Vault’s Verdict

Insiders at Mansfield praise the firm’s career development opportunities. The firm appears to punch well above its weight in training, mentoring, and international opportunities. The firm’s small size also allows consultants to work directly with clients from the start, giving them more hands-on experience and bigger responsibilities than peers at larger firms.

The only real concern that consultants have with Mansfield Advisors is compensation. While staff generally agree that the base salary is below market level for top-tier firms, they also mostly agree that the compensation dip comes with significantly improved work-life balance compared to those at peer firms. Mansfield Advisors consultants consistently say that their work-life balance is better than anticipated, and one says that their quality of life is “outstanding.”

Employee Reviews

Firm Culture

• “It's a small firm, so we immediately interact with some very high-profile clients. We sit on calls with some of the most senior members of these firms right from day one. There are three partners, and we spend a lot of time with them on projects.”
• “Very professional, transparent, and when demanding, it's always for a good reason.”
• “Both the people and the sector are really interesting and varied.”
• “The people are really welcoming, and I was instantly made to feel like part of the team.”

Quality of Life

• “Firm quality of life is outstanding—a foundational principle of the firm is that they want to treat consultants better, and they do.”
• “Incredibly flexible and ‘no-nonsense’ policy with regards to remote work. Minimal travel requirements.”
• “The firm is very focused on quality of life - hours in the office are sensible, work from home is 100% flexible, there are regular social events and the culture is supportive. In the office, there is a subsidized canteen, free snacks and drinks, and a beautiful work environment in an historic building.”
• “Easy to take time off with an emphasis on not working whilst on holiday. There are busier and quieter periods, but overall work-life balance is good.”

Career Development

• “International opportunities are great for such a small firm. Promotion policies are very market-dependent due to the boutique size of the firm.”
• “The firm is very proactive with getting external speakers in, having lunch & learns regularly, encouraging attendance at conferences, and supporting individuals with specific training that they want. The only downside is that in a smaller firm, there is not a large training and development department to support the team.”
• “Lots of opportunities to go on secondment overseas to sister firms or to firms within the UK. A member of our team has just spent a month out in Barcelona, and recently, someone else spent time at Savills.”
• “The training is very good; core consulting skills, including data handling and presentation, are taught early on.”

Compensation

• “In line with tier two firms to start, then higher than the big three at manager level for retention.”
• “The compensation is viewed holistically—the aim is to keep the team employed so whilst the salary may be modestly below market, there is no hire and fire culture, and when the market is good, the shortfall in salary is more than made up in bonus.”
• “When compared to friends who work at larger firms such as Bain, their pay can be significantly higher. However, this is reflected by the often-longer hours and worse work-life balance at such firms.”
• “Salary progression could be more flexible. Pay packages could be more generous for a small firm.”

Community Engagement

• “Very diverse with respect to ethnicity and LGBTQ+ individuals; the firm is doing everything it can to attract top quality female talent by staging women-only recruitment events and dinners and marketing through LinkedIn.”
• “The firm has very good representation from the LGBTQ+ community and is ethnically highly diverse.”
• “Diversity is somewhat lacking due to the small size of the firm.”
• “There is a clear effort to recruit more women to the firm, which will hopefully be reflected in the headcount in the coming years.”

Business Outlook

• “The partners are very good about being transparent with how the firm is doing.”
• “We are well-positioned in the healthcare niche with some great long-term client relationships. The firm has weathered the consulting downturn of the past few months effectively, and BD efforts should pay off in the long run.”
• “We are premium but not yet top tier, so if times are hard, we are squeezed between a big brand and the cheapest possible substitute. But healthcare is highly resilient, so challenging markets are one year in eight, not more often than that.”
• “Outlook is positive, with growing brand recognition and reputation, though after a slow year industry-wide in terms of transaction volumes, the company could do more to keep morale higher.”

Hiring Process

• “The firm has a clear desire to recruit qualified medical professionals or those with a strong health/life-sciences background. All candidates must have a strong academic track record, usually from a prestigious Russell Group university. It has done significant outreach to medical students at one particular university by holding an annual essay competition and inviting the prize winners to lunch.”
• “Seeking people with interest in healthcare. Typical interview process (psychometrics, then HR phone call, then case study/fit interviews, then partner interview).”
• “Typical recruitment process for most top tier strategy consulting firms; the ideal candidate has strong intrinsics (intelligence, mathematical agility, academic record), commercial interest, and strong motivations to specialize in healthcare consulting.”

Interview Questions

• “What is the market value of X product in Y country?”
• “Standard market sizing questions and case studies in round one, followed by personal fit and motivation questions in round two.”
• “Give me the market size for buttons in the United Kingdom. Do you think it is rising?”