locator

director

tax director

senior associate engineer

associate

Alvarez & Marsal

I enjoyed my time at A&M, although it wasn't without its flaws. Similar to any consulting firm, project participation hinges on team dynamics. If you don't align well with a group, you might find yourself without projects and consequently, no bonus. I witnessed a few individuals left in this situation, leading to their quiet departures. Roughly 20% of the practice consistently garnered 80% of the workload—a clear display of favoritism. The remaining 80% of employees had to actively seek project placements to cover their essentials, embodying a competitive struggle. Most Managing Directors were collaborative, yet our group had three who displayed excessive self-importance, prioritizing monetary gains over the well-being of their consultants.

My experience at A&M was full of great experiences, albeit accompanied by a ton of stress, health concerns, sleep deprivation, and an ongoing battle with self-esteem due to a few unjust project evaluations. Nevertheless, I excelled on the majority of assignments. Prospective A&M candidates should anticipate a significant effort to get a good rating. Basically, because of this, your life is not your own. You are owned by A&M or be prepared to slowly get eliminated from the firm. The bar is set higher compared to the Big Four firms. A&M represents the major leagues in terms of expectations, billing rates, and problem-solving expertise. Be prepared to invest significant effort.

My experience was defined by a lack of role clarity, shifting expectations, and inconsistent communication. The responsibilities outlined during recruitment differed materially from the day-to-day reality, with scope expanding significantly after commencement.

Executive support roles involved managing multiple highly demanding stakeholders simultaneously, without realistic workload calibration or clear prioritisation frameworks. Expectations to “go above and beyond” were constant, yet performance standards were not clearly defined or consistently applied.

There appeared to be limited structural oversight within operations. Decision-making authority felt concentrated, and autonomy in practice did not align with the formal title of the role. Opportunities to contribute outside of narrowly controlled boundaries were not always supported.

Feedback processes felt reactive rather than developmental. Performance management mechanisms lacked transparency, making it difficult to clearly understand how success was being measured.

Turnover appeared high, and morale across teams reflected ongoing instability.

Prospective candidates should seek very specific clarity on reporting lines, workload distribution, performance criteria, and actual scope of responsibility before accepting a role.


This relates to M&A due diligence specifically:

If you're set on making a career out of FDD, this place wins hands down over the Big 4. Much smaller feel, where individual offices often run independently with their own culture. Some offices have really great down to earth personalities, others more traditional finance. Compensation is dramatically better than the Big 4 and is directly tied to how much you work (very transparent). 

The work life balance is terrible. Certain offices are dramatically understaffed even as A&M grows. This means you will pick up the slack and work multiple demanding projects at once, especially at staff levels. It doesn't get much better higher up as I've seen Directors logging crazy hours as well. But at least you're compensated for it. You can feel the exhaustion and low morale across the company when it gets really tough, which is almost always. Get ready to work really hard on vacations/weekends/holidays, and almost no pause. 

If you're from a traditionally underrepresented group (women, POC, LGBTQ, etc.) you will find you're almost certainly alone. The younger hires are better, but Manager and above is an old boys' club culture, especially on the East Coast. Traditional finance environment.

➢	Daily maintenance of three conferences rooms; Coordinate online conference room reservations.
➢	Daily maintenance of the printers, monitor and distributing of faxes. Also responsible ordering overtime dinners, and coordinating breakfast, coffee area and dinner schedule for the month. 
➢	Responsible for returning client files to the file room, setting up files into system, placing client ID labels on files, backing up e-files every three months onto the hard drive and Scanning approved expense reports to NY.
➢	Responsible for sending email reminders regarding the shred trust company and collecting all papers needed to be shredded for their pick up Tuesdays.
➢	Coordination of mail, including daily mail distribution, preparing each certified, taking certified to post office and maintaining records of each certified.
➢	Responsible for answering door bells, including greeting clients and providing them with a beverage of their choice.
➢	Tax return processing, including coordinating with director group to determine is hse needs to work and stay late to process returns.

Good culture in enjoying what you do and working with people you enjoy.  Instances of good work life balance but depends on the project lead.   Often feels like a start-up.  Good in terms of perks - fully stocked kitchen, gym, masseuse, happy hours now and then.

Mid-level management seems to get no training which can be difficult to work with. Also, employees can get put on projects completely irrelevant to what they were hired for just to be chargeable which can get frustrating when it drags on and you dislike the project. You must be able to work with several different types of employees and management across a wide variety of subjects.  This can keep things interesting if you enjoy the projects but can be detrimental if you do not. Heavily project oriented so highs and lows of utilization which is the basis of the compensation structure but out of the control of junior staff.  Required to work overtime with no real compensation.

I like Alvarez and Marsal for several compelling reasons. Firstly, their expertise in turnaround and restructuring is unparalleled, providing companies with the critical guidance needed during challenging times. The pay at Alvarez and Marsal is top-notch, reflecting their commitment to valuing and compensating their employees adequately. The firm offers exposure to diverse projects, including strategy, restructuring, operations, and supply chain, which keeps the work engaging and varied. Moreover, as a growing company, Alvarez and Marsal present numerous opportunities for career advancement. While work-life balance can be tough during projects, the exceptional leadership at Alvarez and Marsal makes concerted efforts to prevent burnout and support their teams. This combination of professional growth, competitive compensation, and strong leadership makes Alvarez and Marsal a highly appealing workplace.

I was placed in the position as a Procurement Assistant/ Intern and I could not have made a better choice. I felt nothing but a warm welcome from the staff. I was immediately attracted by the attention that my manager had for myself as an aspiring and young professional. It was consistently emphasized to help young professionals grow so that we could eventually take over. 
I could not have made a better choice and I am forever grateful for the internship experience. 

I was able to get a touch with hands on procurement process as well as a little experience in processing contracts under the government of Guam procurement process.

If anything went wrong the blame would be pushed to the lowest person on the corporate ladder, which at the time was me. Even if I could explain why it wasn't my fault or why it shouldn't be SOLEY my fault, that was brushed aside and it was ONLY my fault. If I thought that I could trust someone, they could backstab me and tattle to a manager when a simple one-on-one conversation could have been sufficient. This wasn't for important things, just small things that in the great scheme of things don't really matter. I felt like an outcast at the firm when I tried so hard to fit in. The work itself wasn't hard and I enjoyed it. It's just everything else I couldn't deal with.

A lot of the team worked on client sites or from home so you do need to be independent and able to self start. I learned a lot about billing procedures and back end accounting in the consulting industry that I was unfamiliar with before. It wasn't the most diverse place but the younger employees did go out often enough for happy hour. The hardest part of my job there was balancing the widest variety of tasks I've ever been responsible for. Because the team was small, my attention always had to be on 10 things at once. I enjoyed working with a smaller team than I had in the past and truly appreciate the knowledge I gained.

Alvarez & Marsal offers an exceptional platform for young professionals to grow rapidly in both technical and business problem-solving skills. The firm has a flat hierarchy, with approachable leadership and opportunities to work directly with senior stakeholders, including MDs and clients. Exposure to diverse industries, from private equity to retail, keeps the work dynamic and challenging. The focus on data-driven decision-making and adoption of modern AI/ML technologies is commendable.

The culture is performance-oriented but supportive. There’s a clear emphasis on meritocracy and high standards. The training resources, especially in financial modeling, business analytics, and AI, are solid for career development.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Locator 312 salaries reported	$154,583 per year
Director 93 salaries reported	$194,801 per year
Tax director 111 salaries reported	$175,901 per year
Senior associate engineer 94 salaries reported	$142,101 per year
Associate 13 salaries reported	$111,346 per year

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