New MBA Job Openings: Strategic Consulting Positions
Newly minted MBAs can choose to take their careers in a variety of different directions after they graduate. A number of them go into the world of consulting, advising clients, and businesses on various issues. This week we will highlight a particular subset of consulting: strategic consulting.
Strategic consultants help businesses and clients prepare plans for future products, optimize their organization, and develop advertising campaigns, to name just a few tasks. If you enjoy planning, researching, and thinking three steps ahead, you should look at this week’s jobs.
Top MBA Recruiters: Finding Your MBA Career at PwC Firm Strategy&
Navigating job applications and interviews after all the hard work of earning your MBA can be tiresome. After devoting a year or more of your time to gaining the skills of a top business professional, shouldn’t future companies be knocking down your door?
It might not be that easy, but there are certainly a number of companies currently seeking the best and the brightest up-and-coming business leaders, who acknowledge the kind of skills an MBA can contribute to their team. Among them is Strategy&, one of the top recruiters of MBA students at business schools throughout the world.
For MBA graduates looking for careers in the consulting industry, Strategy& could be the perfect opportunity to break into the field and develop critical skills in strategy and consulting. And as an MBA graduate with a wealth of knowledge within the industry, companies like Strategy& are probably also looking for you.
About Strategy&
Strategy& was established more than 100 years ago by Edwin G. Booz, eventually being known for most of its life as Booz & Company. In 2014, the firm was acquired by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), when it was renamed to Strategy&. The firm is headquartered in New York City, with more than 57 offices throughout the world. Today, the company features roughly 3,000 employees and more more than $1.3 billion in revenue.
Strategy& functions currently as the strategy consulting team for PwC, offering strategic solutions in an uneven business climate, helping companies to transform, invest in growth, and stay in tune with business trends even through rapidly changing times.
Why MBAs Love Strategy&
Strategy& is an active recruiter from business schools around the world, including top programs like Harvard Business School, NYU Stern, and INSEAD, among many others. The company is also supportive of staff who have not yet earned an MBA but hope to advance their business education. Strategy& even offers junior staff the chance to apply for full MBA sponsorship, and provides flexible work opportunities so students can pursue a degree while still maintaining their career.
The Strategy& consulting experience is shaped in a way that relies on mentorship, with a 1:6 ratio of partners to junior consultants. For MBA students—who have already demonstrated an interest in investing in their growth and education in the field—this type of setting means that class is always in session.
Life at Strategy&
New consultants at Strategy& can expect a clear and structured path laid out at the start of their career, with rapid career progression possible. New associates will advance towards roles as partners, typically spending two to three years at each level along the way.
While undergraduates would begin in associate roles, those with MBA degrees can jump right in at the senior associate level. Senior associates have the opportunity to develop their skills by working closely alongside clients to resolve complex issues and guide clients and their companies towards success. From there, MBAs could move upward into a manager role, then director, and finally partner.
The development of strong mentor relationships is seen as crucial at Strategy&. Mentors will provide a constant source of support for new associates, offering guidance as they move upwards through the company, choosing projects they are passionate about and forming strong professional networks. Mentors will also provide real-time feedback, helping pave the way for a successful career.
Landing a Job at Strategy&
Strategy& is an active recruiter of MBA programs throughout the country, where they may host events on campus and offer direct information to students on applying for positions at the company. Students from any program, even if the school does not actively recruit there, are able to apply directly for their internship and job openings through their website. Jobs are available at a number of the firm’s locations throughout the country and around the globe.
Summer internship opportunities are a great way for students to get their foot in the door at Strategy&, and may end up leading to full time employment. This was the case for Bryan, now a director at the company and based out of Chicago. Bryan interned for the company during the summer while earning his MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He completed his MBA in 2011, joined Strategy& as a full-time colleague, and is now a key member of the Technology Strategy team.
“I had the opportunity to do an internship with the firm between my first and second year at business school, and I came away impressed with the caliber and character of the people at the firm,” Bryan said of his experience with Strategy&. “In only nine weeks, the camaraderie and professional bonds that I was able to develop with my teammates, fellow interns and leaders at the firm was special.”
