Principal (Labor & Employment practice)

About Charles River Associates

Charles River Associates is a leading global consulting firm that provides economic, financial, and business management expertise to major law firms, corporations and governments around the world. CRA advises clients on economic and financial matters pertaining to litigation and regulatory proceedings, and guides corporations through critical business strategy and performance-related issues. Since 1965, clients have engaged CRA for its combination of industry experience and rigorous, fact-based analysis that provide clients with clear, implementable solutions to complex business concerns.

Position Overview

CRA’s Labor and Employment Practice provides expertise and support in a wide range of litigation disputes involving employment processes such as compensation, hiring, promotion, termination, and the role of gender, race, ethnicity and age in employment practices. Our clients, which include preeminent law firms, Fortune 500 companies, and government agencies, come to us for our technical skills, rigorous analysis, and expert insight to understand all aspects of their employment data. We also assist employers by conducting proactive studies of employment and contracting practices, monitoring consent decrees and settlement agreements, and designing systems to track employment practices.

Principals manage client relationships, project teams. Successful candidates have a strong working knowledge of statistics and economic concepts and a range of research and quantitative skills. A typical Principal would:

• Design, perform and direct advanced empirical, theoretical and strategic analyses that represent key contributions to the deliverable;


• Develop and actively share differentiated technical expertise or knowledge that adds value to projects and analyses;


• Create error-free client deliverables that integrate insights;


• Own and manage projects, communicating objectives, expectations and delegating work to teams;


• Actively contribute expertise to thought leadership through external networking and participation in industry trade groups;


• Proactively initiate, nurture and grow client relationships;


• Manage and develop teams with respect and integrity;


• Assume a leadership role in practice development activities (mentoring, training, recruiting);


• Identify and secure project revenue opportunities.

Desired Qualifications

• PhD in Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, Finance, Business Economics, Engineering or related quantitative discipline, with 5-10+ years of relevant work experience;


• Alternately, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, Finance, Business Economics, Engineering or related quantitative discipline, with 8-11 years of relevant work experience in economic analysis (consulting experience preferred);


• Solid working knowledge of statistical methods, regression analysis, and economic methodologies;


• Command of a broad range of research and quantitative analysis skills (including strong computer programing and data analysis skills. Proficiency in STATA is a plus);


• Curious and analytic thinkers who bring creative approaches to non-standard problems;


• Exceptional written and oral communication skills;


• Demonstrated high level of initiative and leadership;


• Strong team development and collaboration capabilities;

To Apply

To be considered for this position, we require the following:

• Resume – please include current address, personal email and telephone number;


• Cover letter – please describe your interest in CRA and how this role matches your goals.

Career Growth & Benefits 

• CRA’s robust skills development programs, including a commitment to offering training annually through formal and informal programs, encourage you to thrive as an individual and team member. Building on existing analysis and leadership skills, training continues with our Core series, addressing business development skills, expanding and nurturing a network, and becoming a client thought partner and advisor, among other topics. 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 ask that individuals spend 3 to 4 day a week on average working in the office (which may include traveling to another CRA office or to a client's location), with specific days determined in coordination with your practice or team. At certain times of the year (e.g. holiday periods), additional remote work options are offered to those whose work commitments permit it, although our offices remain open for those who choose or need to be there.

Our Commitment to Diversity

Charles River Associates is an equal opportunity employer (EOE/AAE). As part of our focus on equity and inclusion, we work to ensure a fair and consistent hiring process. We celebrate diversity and we are committed to an inclusive work environment.

The state of California requires CRA to include a good-faith estimate of the wage range for this role. This range is specific to individuals applying to work in our California offices and considers a number of factors including but not limited to experience, education level, and expertise. A good-faith estimate of the base wage range for this role is $160,000 - $220,000; actual total compensation may also include benefits and bonus.