Communications Specialist, Paid Media

You will join a group of communications professionals within the firm's Reach and Engagement function. These colleagues help ensure that appropriate insights reach designated audiences, building awareness and engagement with McKinsey's distinctive knowledge on a variety of topics. They shape the way the firm connects with people, from clients to firm members to alumni, strengthening institutional relationships, connections, and affiliations.

Through collaborating with senior communications colleagues and external stakeholders, you will contribute to the development and execution of best-in-class global communications programs, events, and publications.

You will be a member of the paid media center of excellence. This global team sets paid media strategy, manages the firm's media buying execution globally, and works with colleagues around the world to help them build paid media campaigns.

This is a global role, reporting to the head of paid media. You will work extensively with colleagues across geographies and practice areas to design, build, optimize, and measure the results of paid media campaigns. You will also collaborate with colleagues in technology, brand, content, and other functional disciplines.

Through development, support, and execution of creative communication plans and tactics, you will build awareness of McKinsey's capabilities, knowledge, and assets. You will help protect McKinsey's reputation, punctuate its expertise, and contribute to bringing campaigns to life in the paid media CoE.

In terms of creating effective communications: you will create clear, structured, and engaging written communications products (e.g., memos, emails, short-form content, blogs, talking points/scripts, Q&A) that rigorously follow conventions of written English, aligning with firm leadership when necessary. You will proactively collaborate with internal and external clients and stakeholders to develop and advise on communications. You will help drive development and delivery of communications for reports, special projects (e.g., digital strategy design, knowledge partnership strategy), storytelling (e.g., social posts, case studies), external/internal conferences, and/or events (e.g., forums, webinars, roundtables). You'll conduct strategic assessments to support prioritization of communication campaigns and events (e.g., competitor insights, event speaker research), and collate into digestible formats for leadership. You will ensure consistent branding (i.e., firm's signature voice, visuals, and narrative) across communications platforms and channels in support of relevant brand pivots.

In terms of project management and execution: you will contribute to defining appropriate best-in-class communications and events objectives and strategies to achieve them (e.g., paid media, earned media, CRM support, social media support). You will effectively lead complex projects independently or with a designated team, aligning with key stakeholders as relevant. You'll drive reputation-building programs through a mix of publishing activities (e.g., monitoring of media relations and public relations, targeted knowledge dissemination) and lead and execute plans to address routine reputation risks, with appropriate stakeholder alignment. You will manage data through reports and scorecards to track relevant metrics (e.g., client development, ROI, share of voice, mapping media engagement programs). Additionally, you will help coordinate the creation of contact databases to maximize dissemination and engagement.

Working alongside the head of paid media you will be a key ambassador for the rapidly growing paid media program. Often you will be the first point of contact for McKinsey colleagues exploring whether/how to leverage paid tactics to meet their communications objectives. Your responsibilities will include building paid media campaigns, advising stakeholders on campaign strategy, audience targeting, and creative execution. You will source creative assets, manage agency resources, execute campaigns, and report on results. You will manage budgeting & billing processes.

In addition, you will work cross-functionally to integrate paid media into multi-channel campaigns, connecting brand awareness with performance marketing while keeping a keen eye on results. You will develop paid media plans that incorporate new media tactics, platforms and technologies.

• Bachelor's/University degree required

• 5+ years of experience planning and executing paid media campaigns gained either in-house or in an agency environment (Paid social, Search & Display)

• Mastery of Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Teams) and firm related tools (Box, Slack, Sprinklr)

• Proficiency and fluency in verbal and written English is required

• Knowledge of buying and running paid media campaigns across paid social, paid search & display

• Ability to share learnings, best practices, and innovative wins across the organization

• Excellent communication skills across formats (e.g., written, verbal/presentation, digital-ready content, storytelling) and ability to apply them to develop and execute a strategy across portfolio of communications channels

• Ability to manage various projects simultaneously and work independently as well as collaboratively in a fast-paced and ambiguous operating environment, while driving for quality implementation and excellence

• Excellent ability to influence and direct colleagues, and manage needs of different stakeholders (including relevant senior leaders)

• Outstanding critical reasoning and problem-solving skills, including ability to disaggregate issues, identify root causes, and recommend solutions

• Ability to create psychological safety and inclusion within teams, enabling a collaborative environment

• Exhibits core firm values in attitude and work (e.g., owning development, driving work, demonstrating resilience)