FAQs

Here are some of the questions we get asked most frequently

Overview of Strategy&

Who is Strategy& and how does it fit within PwC?

Strategy& is a global strategy consulting firm that is part of the professional services network of PwC. Strategy& helps organisations develop and implement effective strategies to achieve their goals and objectives. The firm offers a range of services including strategic planning, market entry, mergers and acquisitions, organisation design, and performance improvement. Strategy& has a network of 75+ offices with 3000+ consultants around the world and works with companies across a variety of industries.

Strategy& benefits from the broad expertise and international reach of the wider PwC network. The strength and scale of the PwC network provides a unique opportunity to combine strategy with technical, industry and execution expertise, and drive even greater impact for our clients

What does Strategy& do?

We deliver a mix of strategy consulting projects, addressing key CEO questions on issues such as growth strategy, market entry, mergers and acquisitions, and value creation. We evaluate each company’s unique capabilities and market positioning, identifying both innovative opportunities for growth and risk areas that need to be addressed.

Who are Strategy& UK’s clients?

We work with a wide variety of UK, European and global corporate clients across all industry sectors (from large consumer goods companies, online retailers, start-ups and FinTechs to charities, government departments and the public sector) as well as investors (mid and large-cap private equity and investment funds)

You'll have the opportunity to experience working in different sectors with industry experts across Retail and Consumer, Financial Services, Health Industries, Public Sector, Technology, Media and Telecoms, Industrial Products and Business Services, Energy, Utilities, and Resources

What you can expect working at Strategy&

What are the benefits of working at Strategy&?

  • Competitive salary, bonus and other perks
  • Fast progression
  • Comprehensive training
  • Fun, collaborative and diverse culture
  • Small project teams with responsibilities from day one
  • Wide range of industry exposure
  • Flexible working – option to work remotely when possible and overseas for a number of weeks via the PwC International Remote Working policy
  • International exposure – work collaboratively on projects with other Strategy& offices or do a secondment to another international office
  • MBA sponsorship opportunities

Where are Strategy& offices located in the UK? Is there an option to work remotely?

Within the UK, our team is based out of our office at London Bridge. You’ll have the option to work remotely / from other PwC UK offices where possible, including the option to work internationally via the PwC International Remote Working policy. You’ll also have to work at client sites at times, including in the UK or internationally.

Is Strategy& UK split into different practices?

In the UK, we organise ourselves into two market-winning teams – Corporate Strategy and Deals Strategy

  • Our Corporate Strategy team works with leading corporate clients, governments, and investors to create custom business strategies that address complex challenges faced by business leaders (market entry, growth strategy, target operating model and more). We work across all industry sectors where no two problems are the same – variety is at the core of what we do. Our pragmatic solutions focus on helping clients to build the key capabilities for success, taking them from strategy through to execution. For you this means:

    • Often working closely with the client – at their offices in the UK or internationally, or virtually in a post-covid world

    • Varying project length – Projects can last anywhere between a few weeks through to a few months

  • Our Deals Strategy team helps private equity firms, investment funds and leading corporate clients to make their toughest decisions. Our work includes transaction-related work (e.g. commercial due diligence, synergy assessment, pre- and post-deal value creation) as well as wider strategy development (e.g. growth strategy, sustainability strategy, market entry, initiative prioritisation and more). Transaction-related work tends to make up about two thirds of our projects. In all of these cases we provide a detailed evaluation of the target or our client’s proposition and market need, and help identify opportunities or constraints to be addressed. For you this means:

    • Primarily working from London – Opportunities to visit client offices for site visits and meetings, but the majority of the teams’ time is spent in our London office (with flexibility to work from home).

    • Generally shorter projects – Our projects are typically three to six weeks long.

Can I focus my work on a specific industry or sector?

Associates are expected to join as generalists. You may be, however, placed within a ‘home’ practice for pastoral care and visibility over pipelines and events. We encourage and provide plenty of opportunities for our consultants, particularly at more junior levels, to work across sectors to develop a varied and broad experience. Consultants will then have the opportunity to specialise in a particular sector of their choice at more senior levels.

Is there an ESG practice, or a sustainability team?

Yes, there are ESG teams within both Strategy& teams, quickly growing in both numbers and revenue. Increasingly, ESG is a priority focus for C-suite agendas. Our teams also work closely with ESG teams within the wider PwC network. Learn more about our ESG teams.

What training will I receive?

For graduates / summer interns, on joining, you’ll be sent on induction training to give you a basic introduction to the professional and technical skills you need for the job, as well as providing you with an opportunity to get to know others you have joined with. This will be followed with regular training sessions over your first months to allow you to continue to develop these skills.

Experienced hires are also enrolled in a number of training sessions on joining, which are tailored depending on prior experience.

All consultants will be regularly enrolled in different mandatory training sessions to ensure their continued development while at Strategy& and will also have the opportunity to sign up to additional training courses of their choice.

What will my career path look like?

All consultants are assigned a career or talent coach who’ll support your continuous development and ensure you’re given the right job roles and opportunities to allow you to achieve your personal and development goals while at Strategy&.

After joining as an Associate, you’ll have the opportunity to progress up the grades to Senior Associate, Manager, Senior Manager, Director and Partner.

Promotions are based on merit, allowing high performing individuals to progress quickly. Your career or talent coach will put your case forward for promotion when they believe you are ready, based on the feedback provided from those you have worked with.

