What Life Is Like at Blue Ridge

Delivering quality client work is our top priority and our project teams are structured to deliver maximum impact in relatively short time frames.

Our work is team-based and our culture is highly collaborative.  This environment allows each member to maximize their professional development both on client work and in firm-building initiatives.  Regular firm events build a firm-wide camaraderie.

Blue Ridge Partners’ Career Path and Performance Management

At Blue Ridge Partners, employees work closely with those above them and therefore are continuously learning skills that are required for the next level of career progression.  Each employee also has a Managing Director assigned as their development leader to mentor and coach them on professional goal setting and achievement.

Promotion criteria for each position within the firm are clearly defined and communicated to employees.  A formal review of each person’s progress against the defined criteria is performed on an annual basis.  Quarterly informal reviews provide employees an opportunity to discuss their progress with their development leader and to adjust their goals if necessary.

A Typical Blue Ridge Partners Engagement

Our projects are very focused and are typically completed within a 6-8 week window.  This means each team member is crucial to project success.  A project team is usually composed of a Principal or Manager and 1-2 Associates/Analysts.  A Managing Director provides oversight on strategic aspects of the project.  Typically, our work begins by performing an assessment of internal factors at a company followed by an in-depth look at external market perspectives and ending with a set of actionable recommendations.  Many clients then ask for our assistance in implementing our suggestions.  Associates and Analysts are largely responsible for gathering data and synthesizing major findings while the Principal or Manager is in charge of guiding the thinking of the team, deliverable finalization and client communication.

Professional Development

Aside from daily project experience and client interaction, each Blue Ridge employee has many other opportunities for professional growth.

• Mentoring – Managing Directors serve as formal mentors and development coaches to all levels of employees.  Your development leader will help you define your career priorities (functional expertise, industry specialty) and will help you to craft a set of goals to help you develop the skills required to advance within the firm.
• Training – Every quarter we dedicate several days to employee development.  We conduct in-depth sessions on various functional and professional development topics that are of interest to employees and are of current relevance.
• Leadership councils – As a firm that is continually striving to improve ourselves, we have formed several teams of employees dedicated to various firm objectives.  Employees who are interested in learning about and contributing to areas of company development outside of project work are encouraged to join a council of their choice.  We encourage our people to make innovative contributions to firm development and we allow employees of all levels to take ownership of such initiatives.

Blue Ridge Culture

We believe in hard work but we also believe in affording employees lifestyles and support that make their time at Blue Ridge not only rewarding but enjoyable.

• Peer Mentors – As a new employee, you will be assigned a peer mentor to help you navigate your way through your first few months at Blue Ridge Partners.
• Work/life balance – Each employee is given tremendous flexibility in their daily work schedule along with the responsibility for consistently delivering the highest-quality client work.  Our projects are designed to minimize travel when possible.  Employees should expect to travel 40% of the time on average, although there are many times when less travel is required.
• Firm events – Because we believe in fostering comaraderie among employees we make a point of organizing frequent company activities that provide a fun environment for employee interaction.  Recent events have included cooking classes, dinner cruises, and team-building activities.