process

“1 round of behavioral interviews and 1 more robust case presentation.  Ideal candidates have an interest in life sciences and demonstrate strong critical thinking. It's not so much about a right or wrong answer, but rather thinking process.”

“Cultural and intellectual fit.”

“I believe the firm is looking for curious, driven individuals who want to explore new areas of the life science industry and help develop solutions for a variety of clients. Whether they are from a business-focused background and have interest in the scientific innovations, or come from a science-focused background and are interested in the commercialization of the scientific concepts, Triangle provides a great platform for the curious mind to continuously learn new things.”

“I think this company is looking for smart people interested in business and the life sciences. If you can demonstrate your competence and passion Triangle will most definitely be interested in you as a candidate.”

“Triangle Insights seeks candidates with the intellectual horsepower to keep up with experienced clients in complex content areas, the professional/social ‘soft skills’ to interact effectively with clients and team members in project execution, and the communication skills to effectively develop and structure deliverables and present findings to clients in an engaging manner.”

Interview Questions

“It is going to be something related to a potential drug and questions relating to market sizing, revenue, and whether the company should pursue developing the drug.”

“Market sizing for hypothetical drugs. Also, typical behavioral questions (e.g., instances of creative problem solving, describing your leadership style, etc.).”

“Standard behavioral questions, questions to gauge interest in the field of life sciences, case questions regarding market sizing and assessing the ability to build logical frameworks.”

“The interview process involves a behavioral and short case interview, which is followed by a series of behavioral interviews with a longer case.”

“Triangle Insights uses the ‘written case’ format for all of its final round interviews, and is increasingly incorporating written case components into its earlier-round interviews. By giving candidates a case that more closely represents day-to-day consulting.”