McKinsey & Company
Client Development Advisor, US Department of Defense
McKinsey & Company, Washington, District of Columbia, us, 20022
Your Growth
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, picking yourself up when you stumble, and having the resilience to try another way forward.
In return for your drive, determination, and curiosity, we'll provide the resources, mentorship, and opportunities you need to become a stronger leader faster than you ever thought possible. Your colleagues-at all levels-will invest deeply in your development, just as much as they invest in delivering exceptional results for clients. Every day, you'll receive apprenticeship, coaching, and exposure that will accelerate your growth in ways you won't find anywhere else.
When you join us, you will have:
Continuous learning:
Our learning and apprenticeship culture, backed by structured programs, is all about helping you grow while creating an environment where feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on your development. The real magic happens when you take the input from others to heart and embrace the fast-paced learning experience, owning your journey. A voice that matters:
From day one, we value your ideas and contributions. You'll make a tangible impact by offering innovative ideas and practical solutions. We not only encourage diverse perspectives, but they are critical in driving us toward the best possible outcomes. Global community:
With colleagues across 65+ countries and over 100 different nationalities, our firm's diversity fuels creativity and helps us come up with the best solutions for our clients. Plus, you'll have the opportunity to learn from exceptional colleagues with diverse backgrounds and experiences. World-class benefits:
On top of a competitive salary (based on your location, experience, and skills), we provide a comprehensive benefits package to enable holistic well-being for you and your family. Your Impact
Our U.S. Social Sector, Healthcare, and Public Sector Entities (SHaPE) practice delivers high-impact services to clients across three major sectors, including federal, state, and local governments. Within SHaPE, the Defense and Security subsector focuses on the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), including the Office of the Secretary of Defense, major defense agencies, and military services, as well as members of the National Security Community.
Through our unique client service model, McKinsey combines federal, state, and private sector expertise to deliver a distinctive level of impact for our Defense and Security clients. We are seeking a Client Development Advisor to support our U.S. Department of Defense-focused Client Service Teams (CSTs). In this role, you will collaborate with CSTs on business development, capture management, and proposal delivery, enabling their growth and maximizing their impact within the DoD and related client communities.
The Client Development Advisor (CDA) will work closely with client service team (CST) leaders and consultants to expand the firm's impact within the public sector Defense markets, by playing a key role in generating new engagements in the public sector. We call this process "clientele development."
In the public sector, we can break this process into three phases:
Business development: This phase encapsulates all activities that occur before a client organization has decided internally to move ahead with a client services engagement on a given topic Capture management: This phase begins once an opportunity has been qualified and ends with the formal award decision Proposal delivery: This phase typically starts with the Request for Proposal/Quote (RFP/Q) release and ends upon proposal submission The CDA will have responsibilities across all three of these areas, as an individual contributor and key catalyst for collaboration with CST leaders and colleagues. Business development will compose a portion of the CDA's effort, with the majority of effort typically across capture management and proposal delivery (this will vary based on client situation and workload across a portfolio of clients & opportunities). As part of core capture management activity, the CDA will lead coordination of a CST's effort to partner with other organizations to advance clients' ability to contract the firm for services. A successful CDA will increase the advanced notice McKinsey has of upcoming procurements, which will increase the period of time McKinsey has to shape the opportunity and build its response prior to the issuance of any RFP or RFQ.
In the business development phase, the client development advisor (CDA) will focus on expanding McKinsey's impact within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and related organizations. They will build and maintain relationships with government procurement professionals, end clients, and industry partners, including both small and large contractors. The CDA will prioritize partnerships with organizations that have established contract vehicles or complementary capabilities required by the government. Additionally, they will collaborate with client-service teams to create account plans, manage opportunity pipelines, and support the development of client materials, emphasizing positioning, contracting, and funding strategies.
In the capture management phase, the CDA will position McKinsey for emerging procurements, define contracting strategies, secure teaming agreements, and provide competitive intelligence to inform growth strategies. During the proposal phase, they will analyze RFPs, develop win themes, craft pricing strategies, and ensure alignment with client needs. They will also counsel teams on oral presentations and negotiate contract terms after wins.
If McKinsey does not win, the CDA will conduct debriefs to identify improvement opportunities for the Public Sector Practice. Throughout, they will act as a thought partner, driving growth and ensuring McKinsey's competitive positioning in the public sector.
Your qualifications and skills
Must be a U.S. citizen with a Secret clearance or higher Undergraduate degree required; graduate education preferred but not mandatory 7+ years of experience in government services acquisition, business development, capture management, or proposal delivery, with preference for candidates with DoD client experience or backgrounds in government acquisitions, professional services, or aerospace-defense firms. Deep understanding of the DoD environment, government requirements development, procurement processes, decision-making, competitive landscape, and strategies to win contracts Strong interpersonal skills to collaborate with colleagues, build consensus, and lead without formal authority in a distributed organization Experience and a strong network to cultivate go-to-market partnerships and contracting/sub-contracting options Ability to identify growth opportunities, expand into new client ecosystems, and increase impact over time Proven track record of developing strong client relationships within the DoD market Initiative to surface and pursue innovative ideas independently Experience drafting and refining win themes for proposals, advising on government RFP-specific writing, and leading within a standard proposal development cycle
In return for your drive, determination, and curiosity, we'll provide the resources, mentorship, and opportunities you need to become a stronger leader faster than you ever thought possible. Your colleagues-at all levels-will invest deeply in your development, just as much as they invest in delivering exceptional results for clients. Every day, you'll receive apprenticeship, coaching, and exposure that will accelerate your growth in ways you won't find anywhere else.