The Life and Career of Edwin G. Booz and James L. Allen – Booz Allen Hamilton
Booz Allen Hamilton is one of the world’s largest and most recognizable management consulting firms. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia in the Washington DC metro, the firm boasts 24,225 employees working in more than 80 offices around the globe.
The firm has gone through several name changes in its 100 years of existence, including: Edwin G. Booz, Business Engineering Service; Edwin G. Booz Surveys; Edwin G. Booz and Fry Surveys; Booz, Fry, Allen & Hamilton; Booz, Allen & Hamilton; and finally Booz Allen Hamilton. Today, we’ll focus on two of those names, and the men behind them: Edwin G. Booz and James L. Allen, both Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management graduates.
Early Upbringing and Education
Born in Reading, PA in 1887, Edwin George Booz obtained his Bachelor’s degree in economics in 1912 and his Master’s degree in psychology in 1914 from the Kellogg School of Management. After earning his Master’s, Booz founded Booz Allen Hamilton in 1914 in Chicago, originally under the name The Business Research Service.
However, he was drafted into the Army as a private due to World War I in September 1917, and rose to the rank of major. He worked with the War Department in Washington DC to reorganize the business methods of its various bureaus.
Booz left the Army in March 1919 and returned to his business, servicing bankers, manufacturers, advertising agencies, wholesalers, sales managers, publishers, real estate operators, and other enterprises. He would go on to lead the firm as its chairman until 1946, and continued to work part-time for clients and to mentor the next generation of leaders until his death in 1951.
Meanwhile, James L. Allen was born November 21, 1904, in Somerset, Kentucky. He was raised on a farm, educated in public schools, and graduated from Somerset High School in 1921. In 1922, he left the small town for Chicago where he worked at several jobs and attended night school. Allen graduated in 1929 with a B.S. degree in Economics from the Kellogg School of Management.
After graduating, Allen joined Booz’s firm, Edwin G. Booz Surveys, in 1929. He was named a partner in 1936, and focused on developing business strategy, personnel, and organization studies. In the early ’40s, Allen and Booz worked for the U.S. Military leading up to World War II.
Allen was named chairman of Booz Allen Hamilton in 1946, and held that position until 1970. During this time, the firm enjoyed steady growth as it increased its number of partners, staff, and locations. He was named honorary chairman in 1970 and remained involved with Booz Allen Hamilton until his death in 1992.
CHECK THIS OUT: How Chicago Business Schools are Helping Low-Income Students
About the Company
Booz Allen first went public in 1970 with an initial offering of 500,000 shares at $24 per share. In 1976 public trading ceased after Booz Allen’s partners bought back stock in the largest-ever leveraged buyout involving a consulting firm. Years later, in 2007, managing director Marc Gerencser explained that being privately held allowed the firm to consider long-range investments that companies beholden to shareholders might not be able to make.
In June 2012, Booz Allen expanded its operations in North Africa and the Middle East, bringing offices to countries like Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Booz Allen specifically helped the Government of the United Arab Emirates a sort of National Security Agency for that country. The New York Times reported that the company “profits handsomely from its worldwide expansion.”
In 2014, Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation was awarded a “Top 2014 Workplace” by the Washington Post.
Legacy
Edwin Booz’s name is immortalized as the only name to remain with the firm from its humble beginnings through today. He believed that he could help companies prosper by bringing them “a human touch” and insisted that “people, not products” were the focus of work. This approach gave birth to the modern management consulting profession.
Meanwhile, Jim Allen’s legacy lives on at the Kellogg School of Business at the James L. Allen Center. According to Kellogg, the Center hosts more than 6000 executives each year for one or more of the school’s 160 executive education programs. Considered “an academic retreat,” the Allen Centers offers living and learning spaces to the Kellogg community. Technologically enabled classrooms and comfortable gathering and group study spaces facilitate peer learning and informal interactions among faculty and participants. Additional amenities include indoor workout areas and outdoor exercise programs along the Lake Michigan shoreline provide opportunities for the occasional (and necessary) break and breather.
