Economic Consulting Senior Associate Intern (2026 PhD/ABD graduates)

As a Senior Associate Intern at Charles River Associates (CRA), you can expect to be immersed in live client projects where you'll work alongside seasoned professionals. This internship mirrors the responsibilities of a Senior Associate, giving you valuable experience in research, analysis, and client engagement.

The internship program at Charles River Associates provides not only exposure to the consulting field but also opportunities for professional development, networking, and mentorship. Successful interns often receive full-time job offers, allowing you to build a solid foundation for your career.

To qualify for the Senior Associate Intern position at Charles River Associates, you should be a PhD or ABD graduate in economics with a focus on quantitative research. Strong analytical skills, effective communication, and proficiency in data analysis tools are essential.

As a Senior Associate Intern at Charles River Associates, you'll engage in various projects ranging from antitrust litigation to labor economics, helping to provide expert analysis and deliverables tailored to each client's needs.

The Senior Associate Internship at Charles River Associates is available in several key locations, including Boston, Chicago, New York, Oakland, and Washington DC. Interns can specify their location preferences during the application process.

While prior consulting experience is beneficial, it is not strictly required for the Senior Associate Intern role at Charles River Associates. What matters most is your academic background, research skills, and passion for economic analysis.

Candidates for the Senior Associate Internship at Charles River Associates should be familiar with programming languages and tools commonly used in economic analysis, such as Python, R, Stata, and Excel.

When discussing your experience with economic modeling, highlight any relevant coursework or projects where you utilized methods like regression analysis or cost-benefit analysis. Share specific examples of models you developed and their impact on decision-making.

Key skills for a Senior Associate at CRA include strong analytical abilities, effective communication, and proficiency with statistical software. Highlight your strengths in these areas and provide examples of how you've demonstrated them in past experiences.

When addressing complex economic issues, discuss your approach to breaking down problems into manageable components, utilizing quantitative analysis, and collaborating with team members to develop logical, data-driven solutions.

Share a specific example where you collaborated with a team to complete a consulting project. Emphasize your role, the challenges faced, and how the team approached solutions, ensuring to highlight your contributions and any successful outcomes.

Express your enthusiasm for working at Charles River Associates by focusing on their reputation in economic consulting, the opportunity for professional growth, and the diverse range of projects you’ll be involved in, which will enhance your learning and development.

Discuss your methods for task prioritization, such as using checklists or project management tools, and share an example of a situation where you successfully met a deadline while maintaining quality in your work.

Explain your strategy for simplifying complex data through visual aids, analogies, and clear, concise language. Providing examples of past presentations can demonstrate your effectiveness in communicating complex information.

Provide a specific example of a problem you faced, the quantitative analysis techniques you employed to address it, and the insights you gained from the data that led to a successful resolution.

Discuss your familiarity with various data analysis tools such as Python, R, and Excel. Explain your choice of tools based on the nature of the projects you’ve worked on, their compatibility with your skills, and the types of analyses each tool is best suited for.

Share your methods for staying informed about trends in economic consulting, such as following industry publications, attending conferences, or participating in relevant online courses, demonstrating your proactive approach to professional development.