What travel opportunities are there?

Within the Deals strategy team, you’ll be primarily working from the London office (with flexibility to work from home). There are opportunities to visit client offices for site visits and meetings, however, which could be both within or outside of the UK, but the majority of the team’s time is spent in our London office / working remotely.

Within the Corporate strategy team, there tends to be more opportunity to work closely with the client at their offices in the UK or internationally.

Other travel opportunities exist when working on a project with other network offices, when completing secondments to another office or when attending training programmes which can be located both within and outside of the UK.

How does Strategy& UK promote Diversity and Inclusion?

We pride ourselves on cultivating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment to empower our consultants to be the best they can be. We actively look to promote diversity through our recruitment efforts, for example by running the ‘Strategy& Women in Consulting’ and ‘Strategy& Black Talent’ pathways.

Within the team, we have a large number of Strategy& D&I networks (including Strategy& Pride, Women's Network, Wellbeing Team, South Asian Network, Parents & Carers and many more) and a dedicated Inclusion team consisting of our own consultants to support leadership decisions and make sure that we are the most inclusive workplace we can be across the board (e.g., staffing, socials, promotions, etc.).

Examples of some of our D&I networks:

Strategy& Pride sits across both our Corporate and Deals teams with the purpose of providing a welcoming space for members of the LGBTQ+ community and our allies. We define ourselves across four pillars: Support, Community, Education, and Recruitment. Within all of these we aim to ensure that Strategy& remains a space where both new joiners and our existing members feel welcome. We have shared chat groups for anything queer and organise regular events such as drinks, dinners and activities (e.g., spin classes). We work to promote inclusion and understanding within the wider team, for example through a short teach-in session on LGBTQ+ identities and microaggression. Learn more.

Strategy& Women's Network is designed to improve gender balance, empower women and educate the wider team on issues impacting women. We have three pillars: Events, Community and Learning & Development. In our Events team we run social events, panels and discussion groups. Our Learning and Development team also runs events including those on coaching and feedback. Finally, our Community team increases awareness of the Women’s Network and runs internal initiatives to support women in the team. 

PwC’s DAWN, a disability awareness network, helps to ensure anyone with a disability is able to work to the best of their abilities while at work. Everyone is welcome to join DAWN - whether you're affected personally with a disability or want to be able to support colleagues or relatives.

Applying to Strategy&

What kind of candidate is Strategy& looking for?

There is no one standard profile at Strategy&, and as we pride ourselves on our diversity, we aim to recruit from a wide range of backgrounds (you are not at a disadvantage if you do not come from a business background). However, we do look for candidates with a strong academic record, who are intellectually curious and highly motivated, and who are passionate about working in a diverse, fast-paced team environment to solve complex problems.

How and when can I apply?

Associate applications are typically open from September to October (for start dates in the year after).

We offer supported recruitment pathways for Strategy& Women in Consulting and Black Talent, where applications typically open in July.

Summer Internship applications typically open at the same time as Associate applications, and close in December.

Experienced Consultant positions open up on a rolling basis as required. 

Can I apply directly for the Deals or Corporate team?

For Associate entry and summer internships, the two teams recruit together. If you do feel strongly about joining a particular team, we recommend that you express this in your Cover Letter and will try to accommodate this.

As an experienced hire, you’ll be applying for a specific role within one of the two teams.

What is the application process for Strategy& UK?

  • You must first submit a CV and personal statement online, and will then be required to complete an online assessment.

  • If you successfully pass the online assessment and screening, you’ll be invited to either a first round of two back-to-back interviews, which either takes place virtually or in-person at our London office.

  • The first round of interviews will typically comprise:

    • An unstructured case study interview (c.45 mins); You’ll first be asked a number of questions to help us learn more about who you are as a person (e.g., questions based around your background, personal experiences, previous professional work experience if relevant, and your motivations for joining Strategy&). You’ll then be given a consulting case study to work through with your interviewer.

    • A structured case study interview (c.45 mins); You’ll be given a case study with a slide pack, which reflects a real client project we have worked on. You’ll have c.10 minutes to look over the information provided before being asked to develop some recommended solutions for the client.

Our case studies have been specifically designed to allow us to understand how you think when you are structuring an approach to solve a client’s problem, rather than coming up with ‘the right’ answer.

  • If you successfully pass the first round, you’ll be invited to a second round of interviews. This will either be on the same day for in-person full day assessments, or during another assessment day. Some experienced hires may be asked to complete a third round of interviews.

How can I contact the recruitment team, or current Strategy& consultants?

Please contact us with any questions you may have regarding applications or roles at Strategy&.

Alternatively, if you are currently a student, we run a number of recruitment events every September / October which gives you an opportunity to network directly with our consultants. Watch out for different Strategy& hosted events at universities around the UK and an opportunity to sign up to networking evenings at our London offices (including ‘An Evening with Strategy&’ , ‘Strategy& Women in Consulting’ and ‘Strategy& Black Talent’ networking events).

Can I apply for a job at PwC and a job at Strategy& at the same time?

No, you can only apply for one job within PwC UK within a six month window.

Can I reapply if my application gets rejected?

Yes, you can reapply for any role within PwC UK six months after you submitted your previous application, if it was unsuccessful.

How do I apply for offices outside of the UK?

Each Strategy& territory has its own recruitment process with varying deadlines, therefore you can apply directly for each office through their own websites.

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