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.
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Vault Verdict
There’s no other firm quite like the Bridgespan Group out there. Consulting on some of the biggest challenges facing the world, and advising some of the best-known philanthropists to boot, it’s a genuine game-changer of an organization that will appeal to anyone who wants their work to have an impact that goes beyond a company’s bottom line.
As an employer, however, the firm had an interesting year in 2023, with some employees attempting to form a union. To be clear, we have no dog in this fight: we don’t know what prompted the attempt, or how the firm dealt with it. However, the fight did show up in several of the comments we received in our survey; as such, it’s worth mentioning, if only so prospective employees can form their own opinions....
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 education; children, youth, and families; public health...
Employee Reviews
“A good place for those looking to transition into management consulting without a major hit to work-life balance.”
“An incredible privilege to work on addressing society's toughest challenges with inspiring leaders and colleagues.”
“If you want to be challenged intellectually and work towards creative solutions, Bridgespan's model in finding clients, working with clients, and working in teams is unparalleled. It genuinely is a firm for life-long learners as proven with much higher retention rates than other consulting firms. Even for people who leave, they tend to place well at prestigious MBAs or leading social impact efforts at other companies.”
“True commitment to nonprofits and philanthropy, with a new focus on impact investing. The people here are motivated not just to solve problems but to see the bigger picture.”
“When it comes to racial equity, we ACTUALLY put our money where our mouth is.”
Getting Hired Here
“Initial interview by phone to avoid bias. Conduct case interviews as well as fit interviews. Ideal candidate has strong analytical skills, is highly collaborative, has strong communications and written skills, is committed to DEI.”
“Standard multi-round model, with a mix of cases and behavioral rounds. Firm wants to assess alignment with the work. Consulting skills can be taught, but passion for impact probably cannot.”
“The ideal candidate centers racial equity and has a passion for social impact in and outside of work. They also are logical in their categorization and clear in their communication.”
“The people interviewing you will call back in a few days if you do move through the recruitment pipeline. The HR team also works very closely with you to make sure you're given all the information you need. Ideal candidate is probably someone who brings a different perspective on race, socioeconomic background, ethnicity, gender, etc. to the firm. Strong case interviewing skills are also necessary to get you to the final round. Looking at insights rather than digging really deep into granular pieces of data is important to manage time during an interview.”
“We have two rounds of interviews. We are looking for candidates who are passionate about impact in the social sector, have a team-oriented attitude, and are comfortable with and persistent through ambiguity.”
Perks & Benefits