Junior Consultant (CI)

Counterpart International; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Counterpart International in Arlington, VA is seeking a Junior Consultant to support client engagements led by the Executive Director or Associate Director. You will assist with desk research, data analysis, and the development of presentations and reports to inform strategic decisions.

In collaboration with finance and operations specialists, you will help manage timelines, budget trackers, and deliverables, contributing to high-quality, financially sustainable services for clients.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, international affairs, or related field.
• Creative, entrepreneurial mindset with intellectual curiosity.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Strong communication and teamwork abilities.
• Fluency with MS Office; project management tools a plus.

Responsibilities

• Supporting client engagements through desk research, stakeholder interviews, data analysis, and deliverables.
• Support business development through desk research, event organization, proposal writing, and other activities.
• Providing general logistical and administrative support to the Accelerator team.
• Assist with project management from a financial and operational point of view, preparing and reviewing timelines, budget trackers, and other tasks as needed to deliver timely, quality services in a financially sustainable fashion.
• Other tasks as needed.

Skills

Desk research

Data analysis

Report writing

Presentations

Client engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/economics/international affairs or related field

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Office Suite

Project management software

Job description

The role of the Junior Consultant is vital to the Accelerator’s success and our ability to deliver quality services to our clients. While this would be true for any consulting firm, we feel it is especially true in our case, as our clients are potentially choosing to divert needed resources from their mission in order to work with us on the promise that doing so will increase their impact long term.

In a typical client engagement, there will be a lead consultant (usually the Executive Director or Associate Director) that will serve as the primary point of contact with the client and the strategic lead for the engagement. This lead consultant is generally supported by one or two finance and operations specialists, a junior consultant, and, if needed, additional technical consultants hired on a limited-term basis for that engagement. In this arrangement, the Junior Consultant assists the engagement lead with a variety of essential tasks:

• Desk research to develop a profile of the client and their key interest area in the engagement
• Data analysis
• Development of presentations and the writing of reports

Junior Consultants also support business development, primarily through scoping, desk research, and proposal writing.

Responsibilities

• Supporting client engagements through desk research, stakeholder interviews, data analysis, the preparation of deliverables, and other tasks as needed.
• Support business development efforts through desk research, event organization, proposal writing, and other activities.
• Providing general logistical and administrative support to the Accelerator team.
• Assist with project management from a financial and operational point of view, preparing and reviewing timelines, budget trackers, and other tasks as needed to deliver timely, quality services in a financially sustainable fashion.
• Other tasks as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, international affairs, international development, or other rigorous social science fields, or a related field. Relevant experience (including internships and volunteer experience in an office setting) in a consulting or research support role desired.
• A creative, entrepreneurial attitude paired with intellectual curiosity.
• Ability to think quickly and effectively to solve problems, handle multiple projects, determine priorities in dynamic professional setting.
• Ability to take tasks to full completion within agreed timeframe, and to clearly and quickly communicate barriers to completion for timely resolution.
• Ability to work with little supervision, yet collaborate easily and effectively for a team effort.
• Ability to as proactively seek out information from diverse groups and collaborate as a strong team player to create new processes and resolve issues.
• Strong communication, time-management, and organizational skills.
• Ability to perform under deadline pressure.
• Ability to deliver strong finished product (well-structured and formatted, fact- and data-checked, adequate details).
• Excellent writing and editing skills.
• Enthusiasm for solving challenges with numbers and an academic background in statistics.
• Fluency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel; comfort with a project management software desired.