What is BCG Gamma? The Intersection of Data Science & Consulting
- Last Updated January, 2022
Rebecca Smith-Allen
Former McKinsey Engagement Manager
If you have a background in data science or AI and an interest in solving tough business problems, a career at BCG Gamma could be a great opportunity for you.
Businesses struggle to unlock insights buried in large data sets and get a positive ROI on their technology investment. BCG Gamma addresses these challenges–enabling radical business performance improvement by leveraging advanced data analytics and AI solutions as well as business knowledge. These consultants work in partnership with clients to develop end-to-end solutions that drive both step-function and continuous performance improvement.
In this article, we’ll address:
- What type of people work at BCG Gamma?
- The types of business problems that BCG Gamma consultants solve,
- Different career paths within BCG Gamma, and
- Other consulting firm positions to consider if BCG Gamma is a good fit.
Let’s get started!
Who Does BCG Gamma Hire?
You don’t need to be a traditional data scientist to work at BCG Gamma. They hire people with many different types of technical backgrounds such as:
- Advanced data analytics,
- Applied mathematics,
- Statistics,
- Software engineering,
- Machine learning engineering,
- Analytic architecture,
- Database engineers,
- Economic analysts,
- Geoanalytics,
- Organizational management,
- Network theory,
- Neuroscience,
- Psychology,
- And more.
The value BCG Gamma provides is not just an algorithm, but a holistic solution that includes the necessary changes to the client’s organization and/or workflow enabling the client to continue to improve performance after the study is complete.
What Types of Business Problems Does BCG Gamma Solve?
BCG Gamma serves clients across multiple industries and functional areas: financial services, healthcare, insurance, procurement and supply chain, sales and marketing, manufacturing process optimization, and price optimization.
Almost all BCG Gamma cases are a part of a traditional BCG consulting study with a generalist business team working alongside their technology-focused colleagues.
Sample BCG Gamma Study: For a health insurance client, BCG Gamma used patient data to identify interventions that could reduce patient time in the hospital, improving the outcome for patients and reducing costs for the insurer.
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The Day-to-Day Work of a BCG Gamma Data Scientist
A BCG Gamma data scientist can expect work that is different from either a tech company or a data scientist role in a corporate environment.
The work involves more travel and client-facing situations. BCG Gamma data scientists spend time understanding the client’s business problem, researching best practices in addressing the issues they face, and becoming familiar with the client’s data. They also spend more time writing PowerPoint slides and presenting their work.
They spend less time modeling and coding. In fact, BCG Gamma consultants sometimes take on the role of a traditional BCG consultant with a technical task.
BCG Gamma – Consultant or Specialist?
There is more than one career path inside BCG Gamma. Some employees take on client work similar to traditional BCG consultants.
Other people at BCG Gamma work as specialists, doing client work focused on their area of expertise, such as logistics optimization, big data storage, or software development. There are also specialists who develop code for BCG’s internal use.
BCG Gamma recruits both students completing university degrees and experienced professionals. Recruits begin their training with their BCG generalist peers but also receive targeted technical training.
Other Consulting Firm Positions to Consider if BCG Gamma Looks Like a Good Fit
If BCG Gamma looks like a good fit for your background and interests, here are some similar consulting positions to consider:
- McKinsey QuantumBlack,
- Oliver Wyman Labs,
- Bain Advanced Analytics Group (AAG), and
- Accenture Analytics.
In this article, we’ve covered:
- What is BCG Gamma?
- What types of problems they solve,
- Different career paths within BCG Gamma, and
- Other consulting positions to consider if BCG Gamma Looks like a good fit.
If you’re excited about applying to BCG Gamma, check out our article on BCG Gamma Interviews.
Still have questions?
If you have more questions about the BCG Gamma, leave them in the comments below. One of My Consulting Offer’s ex-BCG Gamma case coaches will answer them.
Other people interested in finding out about BCG Gamma found the following pages helpful:
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4 thoughts on “What is BCG Gamma? The Intersection of Data Science & Consulting”
I just wanted to know the work and work culture of Analyst in Prddictive Modelling in BCG Gamma.Please give me brief details
Hi, Akshaiya!
I’m sorry, we don’t have insight into that specific position. But my suggestion would be to check our article on Consulting Networking. It has a step-by-step approach for reaching out to people at the consulting firms you are interested in so you can better understand the requirements of the position, the day-to-day work and the culture.
Best of luck!
I am a Data Science graduate student at NYU. How do I get my resume to pass the screening round.
We have articles on writing your consulting resume and consulting cover letter that go deep into those topics.
Best of luck with your applications!