Overview
Introduction
Formed as a social sector-focused offshoot of Bain, The Bridgespan Group has emerged as the leading provider of services in its field. And with good reason: top talent from both the consulting and nonprofit worlds beat a path to Bridgespan’s door every year, hoping to join its ranks. While it can’t take them all, it does ensure that the firm continues to go from strength to strength.
Company Stats
Employer Type
Private
Size
101-500 Employees
Featured Rankings
Vault Consulting 50
Major Departments/Practice Areas
Children Youth and Families
Major Office Locations
Boston
Employment Contact
Kerry Oliver
Firsthand Findings
The Bridgespan Group is one of the nation’s preeminent firms in the social sector and non-profit consulting spheres. As they do every year, insiders describe an abiding passion for issues of social justice and are driven by a desire to impact the missions of their clients. A desire for non-profit work is an absolute must when it comes to working here, and the firm prioritizes lived experiences and demonstrated passion as much as strict consulting expertise.
Survey respondents are quick to note that while compensation is lower than commercial work, it is actually quite competitive for the non-profit space, which should be a strong differentiating factor for those interested in pursuing a career in this niche vertical. They also praise the high level of transparenc...
About the Company
Co-founder and managing partner of The Bridgespan Group, Jeffrey L. Bradach left his post at Harvard Business School’s Organizational Behavior and Social Enterprise Initiative department, where he was a professor, to start the firm. Bradach is widely regarded as a thought leader in nonprofit strategy, social sector leadership, and philanthropy, and is a regular inclusion on Nonprofit Times’ annual Power and Influence Top 50 list.
Helping Others Help Others
Bridgespan’s mission began as—and still is—a dedication to tackling some of society’s toughest issues, including the breaking the cycle of poverty. In fact, the firm’s approach was the subject of two case studies by Harvard Business School. Their core areas of expertise include educatio...
2022 Vault Rankings
Employee Reviews
- “Bridgespan is an incredible place to learn a critical set of skills that will serve you in any nonprofit or business setting. It is one of the few firms where you can focus entirely on social impact clients. The people are the best part.”
- “Challenging but invigorating work addressing complex social issues with hardworking, driven and exceptional teammates.”
- “Join Bridgespan both because you want a career in social impact and you want to be a strategy consultant. It's a great place to realize both, but you'll enjoy the job more if you're motivated by both interests.”
- “The people who I work with are extremely passionate about what they do, and get up in the morning truly motivated to help other people...”
- “Smart people, grateful clients, working to maximize impact—and tons of great learning for new consultants along the way.”
- “It is a privilege to be able to do work that I care deeply about, with colleague who also care deeply about social change.”
Getting Hired Here
- “Processes is like most consulting firms: multiple rounds with initial rounds being held over the phone and final rounds in office. The deal candidate either has consulting experience or is familiar with "the toolkit” and is impact driven/has non-profit or philanthropy experience. The most ideal candidate has some of both.”
- “After resume screens, we have two rounds of interviews that take place over about a month. Our ideal candidate is someone who is passionate about the nonprofit sector, is persistent in terms of hunting down data to bring to bear on problems, has a nose for what will be valuable to a client who is thinking about how to have the most impact possible. [They have] a humble approach and would collaborate well with others, and understands the criticality of centering racial equity in social impact work.”
- “We are looking for people with a strong commitment to the social sector, qualitative and quantitative analytical abilities, lived experience that is reflective of the communities our client serves, deep intellectual curiosity, and emotional intelligence.”
- “Two rounds of interviews consisting of cases approximately four cases and one behavioral interview across the two rounds. Ideal candidates are passionate about social impact, take a racial equity lens to their work, have experience charting a path through ambiguity, are strong written and verbal communicators, are able to synthesize large amounts of information (quant and qualitative) into key insights, and are flexible and responsive in their working style.”
- “We're looking for folks who are independent and rigorous thinkers, since our work requires a great deal of nuance and judgment to do it well. We work closely in teams and are looking for folks who are willing to put in hard work and have fun along the way.”
- “Solid interview and call back process; the ideal candidate cares deeply about equity and believes in the power of the social sector to advance progress; the ideal candidate will have a mix of experience but preferably has quantitative/consulting-relevant skills or an aptitude for developing them.”
