Client Development Specialist - Public Sector

Your Impact

As a member of McKinsey's U.S. Social Sector, Healthcare, and Public Sector Entities (SHaPE) practice, you will play a pivotal role in driving impact for our U.S. Public Sector clients.

Our SHaPE practice provides management consulting services to clients across federal, state, and local governments, leveraging a unique client service model that combines expertise, capabilities, and talent from both the public and private sectors. This distinctive approach enables us to deliver exceptional value to our clients and their communities.

In this role, you will collaborate closely with U.S. Public Sector‑focused client service teams (CSTs) to support business development, capture management, and proposal delivery. Your efforts will directly contribute to the growth of these teams, enabling them to maximize their impact within the communities they serve. You will be instrumental in generating new engagements in the public sector by identifying opportunities, shaping strategies, and delivering high‑quality proposals.

Your responsibilities span business development, capture management, and proposal delivery, with a significant focus on the latter two areas. As part of your capture management activities, you will lead efforts to coordinate partnerships with other organizations, helping to advance clients' ability to contract McKinsey for services. You will also work to increase McKinsey's advanced notice of upcoming procurements, allowing the firm to shape opportunities and prepare responses well in advance of any formal requests for proposals (RFPs) or requests for quotes (RFQs).

In the business development phase, you will establish and maintain relationships with government procurement professionals and end clients within identified organizations. You will build connections with senior and program management leaders at other consultancies and contractors, including both small businesses and large firms, to explore potential partnerships. Additionally, you will support CSTs by developing written materials for client discussions, providing expertise on client positioning, contracting, and funding.

Your efforts will include educating procurement professionals and potential partners about McKinsey's capabilities, gathering intelligence on upcoming procurements, and orchestrating collaboration across McKinsey's U.S. Public Sector go‑to‑market functions.

During the capture management phase, you will help position McKinsey as a trusted partner by making recommendations to ensure government clients can clearly define their requirements and procure the assistance they need. You will drive contracting strategies for opportunities that emerge from client conversations and identify potential industry partners for teaming agreements. Collaborating with market intelligence colleagues, you will develop competitive analyses and assess McKinsey's strengths and weaknesses relative to competitors for specific opportunities.

In the proposal delivery phase, you will play a critical role in ensuring McKinsey's success in competitive procurements. You will analyze RFP objectives and requirements, formulating strategies to position McKinsey for success, including pricing strategies. You will work closely with CSTs and proposal teams to draft key elements of proposals, identify relevant resources, and review drafts to ensure alignment with client needs.

Additionally, you will help CST partners and consultants prepare for oral presentations, providing guidance and feedback to ensure they effectively communicate McKinsey's value proposition. After McKinsey wins procurements, you will support contract negotiations, and in cases where procurements are not successful, you will conduct debrief sessions to identify opportunities for improvement.

Through your work, you will help McKinsey deliver meaningful impact to public sector clients, enabling them to address their most pressing challenges and achieve their goals.

Driving lasting impact and building long‑term capabilities with our clients is not easy work. You are the kind of person who thrives in a high‑performance/high‑reward culture – doing hard things,…