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The Berkeley Partnership

Engaged Employer

Challenging & rewarding work in a supportive culture - Consultant The Berkeley Partnership Employee Review

5.0
Sep 27, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
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Pros

I’ve worked at the Berkeley Partnership for a couple of years and I would summarise it as follows: Autonomy: you’re trusted to deliver and given a good deal of responsibility from your first client role, including owning the client relationships. You’ll typically be working client-side directly with senior management (think Directors, VPs, c-suite) as part of the client team and given the freedom to do it your way, but with a good level of oversight & support from your listening partner. Challenging work: There’s an unwritten guiding principle that all consultant roles should be “Berkeley shaped” i.e. big, complex, high profile, working directly with senior stakeholders and often when there is a lot at stake and it must be ‘done right’. Only these types of roles justify value to the client and provide the consultant with the right stretch opportunities. Berkeley do not do ‘land and expand’ type work (no junior roles) and are very open/up front with clients about the type of work they should and should not be doing. This means you’ll be stretched and will gain more experience/exposure and develop more quickly than you would in a bigger consultancy (this has been my experience anyway). Variety of the work is good: strategy, operating model, programme delivery, change management are all sweet spots. Culture: you get to work with like-minded, high performing people. No sales targets, no utilization targets, no internal promotion cycles really do mean everyone (including partners) are free to do the best and right thing for the client which is really refreshing. It’s a very sociable firm too and there’s always an event on and opportunities to go for breakfast/lunch/dinner/drinks. There are also ample internal opportunities to get involved in, without the pressure of needing to do something “extra” e.g. small communities of practice, lots of social events, training – i.e. all the things you’d expect in a professional services firm and more. Berkeley also run & pay for externally led professional training. The focus on personal development and range of training opportunities are excellent.

Cons

No major cons from my experience. You’ll likely be ‘on your own’ on client site for many roles, but with support from your listening partner when needed. The consultant community is also really great at helping each other out. If you like to work as part of a big consulting ‘team’ and work things through internally before sharing with the client then Berkeley probably isn’t right for you. Some travel involved for some roles but that comes with the territory of being a consultant and Berkeley are really good at ensuring roles are right/will work for individual consultants.

Explore other reviews about The Berkeley Partnership

5.0
Feb 14, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great firm with a strong culture. Comprised entirely of experienced consultants; they trust you to do the work your own way while still giving you support when you need it. The whole firm is structured to give you the time and space to do a good job for your clients.

Cons

Small firm culture isn't for everyone. There is an emphasis on providing consultants variety in their client work, this might not appeal to those seeking to stay exclusively in their industry of choice or area of most expertise.

1
5.0
Oct 8, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

A Partner and Consultant group full of thoughtful, intelligent, and inclusive people sets the tone for the overall culture which permeates throughout all aspects of company. Berkeley has a mantra of doing the right thing. This is applicable to the clients as well as its people. What that looks like, given my short experience at the firm: - Partners being fully transparent about the impact of Covid on our business and the possible actions we might have to pursue in potential scenarios; - Having honest conversations with the client about what we think they actually need vs. what was initially on the SOW; and - Setting aside time to engage in thoughtful and open conversation about racial justice, what we can do as individuals and as a firm, and how we can act authentically vs. virtue signaling While I have yet to fully experience the social aspect of the firm thanks to the pandemic, it's clear that people really enjoy the company of their colleague and respect each others' boundaries

Cons

The most apparent improvement opportunity is diversity at the leadership level. As promotions are made internally, there is an obvious lead time before changes can occur. It's understandable, but no less frustrating. However, it's good to know the firm has continuously made improvements in diversifying its Consultant group (aka partnership pipeline) and is working on strengthening our efforts following the diversity conversations. Additionally, even with a short stint at Berkeley, it's clear leadership encourages, respects, and really listens to different perspectives

3
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