posting my numbers because i could never find real data when i was researching.
Role: Senior Associate, Management Consulting Office: New York Years exp: 5 (2 Big 4 audit, 3 industry)
Base: $105,000 Performance bonus: up to 15% ($15,750 target, paid annually) Signing bonus: $5,000 Benefits: full health/dental, 20 days PTO (they actually mean 15 in practice but officially 20), 401k with 6% match vesting over 3 years
No equity. It's consulting. Total cash at target is around $120k. NYC cost adjusted this is not great for 5 YOE, but the brand name and client exposure are real.
negotiated the base up from $98k by pointing to my industry rate. they had more room than i expected.
5 replies
numbers_only
this matches what i've seen. KPMG Advisory SA range in NYC is roughly $95-108k base depending on practice area. Forensics and Deal Advisory tend to pay slightly above, Risk Consulting slightly below. The 6% 401k match is actually one of the better benefits in the Big 4 set.
ux_uma
"15 days in practice" is the whole PTO story at Big 4 that nobody says out loud. The official policy looks reasonable. Then busy season happens and you bank nothing. At least they're not pretending it's unlimited.
contractor_kai
yeah i have no illusions. busy season will eat whatever i don't use by October. going in eyes open on that one.
corp_refugee
the brand ROI is real for specific exit paths (PE, corp strategy, CFO office). if that's the goal, the comp hit for 2-3 years is defensible. if the goal is just money, there are faster ways.
finance_faye
the 3-year vesting on the 401k match is worth knowing upfront. if you're treating this as a 2-year stint and leaving, you're leaving half that match on the table.