Getting Paid: The Highest MBA Salaries in DC
Our nation’s capital is more than just Hollywood for craven people.
Washington DC Executive MBA Programs You Need To Know
Are you working professional in the Washington DC metro who really wants to get to the top of the corporate ladder? Do you have significant managerial experience, but want to take the next step and assume a leading role in your organization. If this sounds like you, than an Executive MBA (EMBA) is what you’re looking for. Continue reading…
Looking For Consulting And Strategic Management MBAs in Atlanta
As a prospective MBA, you probably already know that while an MBA degree provides students with a strong business foundation, many programs also offer students the chance to specialize their education. For students who have a sense of the career path they would like to pursue after earning their degree, earning consulting and strategic management MBAs can provide a competitive edge in the job market.
Students looking to pursue a career in strategic planning may find it useful to earn a specialized MBA with a focus on strategic or organizational management. Given the role of a strategic consultant—helping a company to grow and plan for the future through the consultant’s expertise and analysis—gaining direct experience in consulting and strategic management can be an important step in preparing to enter the field.
Students looking in Atlanta will find a number of schools offering consulting and strategic management MBAs. With these programs, students can still obtain the strong foundation of business knowledge that comes with an MBA degree, while simultaneously strengthening the specific skills needed for a career in strategic management.
We’ve rounded up some of the top Consulting And Strategic Management MBA programs in Atlanta below.
Goizueta Business School – Emory University
The two-year MBA at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School allows students to concentrate their degree in a number of fields, including Strategy Consulting. With a combination of business fundamentals and elective courses, the Goizueta MBA allows students to truly create their own educational experience without forsaking the development of a strong business foundation.
Below are just a few of the recent electives offered for students in the Strategy Consulting concentration at Goizueta:
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Marketing Intelligence & Customer Insights
- Corporate Governance & Firm Value
- Consumer Behavior
- Negotiations
- Strategic Decision/Analysis
- Marketing Channel Strategy & B2B
- Forecasting & Predictive Analysis
J. Mack Robinson College of Business – Georgia State University
The Robinson College of Business at GSU offers an MBA in Organization Management through the Department of Managerial Sciences. The Department has a number of faculty members within the field of Strategy Management, who work with students at all levels of education, from undergraduate students to Ph.D. candidates and everything in between. The faculty work to help students “develop their understanding of how competitive advantage is created in firms, and the decision processes, analytical frameworks and organizational systems and structures that support the creation and maintenance of advantage.”
Below are just a few of the electives offered as part of the Organization Management elective:
- Problem Solving
- Consulting Practice and Theory
- Management Studies Abroad
- Comparative Business Systems
- Organizing to Compete
Scheller College of Business – Georgia Institute of Technology
The Scheller College of Business at GIT offers students the chance to earn an MBA in Strategy & Innovation as part of the full-time MBA program. The program focuses on developing each student’s understanding of how an organization gains and sustains competitive advantage. The program also aims to show the natural intersection between innovation and strategy.
The Strategy & Innovation MBA at Scheller centers around two core courses in Managerial Economics and Strategic Management, along with several elective courses for students to choose from, such as:
- Venture Creation
- Technology Strategy
- Current Thinking in Strategy
- Qualitative Research for Business
- Managerial Economics and Strategic Behavior
Terry College of Business – University of Georgia
UGA’s Terry College of Business offers an MBA with an emphasis in consulting, one of the most popular career paths for Terry graduates. The consulting emphasis at Terry employs both an interdisciplinary and experiential approach, combining classroom experience with hands-on, project based learning. The program develops student’s skills in a variety of areas, building the necessary analytical and practical skills for a consultant to effectively improve their client’s operations. Terry graduates in consulting have gone on to work in management consulting roles at top companies like Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, KPMG and more.
Terry MBA students in consulting have two required courses in Competitive Strategy and a practicum in Innovative Business Projects. Several additional electives are available, including:
- Economics of Management Organizations
- Critical Design Thinking
- Marketing Analytics and Decision-Making
- Business Process Management
