Competition Economist

About Charles River Associates

Charles River Associates is a leading global consulting firm that offers economic, financial, and strategic expertise to major law firms, corporations, and governments around the world. Since 1965, CRA experts have combined rigorous cutting-edge research, state-of-the-art methodology, and proven experience to address our clients' most complex challenges.

CRA's European Competition practice specialises in providing economic advice on matters of competition policy and regulation. We assist firms and their legal advisors in all types of competition proceedings: firms considering merger and acquisition opportunities or involved in merger control proceedings; and firms undergoing investigations relating to cartels, restrictive commercial agreements, abuse of dominance or state aid. We also provide advice to firms involved in regulatory proceedings and sector inquiries, and assist on the estimation effects of damages in cartel cases, international arbitration and intellectual property disputes.

For more information on the Antitrust and Competition Economics practice in Europe visit 

Position Overview

Consulting Associates, Senior Associates and Associate Principals assist Vice Presidents and other senior staff by providing conceptual and practical input to competition case work as required. The role brings with it the possibility of working on some of the largest and most significant competition cases in Europe, playing a key role in shaping the cases. Candidates may be Master's, PhD and experienced consultants with prior consulting and competition policy experience. Depending on the level, our Consulting Economists may:

• Identify and conceptualise issues, specifying rigorous economic models to analyse market issues and data, undertaking statistical and econometric estimation, and managing the work of research associate staff and colleagues;
• Supervise, train and mentor research associate staff;
• Assist in the development and presentation of client deliverables, including expert reports and white papers summarising opinions, conclusions, and recommendations using market, industry or client-proprietary data;
• Act as a contact or primary point of contact for lawyers and other industry or government clients on a variety of practice-relevant issues;
• Program, build models and/or perform regression analyses in statistical analysis programs (such as Stata, Python, R, SAS, Matlab, and Mathematica), including large data projects requiring use of cloud computing;
• Ensure the integrity and accuracy of analyses and opinions; and
• Participate in, or contribute to, practice-building activities (training, recruiting, publication, expertise sharing, etc.).

Desired Qualifications

• Educational and work experience qualifications differ by position:
  • Consulting Associate: MSc/MPhil in economics from well-regarded institutions with a strong foundation in microeconomics, preferably with a specialization in industrial organization or statistics/econometrics, a good first degree in economics, plus up to 3 years of professional work experience in consulting, business, or with a competition authority,
  • Senior Associate: PhD/DPhil in economics from well-regarded institutions with a strong foundation in microeconomics, preferably with a specialization in industrial organisation or statistics/econometrics, a good first degree in economics, and up to 3 years of professional work experience in consulting, business, or with a competition authority OR a MSc/MPhil with a similar background, plus 3-5 years of professional work experience in consulting, business, or with a competition authority,
  • Associate Principal: PhD/DPhil in economics from well-regarded institutions with a strong foundation in microeconomics, preferably with a specialization in industrial organisation or statistics/econometrics, a good first degree in economics and 3-5 years of professional work experience in consulting, business, or with a competition authority OR a MSc/MPhil with a similar background, plus 5-9 years of professional work experience in consulting, business, or with a competition authority;
• Fluency in English and French, additional fluency in Dutch and/or German desirable;
• Demonstrated understanding of economic concepts, competition/regulatory authorities, competition policy and quantitative and qualitative analysis methods;
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills;
• Demonstrated high level of initiative and leadership;
• Strong teamwork and collaboration capabilities;
• Excellent time management and task prioritisation skills.

To Apply

Applicants should submit the following materials for immediate consideration:

• Curriculum Vitae – please include current contact information;
• Covering letter – please describe your interest in a role with CRA's Antitrust and Competition Economics practice in Paris and how this role matches your goals;
• Academic results – for the most recent academic program (if earned within the past 2 years).

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 expect that individuals spend at least 3 to 4 days a week working in the office (which may include traveling to another CRA office or to client meetings), with specific days determined in coordination with your practice or team.

Charles River Associates is an equal opportunity employer. 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.