Job opportunities

Bain & Company is a highly renowned global firm, and the Brussels office is home of one of our fastest growing operations. We have plenty of opportunities for outstanding individuals, all-year round:

University grads
Working for Bain requires very strong analytical and interpersonal skills. Bain consultants are trained to be strategy specialists, but remain pure generalists in terms of industries covered. No specific business expertise is required, as Bain will tailor your induction and training programme to your needs.

Fluency in English, French and/or Dutch is a prerequisite. Knowledge of other European languages is a plus, considering the international nature of most of our assignments. Please note that it is very likely that, during your career at Bain, you will transfer for a period of time to another office in the Bain network.

The position of associate consultant is open to university graduates with little or no prior work experience. Although traditionally focussed on business administration graduates, civil engineers and PhDs, Bain Brussels has hired in recent years many different profiles, such as physicists, lawyers and doctors. Common to all those people are very strong analytical abilities often complemented by an outstanding academic record.

The mission of an associate consultant is to generate the factual yet breakthrough insights upon which a client recommendation can be built. The job involves interviews with client customers, competitors and personnel, desk research, and the design and execution of quantitative analyses of all sorts.

Training is a priority. Initially, you will spend two weeks with all the other recruits from around the world to get acquainted with Bain's culture, tools and techniques. That will be followed by many other training sessions, and constant on-the-job coaching by senior consultants. The performance and progress of all our consulting staff are formally evaluated every six months, leading to tailor-made development advice.

With or without an MBA, a significant proportion of our associate consultants are promoted through the ranks, sometimes up to a partner position.

Young professionals
The position of senior associate consultant is open to candidates with up to three years of successful experience. We are not looking for any specific industry background, as Bain hires and trains generalists. But we are looking for outstanding analytical and interpersonal skills. Your professional achievements and the quality of your academic background would typically demonstrate these.

The mission of a senior associate consultant is very similar to that of an associate consultant, but the extra experience and maturity allow him/her to be involved in higher-level client interactions, as well as to deal with more complex business issues.

Training is always a priority. Senior associate consultants benefit from the same training programs as university graduates, plus sessions targeted at their specific needs. As with all our consulting staff, performance and progress are formally evaluated every six months, leading to tailor-made development advice.

Senior associate consultants are typically about two years away from a promotion to consultant upon joining. Career development includes the possibility to pursue a top-level MBA, sometimes financed by Bain.

MBA grads
Traditionally, most Bain consultants are top-ranking MBA graduates from the most highly rated business schools in Europe and the US.

New consultants are immediately integrated into case teams, and are expected to be working with the highest executive levels within the client organisation. Soon after their start at Bain, consultants are given full responsibility to address one of the business issues identified (such as assessment of market demand or valuation of a takeover candidate), managing analysts on a day-to-day basis.

As a consultant, you are directly involved in the formulation and implementation of recommendations. Your responsibility goes beyond simply analysing the problem, as your goal is to help the client put plans into action. Analytical and interpersonal skills are therefore equally important to your success.

Upon joining, you will spend one week abroad with your peers worldwide for training. Various other training sessions will then be held, addressing specific aspects of your job on a regular basis. As with all our consulting staff, performance and progress are formally evaluated every six months, leading to tailor-made development advice.

Industry hires
Industry hires typically have between three and six years of successful professional experience in high-profile companies. Having obtained a solid undergraduate degree, they do not necessarily want to pursue an MBA, but they want to redirect their career and have an interest in strategy consulting.

You will not be hired to specialise further in your current field of expertise but to leverage this expertise in your assignments and to broaden your skills and industry experience. An induction program with formal training in business concepts and technical matters and close coaching will help build your career rapidly within Bain. As with all our consulting staff, performance and progress are formally evaluated every six months, leading to tailor-made development advice.

Industry hires join Bain at various levels, depending on their skills and experience. Usually, the maturity, professional standards and specific skills gained in their former experience allow them to work quickly with senior executives in clients' organisations.

People who have been through this program, as well as senior people from our organisation, are open to discuss the possible benefits of such a career move for both parties before starting the formal recruiting process. Please contact our recruiting coordinator for more information.