Our Associates are at the center of our projects, our processes, and our culture.
Why Sterling?
Never stop learning
Our clients come to us with difficult questions—we combine hard work, resourcefulness, and expertise to deliver answers
We’re a generalist firm (we cover all industries), which means lots of variety—you’ll get exposure to a wide range of businesses / markets (from cybersecurity to surfboards!)
Our projects are fast—~2-6 weeks long—which means that there’s always a new challenge around the corner
We go straight to the source—most of our insight comes from direct dialog with key people in an industry
We have structures in place to ensure our people develop as professionals through training and feedback—we reject complacency!
Be valued
We value our people, and we foster a culture of inclusion and respect
We invest in you and your development—when you succeed, we succeed
You’ll work closely with senior staff and learn directly from them—Associates are essential to our team structures
Each Associate works with a mentor who supports “big picture” development, beyond the day-to-day coaching that takes place during projects
Most of our managers started as Associates with the firm—we’re proud to be a firm where people choose to grow their careers
Have a voice in a growing company
We’re a lot bigger than we were, even just a few years ago—but we’re still a small company, which means everyone has an opportunity to share their ideas and opinions
Our emphasis on continuous improvement drives our success, and we encourage Associates to think critically and creatively about our approach—we’re always looking for new ideas that can invigorate our work and make us better
Critical Responsibilities
- Helping develop project strategies / plans that allow us to meet our client’s needs, practically, and quickly
- Managing project logistics to ensure successful execution of work streams
- Gathering data, commonly via primary research (e.g., in-depth interviews, surveys) as well as secondary research
- Analyzing data and generating insights to help answer our clients’ key questions
- Producing written reports to communicate key findings and insights to our clients
- Contributing to ongoing client conversations
Career Path
The Associate role is an entry-level position that has meaningful potential for promotion and advancement.
- The Associate role is a two-year position, during which Associates progressively earn more responsibility as they master key skills.
- Associates who continue at Sterling beyond the initial two years will advance to the Senior Associate role and can expect to start taking on leadership responsibilities within project teams—an opportunity that is unlikely to be matched at other consulting firms.
- Exceptional Associates will have opportunities to take on additional responsibilities and build the skills required to progress into the Project Leader role.
Qualifications
- Exceptional critical thinking skills + keen judgment: able to identify and interpret themes in data (e.g., by reviewing interview transcripts or analyzing a larger data set from a web survey or secondary research) and determine which findings are important and meaningful.
- Highly self-motivated to learn + grow professionally: independently driven to contribute and enthusiastic about building skills by taking on new challenges and receiving feedback and mentorship
- Effective time management + organizational skills with the flexibility to adjust to changes: able to successfully work across concurrent workstreams / projects; comfortable navigating changing timelines and priorities
- Excellent communication + interpersonal skills: able to communicate professionally and effectively when speaking and writing, developing coherent and polished narratives; able to collaborate well in a team environment
- Strong attention to detail + commitment to accuracy: approaches work thoughtfully to ensure high-quality deliverables and outcomes
- Other qualifications / notes:
- Bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 3.4—all majors / concentrations are encouraged to apply
- Must currently be legally eligible to work in the US on a permanent basis without any support / sponsorship.
- We use Excel and PowerPoint, but do not worry if you aren’t proficient in either. We will teach you everything you need to know.
Note to all candidates: We welcome all applicants that meet the qualifications listed above and do not discriminate on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, etc. However, we are unfortunately unable to sponsor candidates in need of local work authorization.
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