Management Consulting, Economic Consulting, Professional Services

Consulting Associate/Recovery Services (Forensic Services practice)

Toronto, ONOnsiteFull TimeCA$120,000–CA$140,000 /yrPosted 2 months ago

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Required skills

incident response
digital forensics
Microsoft environments
ESXi host
general counsel
Windows
Linux
virtualized environments
cloud environments
Azure

Nice to have

GCFA
GCIH
GNFA
GCFE
EnCE
CISSP

Role summary

Charles River Associates (CRA) is seeking a Consulting Associate for its Forensic Services practice. This role involves hands-on technical response and forensic analysis in incident response and recovery engagements. Responsibilities include leading forensic collection and analysis across various environments (Windows, Linux, virtual, cloud), performing endpoint and identity containment using EDR platforms, and leading technical recovery in ransomware matters. The associate will also investigate business email compromise and wire fraud, analyze hybrid identity environments, and develop automation tooling. Key deliverables include forensic reports and client communications. The role requires 3-5 years of experience in incident response or digital forensics, deep knowledge of Active Directory and Entra ID, and proficiency with EDR platforms and PowerShell. Preferred qualifications include cybersecurity certifications and experience with virtualization forensics.

About Charles River Associates

Charles River Associates is a leading global consulting firm that provides economic, financial, and business management expertise to major law firms, corporations and governments around the world. CRA advises clients on economic and financial matters pertaining to litigation and regulatory proceedings, and guides corporations through critical business strategy and performance-related issues. Since 1965, clients have engaged CRA for its combination of industry experience and rigorous, fact-based analysis that provide clients with clear, implementable solutions to complex business concerns.

Learn more about our work by reviewing our Services and Industries on our website.

Position Overview

CRA’s Forensic Services practice supports companies’ commitment to integrity by assisting them and their counsel in independently responding to allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct, and non-compliance. We are noted for deploying cross-trained teams of forensic professionals to assist our clients in gaining deeper insights and greater value more quickly. We provide accounting and forensic services as well as cybercrime investigation services.

The Consulting Associate is a hands-on technical responder and forensic analyst who executes the core workstreams of incident response and recovery engagements. You will lead forensic collection and analysis, drive containment and eradication actions in hybrid Microsoft environments, and rebuild enterprise identity and infrastructure under time pressure. This role is for a practitioner who is equally comfortable pulling disk images from a compromised ESXi host at 2 AM and walking a general counsel through the findings the next morning.

Key Responsibilities

Execute digital forensic collection and analysis across Windows, Linux, virtualized (VMware, Hyper-V), and cloud (Azure, M365, Google Workspace) environments

Perform endpoint and identity containment using EDR platforms (CrowdStrike Falcon or equivalent), including real-time response, custom detection logic, and telemetry analysis

Lead technical recovery workstreams in ransomware matters: domain controller rebuild and validation, tiered credential resets, hypervisor and backup restoration, and host checkout against defined gate criteria

Investigate business email compromise and wire fraud matters, including mail flow reconstruction, tenant log analysis, OAuth and enterprise application audits, and attacker infrastructure attribution

Analyze and remediate hybrid identity environments: Active Directory, Entra ID, Entra Connect, Conditional Access, and privileged access configurations

Develop and maintain PowerShell, Graph SDK, and Python tooling for collection, containment, and recovery automation

Produce clear, defensible written work product: forensic reports, investigation timelines, containment playbooks, and client status communications

Support engagement scoping by contributing technical level-of-effort estimates grounded in environment evidence

Interface directly with client IT teams, counsel, and carrier representatives during active matters

Desired Qualifications

3-5 years of hands-on experience in incident response, digital forensics, or a closely related security engineering role

Demonstrated experience responding to ransomware, BEC, or intrusion matters in enterprise environments

Deep working knowledge of Active Directory and Entra ID, including attack paths (Kerberos abuse, shadow credentials, ADCS misconfigurations) and hardening controls

Proficiency with at least one enterprise EDR platform and its response tooling

Strong scripting ability in PowerShell; Python a plus

Excellent written communication; able to produce report-quality prose without heavy editing

Ability to operate independently under incident conditions and manage competing priorities across concurrent matters

Preferred Qualifications

Industry certifications such as GCFA, GCIH, GNFA, GCFE, EnCE, CISSP, or equivalent

Experience with virtualization forensics (VMware vSAN, iSCSI, datastore-level acquisition) and backup platform recovery

Familiarity with Google Workspace forensics and administrative tooling

Experience working under legal privilege with outside counsel and cyber insurance carriers

Exposure to OT/ICS environments or regulated industries (healthcare, financial services)

Work Environment

Incident response work involves surge periods, including nights and weekends during active engagements.

To Apply

To be considered for a position in Canada, we require the following:

Resume – please include current address, personal email and telephone number;

Cover letter (optional) – please describe your interest in CRA and how this role matches your goals.

If you are interested in applying for one of our international locations, please visit our Careers site to view and apply for available jobs.

Career Growth and Benefits

CRA’s robust skills development programs, including a commitment to offering 100 hours of training annually through formal and informal programs, encourage you to thrive as an individual and team member. Beginning with research and analysis skill building, training continues with technical training, presentation skills, internal seminars, and career mentoring and performance coaching from an assigned senior colleague. Additional leadership and collaboration opportunities exist through internal firm development activities.

We offer a comprehensive total rewards program including a superior benefits package, wellness programming to support physical, mental, emotional and financial well-being, and in-house immigration support for foreign nationals and international business travelers.

Work Location Flexibility

CRA creates a work environment that enables our colleagues to benefit from being together in the office to best deliver on our promise of career growth, mentorship and inclusivity. At the same time, we recognize that individuals realize a range of benefits when working from home periodically. We currently expect that individuals spend at least 3 to 4 days a week working in the office (which may include traveling to another CRA office or to client meetings), with specific days determined in coordination with your practice or team.

Responsible AI Use in Recruiting

We believe that recruiting is fundamentally a human process, and we are committed to a hiring process that is consistent, transparent, and people-focused. While AI and other technology-enabled tools help our team operate more efficiently, we strive to provide every candidate with a personalized, thoughtful, and high-touch experience. As CRA invests significant human effort to find qualified members for our teams, we expect candidates to invest corresponding human effort to learn about CRA, prepare thoughtful application materials, and engage with our interviewers. Read more about appropriate hiring manager, recruiting team, and candidate AI at CRA on our website.

Our Commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity

Charles River Associates is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Salary and other compensation

A good-faith estimate of the annual base salary range for this position is CAD$120,000 – $140,000. Starting pay within this range may vary based on factors such as education level, experience, skills, geographic location, market conditions, and other qualifications of the successful candidate. This position may be eligible for additional bonus incentive compensation.

CRA offers a comprehensive benefits package, subject to eligibility requirements, which may include: extended medical, dental, and vision insurance; ERP with employer contribution; TFSP; RESP; life and disability insurance; paid time off (vacation, sick leave, holidays); paid parental leave; wellness programs and employee assistance resources; and commuter benefits.

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