Vault’s Verdict

If you’re looking for big-firm work with a small-firm feel, Kaiser Associates should be near the top of your list. Insiders love having visible roles on high-profile cases with globally recognized clients early in their careers, learning from partners and senior staff on a personal level, and collaborating in the firm’s egalitarian culture.

The early responsibility provided by Kaiser offers unique access to rapid professional development, and employees love its development programs—namely, its exchange program that lets consultants temporarily transfer between its DC and London offices. They also say promotions are relatively fast and follow a standardized process without much competition between staff, but one concern is that the process doesn’t make exceptions for high performers, which can make some eager consultants antsy.

In terms of quality of life and compensation, Kaiser offers a good balance. While staff acknowledge that they might not make as much as their peers at larger firms, they appreciate the low travel, mostly manageable hours, and solid flexibility in terms of hours and work locations. The firm’s business outlook is a bit dependent on the economic cycle—it’s had layoffs in each of the last two years—but is looking brighter. 

Employee Reviews

Firm Culture

• “Promotion processes are extremely standardized, only considering performance and tenure, allowing consultants to be promoted without being compared to other consultants. This gets rid of any cut-throat research and allows for a more equal team environment.”
• “One of the benefits of being a boutique is that even the most senior members of the firm know you well and extend a level of care for your wellbeing. You get client interaction as soon as you’re ready at the firm, presenting notable portions of deliverables at the entry level.”
• “We get to contribute high-quality insights for blue-chip clients, working shoulder-to-shoulder with esteemed colleagues.”
• “Kaiser, hours-wise, is a much better place to work than peer firms. The only negative is that Kaiser tends to run rather lean and has less events than peer firms.”

Quality of Life

• “Kaiser is amazing in how it manages to minimize travel requirements while still delivering very high impact work. Other consulting firms have started to figure out how to do this since COVID, but Kaiser has done this for a very long time, very effectively.”
• “Kaiser has many flexible policies including the ‘workcation,’ which lets you work for a set period from any location in the world to enable longer stays when travelling internationally. They offer a sabbatical program for extended time off.”
• “Hours are extremely manageable, and flexible, by consulting standards. Except for those set on traveling to random locations with no or little input, the low-travel model is very efficient, convenient, and livable. It’s easy to obtain manager permission for PTO and personal time for appointments; it’s almost universally approved unless it conflicts with client touchpoints.”
• “Our work-life balance is very reasonable. On average, I work 50 hours a week, which is ideal compared to other consulting firms.”

Career Development

• “One of the favorite programs among the consultants is the exchange program we run between our DC and London offices, with consultants able to trade offices for six months and live and work in a new city.”
• “Kaiser trusts consultants with a lot of responsibility relatively early in their careers, allowing for faster professional development across consulting competencies. The firm complements this fast-paced development with accelerated promotion timelines and a thorough performance review process.”
• “One of Kaiser's largest benefits is the opportunity to stretch up roles, be recognized, and accelerate your career trajectory vs. other firms. While standard training and mentorship programs exist, the informal training and mentorship is superb, with outstanding willingness and access from more senior members at the firm to give advice or feedback.”
• “Promotion is quicker than other firms but is still relatively standardized through the principal level. There is minimum time spent at each level before promotion, regardless of extraordinary performance.”

Compensation

• “The best part is that there is complete visibility into salary progression and future pay rates. Additionally, all employees at the same level are paid the same amount, meaning we are all valued to the same degree for the same responsibilities.”
• “Salaries are generally fixed for each level; this is good in terms of being egalitarian, but standout performers are not given higher salaries. However, bonuses and promotions tend to make up for that on balance. Pay is lower than larger firms, but the lifestyle is much more manageable and normal.”
• “Salary is fine overall, but far less than our direct competitors and not great considering some weeks we work 60+ hours. About half of the bonus is contingent on firm performance.”
• “We have an in-house gym and offer free food and snacks in the office. The nitro coffee on tap is amazing and the espresso machine is a hit among the consultants.”

Community Engagement

• “Kaiser Associates is one of the most diverse consulting firms in the U.S. I have always felt welcome and included and rarely like a minority despite being one in several ways. Although we could always use more diversity, everyone has equal access to work and promotion opportunities.”
• “Kaiser is a diverse firm as a function of our recruiting and being based in DC, but the only firm-directed DEI effort is the Women at Kaiser Committee, which started this year. We don't sponsor visas, so that limits international diversity.”
• “As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Kaiser is heavily devoted to ensuring that the work culture is inclusive and accepting of all backgrounds and making each person feel valued.”
• “Kaiser welcomes a strong mix of individuals from different backgrounds and treats everyone fairly.”

Business Outlook

• “Kaiser has historically kept itself at a consistent boutique size, but it's very clear the firm is growing strategically now: We have new practices, fast-growing practices. Despite the industry-wide slowdown over the past two years, the firm has been very focused on growing.”
• “Any instability in the firm's outlook is due to the economy as opposed to internal issues. Therefore, the firm's outlook is just as unsteady as any other consulting firm, but I do believe we have a competitive advantage in our research, price, and overall output quality that offers us more resilience compared to other firms.”
• “Kaiser has added new capabilities, such as Healthcare and ODD, that are leading new revenue streams for the firm, allowing us to gain momentum in 2024 and set high goals for 2025.”
• “The firm has a weak sense of staffing needs. We have had layoffs twice within the last two years, and every time we are understaffed a couple of months later. We book tons of projects later in the year, every single year.”

Hiring Process

• “Hiring is a three-step process. First comes a phone screen with a market sizing case. Next is a written, timed case that tests your written analysis. Last you have a super day with two cases, plus officer and peer interviews.”
• “This year we are going back to in-person super days.”
• “The interview process is pretty fast, and people across levels are involved in the interviews so that candidates can get an understanding of the firm's culture and people. In my opinion, the ideal candidate is outgoing and fun to work with, collaborative while still being able to work independently at times, excited to learn new things, and able to learn quickly on the job.”
• “The ideal candidate has some work experience (such as internships), has initiative, is intellectually curious, and is easily adaptable.”

Interview Questions

• “Interviews are quite standard from what one would find in a business school casebook for strategy, just tailored to our target industries.”
• “Classic behavioral, case, and fit interview questions.”
• “Size the private wine tasing event market in New York City.”
• “Market sizing case studies and profitability case studies.”