Vault’s Verdict

The culture at Kaiser Associates is warm and social. From casual Fridays and happy hours to work-from-home flexibility and neat perks like free meals and rides home after working late, insiders laud the firm’s quality of life. The firm also requires only limited travel, making it easier to spend time and build bonds with coworkers.

Insiders at the firm say that its friendly culture extends to managers and leaders who are eager to mentor and help elevate new hires’ careers. It’s common for new consultants to begin presenting to clients within their first few projects, and it’s possible for high performers to gain international opportunities in the firm’s London office. Promotions generally come fast for high performers.

Another highlight of the firm is compensation. While base pay is slightly below the top of the market, insiders see it as highly competitive for their workloads and appreciate that the firm provides pay equality by paying everyone at the same level the same salary. Merit-based annual bonuses, however, ensure the firm rewards individual performance.

Employee Reviews

Firm Culture

• “Everyone wants to help you, whether it’s a formal mentor or a project manager or a peer. Starting cross-practice gives you exposure to any area of consulting, and you can go deeper into what you like. You are surrounded by smart people who challenge you and inspire you every day.”
• “Kaiser is big on work-life balance. There is a foosball table in the middle of the office, and there is casual Friday's during the summer. There is very minimal travel compared to other consulting firms. We have unlimited PTO and management encourages us to take time off when not staffed.”
• “The best part of our firm is our culture, in that it still feels as if you're in a family-run firm, while at the same time you're completing projects for the largest clients in the world. It's really the best of both worlds. We rarely travel, which is awesome for maintaining friendships in the city where you work. The Monday-Thursday travel just isn't for me. We are still quite busy but on average work less than those at the big strategy houses.”
• “Work-life balance focus is really impressive for a consulting firm. It is easy to take time off, and managers/executives do a really good job of making sure that consultants do not burn out quickly. Low travel requirements such that when there is travel it is exciting.”

Quality of Life

• “Best quality of life among my peers in terms of work-life balance. You have flexibility to work from home. Hours are reasonable because managers care about not burning teams out given it is a boutique that seeks to retain vs. churn early career hires. And senior leadership genuinely encourages time off and keeps a pulse on team morale. Also, there is unparalleled opportunity for early senior client interaction.”
• “Kaiser offers exceptional quality of life. We don't travel, which makes such a difference to come home and sleep in your own bed. We have perks such as dinner paid for when you work late and transportation home to make you feel safe. We have unlimited PTO, which makes it easy to ask for time off for no reason and receive it.”
• “Flexible WFH policy, as long as expectations for in-office time are met. Flexible vacation policy, which is easily obtained in the majority of cases. Excellent office space and amenities. Meals are covered in-office after 7 p.m., as are rides home. DC office is very well located and highly accessible. Active Fun Committee plans in-office and external events like happy hours, baseball and basketball games, and so on.”
• “Work-life balance is very good; I work on average 8.5 hours a day. There isn’t any travel and it’s super easy to take time off—you just do it through a portal, and I’ve never been denied. They are super supportive of not working during vacation and taking it when you want it. What makes the work-life balance great is the quality coworkers I get to spend time with at the office. I have two WFH days a week, which is also very nice.”

Career Development

• “Kaiser provides the fastest promotion opportunities in the business, as little as 16 months between levels for the highest performers! It was one of the main reasons I started my career here, as I was able to manage projects far earlier than my peers that went to bigger firms. Kaiser has a work abroad program that lets consultants from our U.S. offices transfer to our London office for six months, and vice versa. It's limited to the highest performers but has been really popular in our firm.”
• “Extremely high ratio of senior-junior team interaction, which means teams at all levels see the most senior practitioners first-hand (in both BD and delivery). Very extensive training programs (required and optional) for new hires, and robust internal feedback and professional development process (on a per project or regular biannual basis).”
• “Kaiser is all about investing in its people; there is no limit to success if you are willing to work hard, be a team player, and take advantage of the endless opportunity. Mentorship and promotion opportunity are unmatched in peer firms.”
• “There is a lot of room for internal growth. The mentoring and onboarding advising is something really important at Kaiser and makes it a great place to be able to talk to people about work and life.”

Compensation

• “Salary progression is solid. Pay equality is excellent—everyone at the same level is paid the same. Bonuses for officers are based directly on revenue and profit.”
• “Fast promotion = fast compensation changes. Bonus compensation is skewed towards individual performance (incentivizes high performers). Does not try to match MBB base comp, but as seniority increases, comp is very competitive.”
• “Recently, the firm has moved to an annual bonus cycle rather than paying it in two installments halfway through the year. All individuals at the same level receive the same salary, while bonus is tied to the level and performance, yet salaries for roles have not changed in the last few years.”
• “They provide fantastic health care benefits and regularly host events for employees: happy hours, service/volunteer work, interest groups internally (AI club). They allows gym access, provide snacks, and provide electrolyte beverages on site.”

Inclusion

• “Small firm so the denominator makes the presence of any specific group small in absolute numbers. Firm is very attentive at recruiting stage to casting a wide net and looking for great meritorious candidates with an attention to gender, race, other background factors.”
• “As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I always feel welcomed in the office and on projects and never worry about the views of another impeding my work. Everyone has equal access to promotion opportunities.”
• “We have numerous internal groups that promote acceptance and mutual prosperity like the Kaiser Women’s group for instance. Not a firm where people are competing for jobs, everyone is staffed 100% of time mainly, there is not a bench.”
• “We have a Women @ Kaiser group that does regular events that are well attended. It is diverse firm since we need a lot of language capabilities. It's a small firm and is meritocratic in terms of opportunities. Everyone knows who the good consultants are.”

Business Outlook

• “It has been a strong year, with continued promise looking forward given our relative value vs. non-boutique shops.”
• “We are very competitive right now. Morale is high, and it’s super fun to be in office. We have really fun in-office events and happy hours consistently. My coworkers and managers are awesome; they actually care to ask about my day and life. Trends are in our favor. I’m excited to work here and plan to for a long time.”
• “We are doing great. We are in the news and we are outperforming competitors. Morale is high, and we keep getting business.”
• “Kaiser continues to grow year over year. The firm has excellent relationships with Fortune 100 companies and continues to engage in innovative projects to grow the type of work it can do.”

Hiring Process

• “Three rounds of cases and behavioral interviews ending with a Super Day. Selective but not as challenging as the Big 3. We place a lot more value on those with liberal arts backgrounds, effective problem-solving skills, and/or traditional business/economics tracks.”
• “Kaiser has three rounds of interviews including a phone screen (behavioral and mini case), a writing assessment (slide creation), and a Super Day (two cases, one behavioral). Kaiser is looking for someone business-minded and motivated with an ability to connect with many different kinds of people.”
• “The ideal candidate is a self-starter. They are able to look around and see what needs to get done and get to it. They are highly communicative. They keep their manager and team in the loop about what is going on with their project to ensure no surprises. They have a growth mindset and are eager to learn.”
• “The firm is seeking highly motivated, intelligent entry-level consultants that can be groomed for higher level positions. Prior experience is not required, but being an adaptable, quick learner with strong critical thinking skills is a must.”

Interview Questions

• “All interviewees run at least two cases that are appropriate for their level. One entry-level case revolves around increasing profit for a small bakery.”
• “Market sizing, timed written assessments, in-person behavioral interviews and strategy cases.”
• “Sizing a luxury market within a specific U.S. or U.K. metro area.”
• “Market sizing, profitability cases, typical behavioral questions.”