Vault’s Verdict

With an entrepreneurial and flexible culture, CRA’s offices in the EMEA region provide a good fit for self-motivated consultants who want autonomy over their careers. With smaller offices where everyone knows each other and a flat, not hierarchical, organizational structure, the firm often trusts junior staff with big roles on serious projects. Compensation scales directly with performance and sales, with insiders lauding the firm’s bonus program. 

Staff can customize their work schedules, and many take advantage of the firm’s multinational presence to transfer to different projects and countries. However, some do find it more difficult to transfer across industry verticals, and others find the hours long and unpredictable—although that’s common in consulting. Promotions can occur rapidly for high performers.

The firm has a robust business outlook, with its diversification across industries and practices helping it maintain sustainable long-term growth. With a solid combination of opportunity, work-life balance, and autonomy, CRA is definitely worth an application.

Employee Reviews

Firm Culture

• “Entrepreneurial.”
• “The firm is very eager to support all staff, regardless level, related to mental health, work-life balance, health related team activities and offerings.”
• “Very flexible.”
• “Not too hierarchical, not a lot of formal processes, great packages (food and comfort in the office, great location), training possibilities (summer schools), small offices so everyone knows each other, promotions can be quick.”

Quality of Life

• “Travel requirements outside client-related travel are minimal. The firm is flexible around to people taking time off. Worst aspects are client/project-driven, as Q4 is by default busy across our area of consulting; however, there is also downtime that can be used as such. The company is a true people company that takes care of their employees.”
• “Unpredictable hours one needs to work, often working late for stuff that is not urgent.”
• “Flexibility, as expected in consulting.”

Career Development

• “Best: Transparent and fair promotion process, formal and informal training, mentoring, internal mobility options, and international opportunities. Worst: Limited ability to transfer to other areas within the organization outside life sciences. But then, this is not surprising considering that most other areas of the company work in very different industries and with very different clients (e.g., lawyers), while most clients within LS are medical and/or commercial functions within Biotech/Biopharma.”
• “Opportunity to take more responsibility, progress quickly.”

Compensation

• “It is a total compensation package. You sell a lot; you earn a lot. Simple!”
• “Bonus program for partners is transparent and fair, as well as support of junior bonus from partner pool to ensure extra work is acknowledged. It provides a message of being in it together.”
• “Good bonus payout, stability.”
• “Counseling, exercise programs, meditation, nutrition education.”

Inclusion

• “I do not see it is a major part of our culture.”
• “LGBTQ+ is only visible when individuals announce it to co-employees and that is not required at a workplace. Important is that there is no discrimination/differentiation of people related to any of the mentioned groups of individuals. All consultants at our firm have equal access to interesting/high-quality work and promotion opportunities.”

Business Outlook

• “Very diverse offering structure across many industries with different business cycles allows for sustainable long-term growth across the company, as shown over the last 10 years.”
• “Strong outlook; slow in AI adoption.”
• “Stuck in selling commodities.”