Independent Contractor Strategy Consultant Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Who We Are

Flagship Advisory Partners is the leading independent strategy consulting firm focused on payments, fintech, and embedded finance. We advise some of the world's largest financial institutions, software and platform companies, and private equity investors on growth strategy and M&A transactions.

Our project work spans:

• Client and Market Insights: Market definition, market sizing, competitive benchmarking, customer portfolio analysis, and voice of the customer interviews.
• Growth Strategy: Strategic planning, opportunity identification, product design, go-to-market optimization, pricing strategy, and new market entry.
• Value Acceleration: Operating model definition, strategic partnerships, vendor selection, cost and process optimization, and expert advisory to guide implementation programs.
• Transaction Advisory: Target identification and screening, commercial and technical due diligence, and post-merger growth and value activation strategy.

Role Overview

As a Consultant, you will collaborate directly with analysts and senior leaders to find insights and advise clients. Your responsibilities will include:

• Market Research and Analysis: Investigate market trends, providers, products, and other aspects of the payments, banking and credit industries to inform market studies, competitive benchmarking, and product strategy recommendations.
• Interviews and Data Collection: Manage online panel surveys and conduct interviews with consumers, corporate executives, industry practitioners, and experts.
• Financial Analysis: Perform complex financial analyses to inform investment business cases, P&L and KPI benchmarking, market sizing estimates, and company valuations.
• Deliverable Production: Develop client presentations and thought leadership articles.
• Client Interaction: Attend, participate in, and lead client meetings and workshops.

What We Offer

Flagship provides a unique opportunity to be part of a small-company environment while working on intellectually challenging assignments for the largest and most innovative companies in payments and fintech. This role offers a solid foundation to build a career in strategy consulting or potentially move into industry leadership roles.

• Challenging Work: Engage in diverse and stimulating strategy consulting and M&A advisory projects for top-tier clients.
• Career Growth: Experience rapid professional development in a meritocratic environment, with opportunities for internal promotions, often at an accelerated pace.
• Learning Opportunities: Work on 10 to 15 projects per year, interacting directly with senior professionals and C-level clients.
• Positive Work Environment: Enjoy the supportive, flexible, and fun work environment of a small firm that operates with a high professional standard. We value challenges and celebrate shared success across our firm.
• Unique Lifestyle: Live and work in historically significant Annapolis, a waterfront city that is the capital of the State of Maryland and home to the U.S. Naval Academy and St. John’s College. Our team members can just as easily live in cosmopolitan Washington, DC, or Baltimore, and all Flagship team members have the opportunity for international travel through client work and annual company offsites.
• Boutique Model: As a privately-held boutique consulting firm, we eschew the bureaucracy that can challenge larger consulting firms and publicly-traded companies. We empower our team members to take ownership of their career and bring an entrepreneurial mindset to our company as we continue to grow and evolve our service offerings.
• Competitive Compensation: Receive market-competitive salaries, significant performance bonuses, excellent health insurance, and a 401(k) program with company contributions.
• Flexibility: Although our work as a client-oriented strategy advisor can be fast-paced and demanding, we recognize the need for work/life balance and support flexible work hours and work-from-home for tenured professionals.

Who We Look For

We seek candidates from diverse backgrounds who are looking to leverage their experience in a dynamic and entrepreneurial environment.

For Strategy Consulting Analysts & Consultants –

• Experience: Minimum of 3 years at a well-known strategy consulting firm.
• Skills: Proven core consulting skills, including analytical reasoning, logical problem solving, time management, creativity, ability to deal with ambiguous direction and situations organization, and proficiency with common productivity applications (PowerPoint, Excel, Word, etc.).
• Motivation: Desire for a more collegial experience where you are known as an individual, enthusiasm for specializing in payments and fintech.

For Corporate Development and Strategy Associates –

• Experience: Minimum of 3 years in corporate development, strategy, or related roles at a major financial institution, payment network or financial technology company.
• Skills: Expertise in financial analysis, market research, and strategic planning. Strong understanding of payments and fintech industry structure and strategic trends.
• Mindset: Interest in transitioning from a large corporate environment to a boutique consulting firm where you can have a direct impact.

For Fintech Professionals –

• Experience: Experience in strategy, partnerships, business operations, or product management at a growth-stage payments or fintech company.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree or higher in business, finance, or economics.
• Skills: Proven ability to drive product innovation, business optimization, or revenue growth strategies informed by customer and market insights. Understanding of the fintech landscape, especially the U.S. and international payment card ecosystem, payment networks, merchant acquiring, credit card issuing, RTP, Pay by Bank, digital wallets, BNPL, digital banking, consumer and commercial lending, embedded finance, and open banking.
• Mindset: Eagerness to gain exposure to multiple companies and to help different clients define disruptive innovation and growth strategies.

It is important that all candidates have an enthusiasm for collaboration and teamwork, a desire to learn new topics and become an expert in something, and a mindset of approaching work challenges without fear of failure or criticism. Applicants should be fluent in English and be willing to work primarily in-person at our office in the Washington, DC, area, with occasional travel (domestic or international) as needed.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the US. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Join Flagship Advisory Partners to accelerate your career in strategy consulting and M&A advisory and help guide the future of payments and fintech innovation.