When you join us, you will have:
Continuous learning:
Our learning and apprenticeship culture, backed by structured programs, is all about helping you grow while creating an environment where feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on your development. The real magic happens when you take the input from others to heart and embrace the fast-paced learning experience, owning your journey. A voice that matters:
From day one, we value your ideas and contributions. You'll make a tangible impact by offering innovative ideas and practical solutions. We not only encourage diverse perspectives, but they are critical in driving us toward the best possible outcomes. Global community:
With colleagues across 65+ countries and over 100 different nationalities, our firm's diversity fuels creativity and helps us come up with the best solutions for our clients. Plus, you'll have the opportunity to learn from exceptional colleagues with diverse backgrounds and experiences. World-class benefits:
On top of a competitive salary (based on your location, experience, and skills), we provide a comprehensive benefits package to enable holistic well-being for you and your family. Your Impact
Our U.S. Social Sector, Healthcare, and Public Sector Entities (SHaPE) practice delivers high-impact services to clients across three major sectors, including federal, state, and local governments. Within SHaPE, the Defense and Security subsector focuses on the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), including the Office of the Secretary of Defense, major defense agencies, and military services, as well as members of the National Security Community.
Through our unique client service model, McKinsey combines federal, state, and private sector expertise to deliver a distinctive level of impact for our Defense and Security clients. We are seeking a Client Development Advisor to support our U.S. Department of Defense-focused Client Service Teams (CSTs). In this role, you will collaborate with CSTs on business development, capture management, and proposal delivery, enabling their growth and maximizing their impact within the DoD and related client communities.
The Client Development Advisor (CDA) will work closely with client service team (CST) leaders and consultants to expand the firm's impact within the public sector Defense markets, by playing a key role in generating new engagements in the public sector. We call this process "clientele development."
In the public sector, we can break this process into three phases:
Business development: This phase encapsulates all activities that occur before a client organization has decided internally to move ahead with a client services engagement on a given topic Capture management: This phase begins once an opportunity has been qualified and ends with the formal award decision Proposal delivery: This phase typically starts with the Request for Proposal/Quote (RFP/Q) release and ends upon proposal submission The CDA will have responsibilities across all three of these areas, as an individual contributor and key catalyst for collaboration with CST leaders and colleagues. Business development will compose a portion of the CDA's effort, with the majority of effort typically across capture management and proposal delivery (this will vary based on client situation and workload across a portfolio of clients & opportunities). As part of core capture management activity, the CDA will lead coordination of a CST's effort to partner with other organizations to advance clients' ability to contract the firm for services. A successful CDA will increase the advanced notice McKinsey has of upcoming procurements, which will increase the period of time McKinsey has to shape the opportunity and build its response prior to the issuance of any RFP or RFQ.
In the business development phase, the client development advisor (CDA) will focus on expanding McKinsey's impact within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and related organizations. They will build and maintain relationships with government procurement professionals, end clients, and industry partners, including both small and large contractors. The CDA will prioritize partnerships with organizations that have established contract vehicles or complementary capabilities required by the government. Additionally, they will collaborate with client-service teams to create account plans, manage opportunity pipelines, and support the development of client materials, emphasizing positioning, contracting, and funding strategies.
In the capture management phase, the CDA will position McKinsey for emerging procurements, define contracting strategies, secure teaming agreements, and provide competitive intelligence to inform growth strategies. During the proposal phase, they will analyze RFPs, develop win themes, craft pricing strategies, and ensure alignment with client needs. They will also counsel teams on oral presentations and negotiate contract terms after wins.
If McKinsey does not win, the CDA will conduct debriefs to identify improvement opportunities for the Public Sector Practice. Throughout, they will act as a thought partner, driving growth and ensuring McKinsey's competitive positioning in the public sector.
Your qualifications and skills
Must be a U.S. citizen with a Secret clearance or higher Undergraduate degree required; graduate education preferred but not mandatory 7+ years of experience in government services acquisition, business development, capture management, or proposal delivery, with preference for candidates with DoD client experience or backgrounds in government acquisitions, professional services, or aerospace-defense firms. Deep understanding of the DoD environment, government requirements development, procurement processes, decision-making, competitive landscape, and strategies to win contracts Strong interpersonal skills to collaborate with colleagues, build consensus, and lead without formal authority in a distributed organization Experience and a strong network to cultivate go-to-market partnerships and contracting/sub-contracting options Ability to identify growth opportunities, expand into new client ecosystems, and increase impact over time Proven track record of developing strong client relationships within the DoD market Initiative to surface and pursue innovative ideas independently Experience drafting and refining win themes for proposals, advising on government RFP-specific writing, and leading within a standard proposal development cycle