Associate Consultant 2027-28 - Strategy (London Office)

Location: London

Starting Salary: 54,000 + 7,000 signing bonus + annual performance bonus

Available start dates: September 2027, January 2028, March 2028 (Allocated post-offer)

ABOUT OC&C

OC&C is a global strategy consulting firm, founded in 1987 in London. We are continuing to expand rapidly and are looking for the most talented graduates to join our growing cohorts in the London office.

Our people are agile thinkers from a variety of backgrounds, united by constant curiosity and a desire to work together to solve problems. Each client challenge is unique, so instead of relying on generic solutions, we break down a problem using our philosophy of ‘uncommon sense’ until we find its root.

Our Associate Consultants will experience a variety of projects and sectors, typically working on ten projects a year to enable a rapid learning curve. Each project will be different, and you will be required to deploy a variety of skills to support the project team to develop the right client answer. We support you with unparalleled global training opportunities, as well as on-the-job coaching from our Partners and senior team.

WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT

• Our strategy and M&A focus – a lot of consulting is multi-month implementation projects, focused on cost or IT transformation; that’s not us. We provide advice to our clients on where to play and how to win, in our key sectors of Retail, Leisure & Hospitality; Consumer Goods; Technology & Media; B2B Products & Services; and Private Equity.
• We work with organisations of all sizes, from global blue chips and household names to smaller industry challengers. Due to the strategic nature of our work, we spend a lot more time collaborating in our London office - we don’t “live out of a suitcase” like some types of consulting.
• Our people– at OC&C our people are at the heart of everything we do & we work hard to ensure we are a workplace that encourages everyone to flourish, irrespective of background. Diversity of thought is integral to the success of our business & our six diversity networks play a pivotal role in ensuring we are developing and nurturing everyone.
• Our culture – at OC&C we foster an entrepreneurial environment, and we all play a role building the firm, through participation in various task teams to drive forward change. Because we work in small teams (~5-7 vs often 10+ at more implementation-focused firms) you will get more exposure to all experience levels in the business.
• No client-service industries work the typical 9-5, but we have several mechanisms to make sure the job sustainable, including our popular unpaid leave scheme – over 70% of our Associate Consultants opt to take up to an extra month of unpaid leave every year (as well as fully paid holidays).
• We’re also encouraged to try new things outside of work with the ‘Hobbies & Wellness’ subsidy & our internal ‘Ministry of Fun’ takes their job of organising social events very seriously!
• Our values – we are dedicated to creating positive change for the world around us. We devote a portion of our revenue to pro-bono projects each year, we help clients with ESG issues, and we take ethics seriously, ensuring that you don’t work on projects that are against your values. We are also incredibly proud to be a B Corp.
• Our global opportunities - we deliver insights to clients across the globe and many of our projects have cross-office teams. As you progress there will also be opportunities such as ambassadorships, which offer people a chance to work abroad for 4-6 months, or longer-term transfers.

About The Candidate

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• You don’t need previous consulting or business experience to join us. We’re looking for people with the curiosity, potential and core skills to thrive at OC&C – we’ll give you the training, support and experience to develop the rest.
• Creative and structured thinkers who enjoy breaking down complex or ambiguous problems, challenging assumptions and exploring different ideas to reach the best answer.
• Logical and numerate problem-solvers who can interpret and analyse qualitative and quantitative information and draw meaningful insights from it.
• Commercially curious individuals who can identify what matters most, consider competing priorities and turn analysis into practical recommendations.
• Clear and confident communicators who can explain their thinking logically, listen to and constructively challenge others, and adapt their communication to different audiences.
• Collaborative team players who build strong relationships, value different perspectives and actively seek and respond to feedback.
• Proactive, self-directed individuals who take ownership, show initiative and help drive work forward.
• Curious and adaptable learners who are motivated to learn quickly, apply new knowledge and develop their understanding of business.
• Resilient and hard-working individuals who are motivated to get to the best answer.
• A strong academic record.

Right to Work in the UK: Successful candidates must have the right to work in the UK by the time they join. We have a limited number of visa sponsorships available for this graduate role. Sponsorship will be considered for eligible candidates who require it, subject to availability and business requirements.

HOW TO APPLY

At OC&C are committed to fostering an inclusive culture, in which people of all backgrounds can thrive. We encourage applications from all, regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, transgender status, disability, marital status, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief, race or ethnic origin, and socioeconomic background. We also have network groups who actively support the inclusion of all our colleagues.

We ask that all candidates remove their name and contact information from their CV before submitting alongside their application.

OC&C is a Disability Confident Committed Employer – if you require any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process, please include this information in the relevant section of your application form and we will work with you to accommodate these.

Please also make sure that any correspondence from OC&C Strategy Consultants is included on your email providers safe sender list, as occasionally candidates have missed communication from us when emails have been directed into their junk folder.

THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS

1. CV Submission - Please remove name & contact details. (No cover letter required)
2. Online Blended Assessment - Combines numerical and critical reasoning questions alongside behavioural and motivational questions, to help us understand your skills and approach to problem-solving.
3. Online one-way video Assessment- Candidates who are successful at the blended assessment will then be invited to complete a short one-way video assessment.
4. 1st Round Interviews - 2 x 30-minute virtual case study interviews with Consultants & Managers.
5. 2nd Round Interviews - 2 x 45-minute in-person case study interviews with Associate Partners & Partners.
6. Job Offer!

Please note, we screen our applications on a rolling basis & will therefore review applications as we receive them. As part of our CV screening process, we use an internally developed AI tool to support our recruitment team in reviewing applications. The tool supports, rather than replaces, our recruitment process. Some CV screening decisions may be made using the tool without prior individual human review, subject to appropriate safeguards and human oversight, however, final recruitment decisions are made by people. Please see our privacy policy for further information.

VACANCY DEADLINE: 23:59 on Sunday 1st November 2026

Please note, candidates applying to the London office are invited to apply to one Associate Consultant position only (either Strategy or Analytics). You will not be able to submit applications for both roles, therefore, please only make one application to your preferred role. However, should you wish to amend your application to be considered for the alternative role at a later stage, please email the Recruitment Team who will be happy to assist (london.recruitment@occstrategy.com).