Senior Associate/Recovery Services (Forensic Services practice)

Charles River Associates; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 153,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100 hours of training annually

Comprehensive benefits package

Wellness programs

Immigration support

Job summary

Charles River Associates seeks a Senior Associate in Forensic Services to lead end-to-end incident response, recovery, and investigations for complex breaches. You will manage scope, budgets, and teams, directing technical work across containment, forensics, and remediation while communicating with executives and counsel.

You will also shape engagement scoping, pricing, and stakeholder relationships, contributing to the growth of the recovery practice and methodologies within a dynamic

Qualifications

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Responsibilities

• Lead multiple incident response, forensic investigation, and recovery engagements with scope, budget, staffing, and delivery ownership.
• Direct technical workstreams across containment, forensics, identity remediation, and infrastructure recovery.
• Develop evidence-based scope and level-of-effort models for fixed-price recoveries, sequenced by client priority.
• Serve as primary contact for client executives, counsel, and insurance carriers during active matters.
• Own final written work products: investigation reports, executive briefings, and remediation roadmaps.
• Review and quality-control consultant deliverables for technical accuracy and defensibility.
• Mentor and develop associates with structured feedback and coaching.
• Contribute to practice development through methodology, playbooks, and IP.

Skills

Cybersecurity incident response

Leadership of engagements/teams

Executive communication

Threat intelligence and forensics

Project scoping and pricing

Education

CISSP/GCFA/GCIH/CISM certifications

Advanced degree in a relevant field

Tools

Active Directory / Entra ID

Job description

About Charles River Associates

CRA is a leading global consulting firm that provides independent economic and financial analysis behind litigation matters, guides businesses through critical strategy and operational issues to become more profitable, and advises governments on the economic impact of policies and regulations. Our two main services – economic and management consulting – are delivered by practice groups that focus on specific areas of expertise or industries. Click here to learn how CRA can help you launch your career.

About Charles River Associates

CRA is a leading global consulting firm that provides independent economic and financial analysis behind litigation matters, guides businesses through critical strategy and operational issues to become more profitable, and advises governments on the economic impact of policies and regulations. Our two main services – economic and management consulting – are delivered by practice groups that focus on specific areas of expertise or industries. Click here to learn how CRA can help you launch your career.

Position Overview

CRA’s Forensic Services practice supports companies’ commitment to integrity by assisting them and their counsel in independently responding to allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct, and non-compliance. We are noted for deploying cross-trained teams of forensic professionals to assist our clients in gaining deeper insights and greater value more quickly. We provide accounting and forensic services as well as cybercrime investigation services.

The Senior Associate leads incident response and recovery engagements end to end: scoping, workstream direction, client and counsel management, and delivery quality. You will own matters from intake through final report, direct consultant teams during active response, and contribute to the growth of the recovery practice through relationship development and reusable methodology. This role requires someone who has run large engagements under pressure and can represent findings credibly to executives, boards, counsel, and carriers.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead multiple concurrent incident response, forensic investigation, and recovery engagements, owning scope, budget, staffing, and delivery quality
• Direct technical workstreams across containment, forensics, identity remediation, and infrastructure recovery, setting priorities and unblocking consultant teams
• Develop evidence-based scoping and level-of-effort models for fixed-price recovery engagements, sequenced by client business priority
• Serve as primary point of contact for client executives, outside counsel, and insurance carrier representatives throughout active matters
• Own final written work product: investigation reports, executive briefings, insurance guidance memoranda, and remediation roadmaps
• Review and quality-control consultant deliverables for technical accuracy and defensibility
• Mentor and develop consulting associates and associates, including structured feedback and engagement-level coaching
• Contribute to practice development: methodology and playbook standardization, reusable engagement IP, service line definition, and thought leadership
• Support business development through carrier and law firm relationship management, proposal development, and scoping calls for inbound matters

Desired Qualifications

• 5-7+ years in cybersecurity incident response, digital forensics, or enterprise recovery, including 3+ years leading engagements or teams
• Track record leading large-scale ransomware recovery or complex intrusion matters in enterprise environments (thousands of endpoints, multi-site)
• Strong command of hybrid Microsoft identity architecture (Active Directory, Entra ID, Conditional Access, privileged access models) at a level sufficient to direct and validate technical work
• Experience working under legal privilege and managing the counsel and carrier dynamics of breach response
• Demonstrated ability to scope and price engagements accurately, and to manage delivery to fixed-price commitments
• Executive-grade written and verbal communication; comfortable briefing boards, GCs, and CISOs

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications such as CISSP, GCFA, GCIH, CISM, or equivalent; advanced degree in a relevant field a plus
• Prior consulting experience at a professional services firm, IR boutique, or carrier panel firm
• Existing relationships with breach counsel or cyber insurance carriers
• Experience testifying or supporting expert work product in litigation or regulatory contexts
• Background in security assessment methodologies and compliance frameworks (NIST CSF, CISA SCuBA, CMMC)

Work Environment

• Incident response work involves surge periods, including nights and weekends during active engagements.

Career Growth And Benefits

• CRA’s robust skills development programs, including a commitment to offering 100 hours of training annually through formal and informal programs, encourage you to thrive as an individual and team member. Beginning with research and analysis skill building, training continues with technical training, 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 expect that individuals spend at least 3 to 4 days a week working in the office (which may include traveling to another CRA office or to client meetings), 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 $130,000 - $152,500. Stating 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 may be eligible for additional bonus incentive compensation.

CRA offers a comprehensive benefits package, subject to eligibility requirements, which may 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
• commuter benefits
• in-house immigration support for foreign nationals and international business travelers