Client Development Advisor - Philanthropy

Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Cleveland Columbus Dallas Detroit Houston Miami Minneapolis YOUR IMPACT You will serve as a dynamic force multiplier for our critical work in this space - driving growth, innovation, and measurable societal impact across McKinsey's Philanthropy subsector within the Social, Healthcare & Public Entity (SHaPE) Practice. You will be part of our Global Philanthropy Practice leadership team, supporting our Partners in shaping opportunities for at-scale impact with private foundations, high net worth individuals/families, NGOs, and nonprofits. Your work serves as the essential connective tissue between Client Service Teams (CSTs), Practice leadership and firm experts across the entire client development lifecycle. A core focus of this role will be proactively initiating, shaping, and driving strategic outreach to secure high-impact new client introductions. You will help cultivate deep relationships with foundations and social sector pioneers, identify and mature new opportunities, and execute thoughtful growth strategies across the philanthropic ecosystem. Critically, you will not advise from the sidelines—you will roll up your sleeves, hold the pen, and drive execution. You will lead end-to-end client activation activities, build rigorous pipeline hygiene, orchestrate executive-level client convenings, and shape forward-looking strategies that enable our CSTs to work with foundation clients on emerging issues and challenges, ranging from artificial intelligence to the rapidly evolving risk environment. Success is measured not by generating passive market intelligence, but by opening doors, forging trusted relationships, elevating strategic problem solving, and turning visionary aspirations into lasting societal impact. You will work closely with Philanthropy Practice leadership (both in North America and in other regions) to expand the firm's impact across the sector. You will play a key role in supporting practice and client service leaders in building their relationships with high-potential prospective clients; developing and sustaining a robust pipeline of concrete client service opportunities; and successfully pursuing those opportunities by delivering best-in-class development & proposal experiences for priority clients. To do this effectively, you will need to actively gather market intelligence about actors in the sector, monitor our proposal pipeline, detect emerging challenges / questions / trends that senior philanthropy leaders are grappling with, and explore innovative go-to-market approaches that may help us amplify our impact, as well as additional service offerings we should be developing to bring to our clients. You will deeply integrate with client service teams and practice leaders to orchestrate client development strategy development and implementation. You will drive client activation strategies end-to-end, running point across all elements of the process (i.e., creating and aligning on a workplan, setting up a meeting cadence and developing agendas, capturing next steps and driving follow through, etc.) - as well as guiding colleagues on research & analysis needs, creating and sharing gold standard Practice resources, developing materials, event planning, etc. to advance the CST or Practice priorities for client development. You will help Practice leaders support foundations in navigating the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence across their strategies, programs, and operations. You will co-create the offerings to educate social sector executives on AI governance and strategic deployment. Internally, you will accelerate AI-driven client activation capabilities by adopting generative AI proposal agents, qualification tools, and dynamic market intelligence. You will lead the strategy, content, and on-the-ground operational logistics for flagship convenings and conferences both established and yet to be launched (i.e., our Philanthropy CEO Roundtable). You will cultivate external partnerships with hyper scalers, philanthropic networks, and industry conveners to co-develop innovative offerings and expand our collective societal reach. This will include strategically engaging with external forums that gather major philanthropies/funders to determine where we can develop partnerships that would help catalyze action across the sector. 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, all while upholding our unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity. 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 QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS 7+ years of professional experience focused on one or more of the following: Strategy and management consulting to social sector organizations (foundations, nonprofits, NGOs, etc.); an internal strategy or management role within a social sector organization, working closely with leading philanthropists / foundations on questions of how to expand their impact via programmatic strategy, bolder partnerships, etc; the development of social sector clients in a professional services context; Corporate Social Responsibility / Corporate Philanthropy / ESG role in a major corporation with ambitious social impact objectives; or social impact strategy in a family office or wealth management context Extensive experience developing executive-level communications, building strategy materials, and independently advancing toward objectives Adept at navigating fast-paced, ambiguous environments Being a positive and collaborative team player who can work seamlessly with senior stakeholders while maintaining autonomy to manage multiple parallel initiatives independently under tight or shifting deadlines Flawless process and project management, with the ability to keep track of multiple inputs and next steps, and be accustomed to building strong relationships with colleagues to accelerate progress and drive follow through Proactive, self-propelled professional background with a proven track record of building trusted relationships across complex organizations and connecting people, ideas, and capabilities to drive measurable impact Please review the additional requirements regarding essential job functions of McKinsey colleagues. Our unwavering commitment to integrity drives everything we do, guiding us to always act in the best interests of our clients, our people, and the communities we serve. FOR U.S. APPLICANTS: McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Certain US jurisdictions require McKinsey & Company to include a reasonable estimate of the salary for this role. To help you understand what you can expect, the salary range for new joiners in this role in United States, including all office locations where the job may be performed, is $220,000 - $225,000 USD gross per year. This reflects our best estimate of the lowest to highest [salary/hourly wages] for this role at the time of this posting, ensuring you have a clear picture right from the start, though it's important to remember that actual salaries may vary. Factors like your office location, your unique blend of experience and skills, start date and our current organizational needs all play a part in determining the final figure. Certain roles are also eligible for bonuses, subject to McKinsey's discretion and based on factors such as individual and/or organizational performance. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive benefits package that reflects our commitment to the wellness of our colleagues and their families. This includes medical, mental health, dental and vision coverage, telemedicine services, life, accident and disability insurance, parental leave and family planning benefits, caregiving resources, a generous retirement contributions program, financial guidance, and paid time off. #J-18808-Ljbffr McKinsey & Company