Q&A - RX Consultant
Title. Got free time this holiday season so decided to make this post. If anyone's got any questions, feel free to ask, and I'll try my best to answer.
Background: Target undergrad, did a stint at a well known IB (top 10 in the "rankings" users do on WSO), lateralled into a RX consultancy as an associate.
What do you like / not like about the career compared to IB, and what have you seen in terms of exits?
Tbh don't like the unpredictability. Like in IB at least I knew everyday was going to be rough, but here, you never really know when everything'll go pear shaped. You could have a situation under control, the cash flows finally figured out, and then something could always come up like a factory shutting down or something and you'll have to figure out what to do, sometimes a couple of hours before a major meeting. Also the travel, granted it's not awful, but once you catch multiple red eye flights in a row in a short timespan, it starts to bug you. Sometimes the work can get overwhelming but that's something you just get used to.
What I like is the responsibility I get, I can make my own judgement calls, basically get treated like I actually know what I'm doing. Also like the people, no sharp elbows, and comp is very good. Also love the work, it's interesting and there's so many different things you could be doing. Perks are good etc. Basically, I like what I do, I'm good at it, and I get paid well for it. No complaints.
No lie I haven't seen anyone from my group exit in all the time I've been here. They definitely have the skills to exit to whatever imo, but no one has. Maybe the effort is just not worth it, idk. Anyone else who can weigh in is welcome to.
Thanks for doing this. What cities in the US are there the most rx consulting jobs? Is it common for people to jump from mbb? How would you prepare a jump to rx from mbb if possible?
Generally most career openings can be found in NY, LA, Chicago, Houston and Dallas, and it aligns with most RX consulting firms having bigger offices there.
I haven't seen many people successfully make a jump from MBB, idk if that's because most MBB people don't want to do RX consulting or a skill mismatch. I do however think that it's definitely harder for a management consultant to make the jump more so than an investment banker. Reason being that the "consulting" part of RX consulting is a misnomer, it's deeply technical. In a nutshell, true restructuring work is less about high-level problem solving and more about hands-on financial execution under pressure. Distressed situations hinge on liquidity models, debt mechanics, and legal constraints, where small technical mistakes can have real consequences with creditors and courts. While MBB consultants (I'm assuming you) are excellent at strategy and operational improvement, they often haven’t spent years living inside cash-flow forecasts or capital structures, which makes firms hesitant; they need people who can be productive immediately in fast-moving, high-stakes environments, not those who require a modeling or credit learning curve.
Also, not related to your question, but to add on to an earlier question regarding exits, and tying it to MBB, think of it this way: RX consulting sits in the middle of the ecosystem. It’s relatively (moreso than trying to go from MBB to distressed buyside) accessible from MBB, and it opens doors to RX IB, distressed investing, and operating roles; but those downstream exits are selective and skill-gated, not automatic.
Thanks for the detailed response! Happy holidays
Which shop are you at? Given the "no sharp elbows", if it's a larger platform, assuming it's FTI.
Also, happy you're getting some down time during the holidays - Enjoy!
Nope, not FTI or A&M. And thanks, have a great holiday season as well!
Wouldn't have guessed A&M, but if not AP, good to see the "smaller" shops have great cultures out there. Really hard to come by, just given the nature of the work and the personalities that prevail.
how is comp? thx
I've got around 4 YoE (disclaimer the firm I'm at doesn't have a traditional "associate" role like IB does) but the TC is in the 300k range all in. I've seen some people with similar experience get closer to $400k, so it varies, but good overall.
Is this at Alix or a smaller boutique? Also, what’s the split between base and bonus?
Thanks, are you aware if this is the same / discounted in the EU/UK?
I think discounted? I'm not sure, sorry, I'm in the US. Pay should be good at the least though, I'd assume.
Pay for first years in Rx in A&M is £35K approx +10% bonus from what I have heard. Pay gets much better once ACA qualified after 3 years
What skills are critical to master?
Incoming at T1 and would be grateful if I could PM with some more specific questions.
Are you incoming at FTI? Regardless, here's my take, sorry for the brevity, am catching a flight:
How to be a good junior:
Extreme attention to detail, speed + accuracy, curiosity x3, professional judgement (start forming your own view on scenarios and risks, even if you don't present them as a junior)
What gets you staffed:
Reliability & ownership, proactive problem solving, positive energy under stress, quick learner, being professional
Critical skills
Technical skills: advanced financial modeling (cash flows, covenant testing, LBOs etc), scenario analysis, understanding of bankruptcy law, debt and cap structures, refinancing mechanisms etc etc
Soft Skills: Presentation skills, stakeholder communication, time management under stress
And unfortunately I've gotten a bunch of DMs already, don't think I'll have the time to get around to all of them as is, so if there's anything post it on here and I'll do my best to respond.
Thanks for doing this and happy holidays.
Could you explain your process recruiting for rx co from ib? Were you in rx ib or made the move over from m&a/cov? What do you think the biggest learning hurdle you had was while trying to recruit for rx co from IB?
My process was a little easier bc I came from RX IB at a pretty good shop (not PJT / EVR but good still). So, I had the banking technicals down. So the biggest shift was from deal execution & capital markets to operational, liquidity, and stakeholder management + a mindset change. I had to learn to own the problem inside the company, somehow make payroll on friday (very important else the employees will eat you), work under severe time pressure and build credibility with all parties. Technically, needed to learn the 13wcf from A-Z, borrowing base analyses, variance analyses, cash forecasting, liquidity waterfalls, DIP BvA (budget vs actuals), and the DIP model as a whole. Also had to learn how to defend the aforementioned models / analyses.
Also, I had to learn all the legal stuff, and this is much deeper than IB level. Reason being that RX bankers know the concepts, the consultants need the mechanics. And then, communication was another one. The difference from IB is that the consultants are more often accountable for outcomes, not just advice. Finally, I needed to get really comfy with dealing with messy data. Unlike IB, there aren't clean CIMs, perfect historicals etc. Management is stressed and ERPs are broken. Needed to learn to make decisions with 80% information and build sensible models from partial data.
Also culture, it's very different from IB culture so make sure you're comfortable with that. Happy to elaborate
Thanks for doing this!
Other than IB, what is a typical background for RX consultants? Looking to make the jump from valuations and wondering if that seems like a reasonable background.
Saw your other post and replied to it as well, but the people I work with have come from a mix of backgrounds such as: Private Credit, PE, Corp Dev, Corp Treasury, Corp FP&A, Other RX Consulting Firms, Big 4 TAS / Valuations / Due Diligence, a couple of people from VC, and a couple from Big 4 Audit. That's about all I can remember off the top of my head
I work in RX Consulting as well. Curious about:
Voluptatum animi occaecati non minus suscipit dolore. Dolore sint dolores eveniet. Consequatur voluptatem ipsa explicabo numquam quia doloribus.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Et dolore dolorum id quidem. Est quisquam eum dolore facere. Beatae ex similique consectetur ratione nisi et sapiente. Commodi consequatur temporibus modi ea dolor ut alias dolores.