Vault’s Verdict

In an environment where many firms are struggling, Roland Berger insiders point to YOY growth rates in excess of 30% as evidence of their firm’s ability to navigate any economic climate.

Known for going above and beyond client expectations, the firm has cultivated a reputation for delivering detailed and innovative solutions. This commitment to excellence, however, often comes at the cost of longer working hours, a trade-off that many employees see as worthwhile for the firm's rapidly improving brand recognition and rapid career development opportunities.

Additionally, the firm is making strides with initiatives like flexible working and generous time-off policies, though the implementation and experience can vary. Compensation is competitive, with a notable emphasis on meritocracy and equitable pay structures across levels.

All told, Roland Berger presents a vibrant and challenging environment, ideal for those who thrive in fast-paced settings and are seeking to make a significant impact early in their careers.

Employee Reviews

Firm Culture

• “Clients are very impressed with our work. We provide detailed, comprehensive approaches to problems that go above and beyond client expectations. Although this can mean sacrificing a few hours of sleep, it's worth it in the end to hear that we were one of the best consulting experiences a client team has had.”
• “Excellent time to join Roland Berger as we are growing faster than any other strategy firm. Great opportunity to learn and grow based on the firm's expertise and depth of capabilities. Excellent international diversity.”
• “I believe that the authenticity of our team members and their humility sets us apart. We have some incredible people with expertise on topics I had never heard of before joining Roland Berger. However, they don't lead with their accolades or expertise, they lead as a person, and they talk to you like a peer even if they are a Senior Partner. Everyone has a role to play in driving the future of the firm at Roland Berger, and you can feel it every single day.”
• “New employees get a lot of exposure quickly and gain a lot of experience. Great place to own your career track. At the same time, new employees are tossed into the deep end of the pool and need to swim quickly. This experience is not for everyone.”
• “Roland Berger truly pushes its entrepreneurial culture. You have the opportunity/possibility to set your own path here, unlike some of the larger firms. It also has the resources that you need and expect from a large company (due to larger footprint in Europe/Asia).”

Quality of Life

• “Ability to limit travel days, flexible home office, winter and summer shutdowns.”
• “Culture is fantastic and informal mentorship opportunities are plentiful. This is a highly collaborative and supportive firm.”
• “I absolutely love my job and the teams that I work with. These are by far the most rewarding aspects of the job. I feel like my work is meaningful, recognized, and contributes significantly to my projects and my teams. The work-life balance does leave a bit to be desired, but the company has been taking strong efforts to improve this. Although hours are long, there is lots of flexibility for remote work, which has been very helpful in creating work-life balance.”
• “Roland Berger has really embraced the shift in the way people want to work with our new work initiatives. These initiatives allow each person to shape their own quality of life with things such as sabbaticals, flexible working, additional vacation time, and more. Additionally, I like that we take feedback very seriously. This means that anyone can raise a concern at any time and we will work to address the feedback and improve upon it, especially as it relates to quality of life.”
• “Very clear effort by the partnership to manage work life balance. No weekend work. Minimizing required travel post-COVID.”

Career Development

• “A lot of global opportunities from short term project assignments to long-term transfer.”
• “As a more junior colleague, I have been lucky to work somewhere with such great formal and informal mentorship. Roland Berger's formal mentorship program paired me with a mentor who advocates for me and makes sure I receive consistent feedback on my strengths and my areas for improvement. I have also found strong mentors among project managers and team leaders. Everyone has been incredibly supportive of my career and goes above and beyond to make sure I meet my personal development goals as much as possible.”
• “Consultants at all levels are granted a tremendous amount of autonomy and responsibility. Formal trainings are great but could be more frequent.”
• “Flexible promotion schedule, firm and strict but at the same time taking into account different people's and teams' contexts.”
• “Very good supportive environment—no strict up or out. Very conscious mentorship, in-depth performance evaluations and development discussions.”

Compensation

• “Although the compensation is generous, we do not receive as much as other top firms whose employees likely work as many hours as we do. We do receive a discount on Philips Sonicare toothbrushes, which is pretty great, as well as 1,000 in wellness spending each year. The office itself has a very nice gym, which is another great perk of Roland Berger.”
• “High share of variable pay, which is good for top performers.”
• “I love that fact that everyone at the same level makes the same base compensation and has the same bonus opportunity. It is very fair and equitable. Of course, the top performers earn a bit higher bonus payout.”
• “On par with industry, cannot complain. 401(k) has a 2-year vesting that other consultancies don't have and removes the incentives from new hires to save.”
• “We are a very merit-based organization. Each person determines their own destiny and can set their career trajectory and move at their own pace. I enjoy that we are not an ‘up and out’ organization and that we are flexible for employee's personal needs and obligations for career development. We also have a plethora of opportunities from global trainings to mentorship, external engagements, and more to pursue.”

Community Engagement

• “All consultants at the firm have the same access to interesting work and promotions. Within the company, diversity is encouraged through different DEI groups and initiatives. Although Roland Berger is not super diverse, there have been strong recruiting efforts to increase diversity at the firm.”
• “DEI is a top priority for our firm. We strive to represent the communities we live in and the clients that we serve, which means having a truly representative employee base. Our affinity groups host events, teambuilding, mentorship, and volunteering events to support underserved communities and to grow our awareness of specific DEI topics. At Roland Berger, people truly care about DEI.”
• “Firm is very male-centric. Guys with engineering degrees and European backgrounds fit in easiest.”
• “Roland Berger US is very focused on pushing DE&I efforts. They are also very receptive to starting new initiatives and groups (as I have done the past year) and are very supportive of our efforts.”
• “Strong regarding LGBTQ+. On a good track regarding women. Strong on Asian ethnicities but struggling to make progress with Black people and African Americans. No strategy yet regarding individuals with disabilities and military veterans.”

Business Outlook

• “Fantastic growth with close to 40% annual growth over the last few years. Probably the fastest growing strategy [firm] in the Americas. Very positive business outlook with continued commitment to grow.”
• “Lots of management changes in the U.S. in 2023 and staffing cuts.”
• “Over the first six months of 2023 we have been on a consistent growth track globally. We continue to hire and expand to support our ambitious growth plans going forward.”
• “The company is growing at a ridiculous rate (30%+ YOY) and has a very strong pipeline of large, medium, and smaller (investor support) projects.”
• “While most consulting firms will have to follow market trends, Roland Berger is in a unique position to play ‘catch-up’ in terms of brand and awareness across industries. This allows Roland Berger to ‘beat’ the overall consulting market in my viewpoint. I have a lot of confidence in our leadership team, and talent to continue to push through with new and exciting projects.”

Hiring Process

• “First and foremost, we look for authenticity. We want our employees to be themselves and be authentic every day they are at work. We seek this out in our interviews and encourage candidates to share their true thoughts and feelings. Anyone can be polished, but a great candidate will be able to open up and relate to others.”
• “For juniors—good attitude, good aptitude, interesting people.”
• “Interviews are straightforward (no tricks)and can be quite challenging. The internal team is quick to process interview results and move through the process. They call you back right away on the results.”
• “Strong interview and callback process. Need to start the process earlier and finish later.”
• “There were three rounds of interviews. First was a case/behavioral. Second was just behavioral. The last was just a case. The ideal candidate that the firm is looking for at the MBA level is someone with industry experience.”

Interview Questions

• “Industrial case questions. Transportation case questions. Behavioral questions.”
• “Made huge progress and have a fair and transparent process. But still limited in reach and effectiveness.”
• “Typical consulting-style interviews. Two interviews total, with the final round being three back-to-back interviews (including case/presentation questions).”
• “Why Roland Berger? Why consulting?”