Intern/Strategy Consulting (Life Sciences practice) - Summer 2027

Charles River Associates International; Cambridge, Greater London; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 23,000; Full time

Job summary

Charles River Associates is offering a Summer 2027 internship in Strategy Consulting within the Life Sciences practice, based in Cambridge with possible UK-wide engagements. The role provides analyst‑level exposure to project teams, hands-on experience in economic and strategic analysis, and mentorship from senior colleagues across life sciences projects.

You will contribute to valuation, market access, pricing, and commercial strategy projects while developing industry knowledge, consulting

Qualifications

• Penultimate or final year bachelor’s/master’s/PhD candidates with strong academics.
• Proficiency with Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Excel; comfortable with internet research.
• Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills; teamwork and leadership.

Responsibilities

• Assist on strategy and policy projects in the Life Sciences practice.
• Research and analyse qualitative and quantitative data for client deliverables.
• Draft sections of reports, presentations, and models; participate in client meetings.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Presentation skills

Time management

Teamwork

Self-motivation

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s or PhD (penultimate or final year)

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Internet research

Job description

Intern/Strategy Consulting (Life Sciences practice) - Summer 2027

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom; London, United Kingdom

About Charles River Associates

Charles River Associates is a leading global consulting firm that provides economic, financial, and business management expertise to major law firms, corporations and governments around the world. CRA advises clients on economic and financial matters pertaining to litigation and regulatory proceedings, and guides corporations through critical business strategy and performance-related issues. Since 1965, clients have engaged CRA for its combination of industry experience and rigorous, fact-based analysis that provide clients with clear, implementable solutions to complex business concerns.

About the Internship

CRA’s Life Sciences Practice helps pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical devices and digital health companies achieve optimum performance across key aspects of their business including commercial strategy, pricing and access, innovation, organisation structure, policy analysis, medical affairs, stakeholder management, and reputation, all for the long-term benefit of patients, clinicians, employees, and shareholders. We work with life sciences businesses directly as well as with their legal counsel, industry associations, government organisations, and advocacy groups.

The CRA Life Sciences team operates from offices across the United States, UK and Europe, providing insights on global issues and local market challenges across all geographies.

Our clients’ trust in us is rooted in our emphatic focus on clients and specifically our hands-on life sciences experience, in-depth sector knowledge, from R&D to market entry and beyond, and strong academic credentials in science, economics, policy and business.

During your internship you may work on a variety of project types, including but not limited to:

• Opportunity assessment : Supporting the valuation of new therapies
• Value communication : Building evidence-based narratives to demonstrate the clinical and economic value of new medicines
• Market access planning & payer strategy : Mapping regulatory pathways, evidence needs, reimbursement hurdles and innovative solutions across geographies
• Forecasting & pricing strategy : Developing models to project product performance, define the optimal launch and lifecycle price of a therapy, inform launch planning activities
• Commercial strategy & lifecycle planning : Designing go-to-market models and strategies to sustain brand value and portfolio planning

Joining the Life Sciences Practice at CRA over the summer will provide you with a unique opportunity to develop your knowledge of global healthcare. Our Summer Internship program mirrors the analyst experience: you will be treated as an analyst from day one. You will join project teams working on high-impact challenges in life sciences, with opportunities to learn, contribute, and grow.

You can expect to:

• Work closely with senior colleagues on strategy and policy projects that address real client needs
• Conduct research and analyse both qualitative insights and quantitative data
• Contribute your ideas to team discussions and see how your analysis feeds into client deliverables
• Attend client meetings and expert interviews, gaining exposure to real-world stakeholder perspectives
• Draft sections of reports, presentations, and Excel models, supported by senior team members
• Develop your knowledge of the life sciences industry and consulting methodologies
• Take part in training and practice-building activities

Alongside this project work, you will have a Professional Development Manager dedicated to your growth, an onboarding buddy for day-to-day support, and regular feedback from project managers

Desired Qualifications

• Penultimate year or final year Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degree candidates with strong academic performance from a top-tier institution (minimum 2:1) with focused study in biological sciences, economics (or related subjects including business, health economics and policy, public policy), physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, engineering, or other STEM discipline;
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Excel), plus an understanding of how to conduct internet research
• Proficiency using and analysing quantitative data to answer questions;
• Experience with, or keen interest in, Life Sciences industry and healthcare;
• Understanding of economic concepts and business processes, as well as familiarity with essential consulting methodologies, tools and techniques;
• Effective written and oral communication and presentation skills (additional languages beyond English are helpful);
• Strong self-management (detail orientation, effective time management, ability to prioritise);
• Demonstrated high level of initiative and leadership;
• Excellent teamwork and collaboration capabilities;
• Clear and demonstrated interest in consulting through coursework, work experience, activities, or attendance at CRA recruiting events;
• Willingness and ability to undertake occasional travel to clients if required.

The internship will take place from Monday 28 th June 2027 – Friday 3 rd September 2027.

Professional Development

CRA’s robust skills development programs and wellness programming encourage you to thrive as an individual and team member. We provide interns a variety of technical training, presentation skills, internal seminars, and performance coaching over the summer.

Work Location Flexibility

CRA creates a work environment that enables our colleagues to benefit from being together in the office to best deliver on our promise of career growth, mentorship and inclusivity. At the same time, we recognise that individuals realise a range of benefits when working from home periodically. We currently ask that individuals spend 3 to 4 days a week on average working in the office (which may include traveling to another CRA office or to a client's location), with specific days determined in coordination with your practice or team.

Our Commitment to Diversity

Charles River Associates is an Equality Act 2010 employer. As part of our focus on equity and inclusion, we work to ensure a fair and consistent hiring process. We celebrate diversity and we are committed to an inclusive work environment.