(2027 PhD/ABD graduates) Economic Consulting Senior Associate

Charles River Associates; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 235,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Immigration support

Wellness programs

Paid time off

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Charles River Associates in Oakland seeks a Senior Associate to join a research-driven consulting team. You will conduct economic analyses, design complex models, supervise junior staff and contribute to client deliverables and expert reports.

The role emphasizes programming (Stata, SAS, Python, R) and collaboration with attorneys and regulators, with limited travel and a mix of office presence and remote work.

Qualifications

• PhD in economics with quantitative focus, December 2026/ Summer 2027.
• Strong research and modeling abilities.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Willingness to learn new programming languages.
• Demonstrated initiative and leadership.
• Strong teamwork and ability to manage time.
• Demonstrated understanding of economic/financial concepts.
• Experience with Excel, Stata, Python, R, SQL, SAS, ArcGIS/ArcPy or cloud computing.
• Minimal travel; most work occurs in the office.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research in a team setting with top economists and regulators.
• Identify issues, design economic models, manage research processes.
• Supervise and mentor junior analysts.
• Develop and present client deliverables including reports and white papers.
• Serve as primary contact for attorneys and clients on issues.
• Program, build models and run regressions in Stata, SAS, Python, R, Matlab or Mathematica.
• Ensure accuracy and integrity of analyses and conclusions.
• Participate in practice-building activities and recruiting.

Skills

PhD economics

Quantitative research

Programming languages

Analytical thinker

Written & oral communication

Initiative & leadership

Teamwork

Time management

Consulting interest

Excel / Stata / Python / R / SQL / SAS

ArcGIS/ArcPy / Cloud computing (Databr

Education

PhD in economics with quantitative focus

Tools

Excel

Stata

Python

R

SQL

SAS

ArcGIS/ArcPy

Databricks/Spark

Google Cloud / Azure / AWS

Job description

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.

Practices

Practices seeking to hire candidates with this profile include (hiring locations listed):

• Antitrust & Competition Economics (Boston, Chicago, Oakland, Washington DC): Our Competition practice economists provide analysis and testimony in matters involving mergers and acquisitions, antitrust litigation, and global competition policy.
• Energy (Boston, New York, Washington DC): The Energy practice has researched, published, taught, and consulted on energy matters for a wide range of clients, including electric and gas utilities, investors, power asset owners and developers, power agencies, large industrial firms, and clean energy technology leaders.
• Finance (Boston): Our Finance experts work on valuation issues (shareholder class actions and other corporate valuation disputes), as well as matters focused on the functioning of financial markets and institutions (alleged market manipulation and insider trading).
• Labor & Employment (College Station, Los Angeles, Tallahassee, Washington DC): Our Labor team provides in-depth analysis, expert reports, testimony, and advisory services to clients involved in complex labor and employment issues such as wage and hour litigation and pay equity disputes.

Position Overview

Senior Associates work closely with senior consultants on project teams. Successful candidates have a strong knowledge of economic concepts and a range of research and quantitative skills. A typical Senior Associate would:

• Conduct research in a team-oriented environment alongside some of the most respected academics, industry experts and regulators in the world;
• Identify and conceptualize issues, design complex economic models to analyze data, and manage the research process;
• Supervise, train and mentor junior analysts;
• Assist in the development and presentation of client deliverables, including expert reports and white papers summarizing opinions, conclusions, and recommendations using market, industry or client-proprietary data;
• Act as a primary point of contact for attorneys and other industry or government clients on a variety of practice-relevant issues;
• Program, build models and/or perform regression analyses in statistical analysis programs (such as Stata, SAS, Python, R, Matlab or Mathematica);
• Ensure the integrity and accuracy of analyses and opinions;
• Participate in practice-building activities (training, recruiting, publication, expertise sharing, etc.).

Candidates are encouraged to express any preferences for a practice area in their application.

Desired Qualifications

• PhD degree in economics with a completion date of December 2026/Summer 2027 and an academic focus on quantitative research, with specializations like industrial organization, applied microeconomics, econometrics, labor, health, intellectual property, corporate finance, financial accounting, or other quantitative areas;
• Curious and analytical thinkers who bring creative approaches to non-standard problems;
• Effective written and oral communication skills;
• Eagerness to learn new skills and programming languages;
• Demonstrated high level of initiative and leadership;
• Strong teamwork and collaboration capabilities;
• Excellent time management and task prioritization skills;
• Clear and demonstrated interest in consulting through coursework, work experience, activities, or attendance at CRA recruiting events;
• Demonstrated understanding of, and ability to explain, economic, financial and/or accounting concepts, and quantitative and qualitative analysis methods;
• Experience in Excel, Stata, Python, R, SQL, SAS, ArcGIS/ArcPy, or Cloud computing (Databricks/Spark, Google Cloud, Azure, AWS);
• As much of our work occurs in our offices, minimal travel is required.

Career Growth And Benefits

• CRA’s robust skills development programs encourage you to thrive as an individual and team member. Beginning with project management skills, training continues with team management/development, client presentation skills, internal seminars, and career mentoring and performance coaching from an assigned senior colleague. Additional leadership and collaboration opportunities exist through internal firm development activities.
• We offer a comprehensive total rewards program including a superior benefits package, wellness programming to support physical, mental, emotional and financial well-being, and in-house immigration support for foreign nationals and international business travelers.

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 recognize that individuals realize 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 Equal Employment Opportunity

Charles River Associates is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Salary And Other Compensation

A good-faith estimate of the annual base salary range for this position is $170,000 – $235,000. Starting pay within this range may vary based on factors such as education level, experience, skills, geographic location, market conditions, and other qualifications of the successful candidate. This position is eligible for additional bonus incentive compensation.

CRA offers a comprehensive benefits package (subject to eligibility requirements) which include: medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k) retirement plan with employer match; life and disability insurance; paid time off (vacation, sick leave, holidays); paid parental leave; wellness programs and employee assistance resources; and commuter benefits.