FAQs
Here are some of the questions we frequently receive from candidates for career positions with SDG.
What is a typical career path for a new undergraduate hire?
What is a typical career path for a new MBA/MS/PhD hire?
From which graduate and university programs do you recruit?
What kind of training do you provide?
What does SDG do to help staff with lifestyle issues?
What is a typical career path for a new undergraduate hire?
Our business analyst program offers bachelor's degree holders opportunities to participate in SDG projects for two to three years before seeking graduate degrees or moving into industry. Business analysts develop into fully integrated project team members. We depend on them to produce reliable and meaningful information and analysis. After the initial business assessment and analysis, they participate in synthesizing and integrating their insights into the decision-making process for important client business issues. This program offers outstanding growth opportunities and preparation for graduate school or a career in industry.
What is a typical career path for a new MBA/MS/PhD hire?
SDG hires MBAs as well as individuals with master's or doctorate degrees in other disciplines. They typically join the firm as consultants, progressing from consultant to senior engagement manager to partner. SDG is a meritocracy, and we hire people we believe will progress to partner.
Consultants participate in all aspects of a project — problem definition, information gathering and analysis, generation of strategic alternatives, use of models and other tools to evaluate strategies, meeting facilitation, and presentations to client management.
Senior engagement managers oversee and lead the day-to-day activities of the project team, which is composed of both SDG and client personnel. As senior engagement managers advance, they take on greater responsibility for client relationship management and business development.
Partners supervise project work, manage client relationships, and lead practice areas and business development activities.
From which graduate and university programs do you recruit?
As a highly specialized consultancy, SDG has a limited presence in university recruiting programs. We recruit top candidates from leading graduate programs such as those at Stanford, Harvard, and Dartmouth in the United States and IIT and IIM in India.
What kind of training do you provide?
New consultants (at all levels) from all our offices attend at least two weeks of training and orientation programs during their first six months with the firm. Training includes a two-week case study that takes associates and consultants through a "typical" project from problem definition to a final presentation for a mock client review board consisting of SDG partners. Business analysts typically spend one week in a case study that takes them through their role on a project, which includes a final presentation.
Once staffed on projects, consultants and business analysts receive regular feedback and coaching from senior consultants.
In addition to on-the-job training, SDG offers all consultants periodic training throughout the year, following a specific curriculum for each level, including partner. To supplement the internal development opportunities, staff members receive a professional development budget that they are free to use for external courses, conferences, publications, and other experiences to enhance their professional development. Further, all staff has access to the full Strategic Decision and Risk Management curriculum that we offer through Stanford University. These courses can be taken in person at Stanford or online from anywhere in the world.
We compete against all the top-tier consulting firms, especially the strategy firms. Like other premier management consulting firms, we are a resource for companies seeking counsel and change. But our focus on the processes of decision-making and strategic leadership, our ability to create and quantify value, and our commitment to strengthening client capabilities differentiate us.
What does SDG do to help staff with lifestyle issues?
Like all other professional service firms, we concentrate on client service, but we aim to operate in a way that supports a long-term career at SDG. We value a full life outside SDG (vacations, maternity/family leave, special opportunities). Our free market system allows flexibility in project staffing so that individuals can determine their own sense of balance — personal and professional. Lifestyle is defined by the individual, and we do whatever we can to support that balance while maintaining sound business services and maximizing client service.
