DSA Associate Consultants

This is a great question – there are a lot of differences!

First off, DataArt has an explicit focus on technology consulting. We encounter business challenges all the time, but our approach is always through a technology lens. This means we have to take into account the business problems our clients are trying to solve, the organizational environment in which they are trying to solve them, their existing technology framework, and the always evolving broader technology landscape. This includes staying current with AI developments and helping clients understand where and how AI can create real value versus where traditional solutions are more appropriate.

Another key difference is the way we provide value. Usually, consultancies are focused on conducting research and providing an up-front recommendation. We do this as well, but because we are a technology firm, we are additionally responsible for seeing the technical development of our proposal through to completion. This is an involved process, because invariably new challenges will arise that demand attention from someone that understands both the high-level business problem as well as the technical underpinnings & constraints.

In short, our work is split between tech, business, and design thinking. What your breakdown is will depend on the project you have been staffed on, as well as your individual strengths/interests. Many of us (especially newcomers) are generalists, but associates are also empowered to gravitate towards an area of interest if they choose. Our staffing plan places high value on individual consultants’ backgrounds/interests, so it is easy to specialize (with enough initiative).

As a global development firm, DataArt has completed over 4,000 enterprise-level projects for clients across virtually every industry. We have arranged these clients into a number of “verticals” (finance, healthcare, government, etc.), but as someone in DataArt Solution Advisors, you will have exposure to just about everything. Because we are a small group, consultants have a lot of autonomy over what projects they will be staffed on, but overall, our team tends to be fairly industry-agnostic. Rather than concentrating our work within an industry vertical, we gravitate towards projects that are particularly complex or unconventional. It could be anything from a single entrepreneur who needs help building a whole app from scratch to a global company interested in leveraging data to optimize its supply chain; either way, our job is to meet with the client, gather information, propose solutions, and then oversee the project all the way from ideation to completion.

We do not require that candidates have a background in software development, but we love to see a demonstrated interest in tech. Generally speaking, we are always looking for people who will bring something unique to the table.

In terms of skillsets, we aim to recruit a team that is as diverse as the array of projects we staff ourselves on. Each person is unique, but we do see some commonalities amongst people who thrive in this role. Generally speaking, these people are:

• self-motivated
• effective multitaskers
• entrepreneurial
• inquisitive
• effective communicators
• interested in technology (including emerging AI/ML trends), business, and design.

If this describes you, then odds are it is a good fit!

Project phases:

The day-to-day depends on where we're at in the project. The first half usually entails interacting with clients, identifying and elaborating on their business needs, research, and proposing solutions, whereas the second half is more generally focused on development, testing, and iteration. That said, an associate's time is usually split between client meetings, internal strategy sessions, check-ins with the team (ensuring the BAs, dev team, and designers are on track) and independent research.

Internal projects:

DSA functions collaboratively within the broader DataArt ecosystem, working with stakeholders across all domains but operating internally to define its own strategy and goals. In addition to project work, associates are involved in virtually every facet of DSA's internal operations, for example:

• thought leadership (research, white papers, podcasts, etc.)
• media relations (including the content you're reading now)
• mentorship (includes leading internship program, creating of onboarding materials, etc.)
• sales engineering, often in collaboration with our industry verticals (media, travel, healthcare, etc.)
• managing the summer internship program
• co-teaching a class on Product Management at Williams College
• … and much, much more.

This internship is meant to simulate the Associate Consultant position we offer to first-year graduates, meaning that you'll get direct exposure to everything that the DSA does (research, sales proposals, client meetings, and, of course, solution discovery/proposal/development).

However, unlike our full-time consultants, your work won't be billable, meaning that you'll have greater flexibility in choosing which projects you'd like to participate in and how deep you go. Because our internship spots are very limited, we see this as an investment in your skills as a consultant, technologist, and product manager. Interns who do well in this position not only gain a lot of firsthand experience, but they've also established connections that can be valuable for those looking for a return offer upon graduation.

In addition to client work, interns perform a number of key internal activities, many of which have significant self-directed components. Opportunities include:

• generating research-driven thought leadership articles
• writing case studies on past DSA projects
• conducting and publishing interviews, and expanding our social media presence
• improvements to internal materials (deck templates, onboarding materials, etc.).

If you are interested in learning more about DataArt and/or the recruiting process, please feel free to reach out to us directly at dsa.associate.program@dataart.com