Director Of Communications, Lives & Livelihoods (Fixed Term Contract 9-12 Months)

You will join the leadership group of the firm's communications and marketing professionals, known as Reach and Engagement (R&E). 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 employees to alumni, strengthening institutional relationships, connections, and affiliations.

You will lead the Lives & Livelihoods Powerhouse marketing and communications team, supporting the SHaPE and Life Sciences practices. Your immediate team will comprise eight communications professionals, and an extended team of 10-12 colleagues affiliated to the powerhouse through R&E global capabilities teams including the strategic communications team on risk management, media relations, and global publishing. You will also work closely with regional communications teams in priority markets, the SHaPE & Life Sciences Client Activation (CA) teams and participate in practice leadership meetings with senior partners. The role is global with 5 direct reports across the team of eight.

Through leadership across communications and marketing initiatives, you will drive the development and execution of best-in-class global communications programs, events, and publications. You will be a thought-partner for senior leaders and partners, and work to strengthen external relationships. You will proactively shape creative communications and marketing content and tactics to showcase McKinsey's capabilities, knowledge, and assets. You will maintain McKinsey's reputation, punctuate its expertise, and bring campaigns to life in relevant ways across channels, platforms, and stakeholders.

You will build strong relationships with McKinsey partners, practice and office leaders, and key functional leaders within the firm (i.e., Legal, Public Affairs, Client Service Risk). You will counsel leadership and leverage their efforts for substantive contributions to the firm's reputation and mobilize relevant junior and senior colleagues across the firm. You will support, coach and counsel firm external relations professionals, partners, and cell leaders on participating in external events, engaging with the media, and managing risk.

You will work with the Global Director of Firm Communications and colleagues to help lead the firm's global communications network and build the required capabilities while embodying a 'one-team' ethos, where challenges, opportunities and successes are owned by the whole team. You will exemplify a data-driven decision-making approach where KPIs are tracked and utilized to drive insights, strategic marketing briefs are utilized, and client-demand is evidenced and prioritized. You will anticipate, identify, and mitigate issues that could affect McKinsey's image, reputation, and market position, and assess the impact of these issues and manage incidents as they arise. Most importantly, you will enable a collaborative and inclusive environment to attract, retain, and develop a team while empowering individuals to be innovative and performance-driven through an agile team approach to ensure delivery of communication programs.

You will continue supporting a robust external relations strategy leveraging marketing strategies to deliver exceptional impact, while positively and accurately positioning the firm's client service offerings and ensuring coordination and integration of the reputation building programs of individual cells. You will drive dissemination of the firm's insights and perspectives on issues of relevance to key internal stakeholders within cells (i.e., offices, industries, functions). Additionally, you will advance relationships with external stakeholders, including alumni, business, government leaders, media, academia, and not-for-profit organizations.

You will continue supporting the design of high-quality and consistent branding (i.e., firm's signature voice, visuals, and narrative) across communications platforms and channels in support of relevant brand pivots while anticipating, identifying, and mitigating issues that could affect McKinsey's image, reputation, and market position. You will maintain the operating plan with a budget, objectives, and key deliverables. You will also work with key CSTs and our client's communications teams, Strategic Communications (StratComm)& Public Affairs to manage potential reputational risk issues and disclosures of our client work.

• Bachelor's/University degree required; advanced degree preferred

• 10+ years' experience in a business communications-related field, in a professional services environment, corporate communications role, government, or communications agency background

• Experience working with or exposure to the firm's public sector / healthcare sector / social sector / life sciences practices is preferred, though not required

• Deep expertise on communications and marketing strategies, informed by an extensive understanding of global business trends and knowledge of at least one industry sector (e.g., banking, healthcare, technology)

• Exceptional skillset across relevant communication and marketing channels, strategies/approaches, service lines, and platforms (e.g., external/internal comms, media relations, exec communications, events) with high credibility within the domain of work

• Mastery of Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint) and team share tools (e.g., Box, Slack, Zoom)

• Proficiency and fluency in verbal and written English is required, other language skills are a plus

• Outstanding communication skills (e.g., writing, editing, storytelling) across formats (e.g., written, verbal/presentation, digital-ready content) that can be expertly applied to elevate the firm's strategic priorities

• Exceptional at reconciling conflicting priorities and coordinating different efforts within a fast-paced, influence-driven, and fluid operating environment; demonstrated comfort navigating ambiguity

• Superior organizational and project management skills; ability to execute with speed, high level of accuracy and efficiency, attention to detail, and follow-through

• Exceptional instinct for reputational risks and exercise outstanding judgement; ability to counsel internal stakeholders and help them achieve their objectives while also mitigating risks

• Proven track record of providing excellent leadership, driving accountability, and creating an environment for junior colleagues to thrive, learn, and progress in their careers to enable team psychological safety and inclusion, while being receptive to feedback

• Adherence to the highest professional standards and commitment to integration of core firm values in attitude and work