Specialist - Policy Adherence
McKinsey & Company
San Jose, CA, USA
Posted on Feb 12, 2026
Specialist - Policy Adherence
Job ID: 105688
Do you want to work on complex and pressing challenges—the kind that bring together curious, ambitious, and determined leaders who strive to become better every day? If this sounds like you, you’ve come to the right place.
Your Impact
As a Specialist in Policy Adherence, you will be based in San Jose as part of our Operations Policy Adherence team. This team drives adoption of preferred buying channels by planning, building, and overseeing consequence management processes for policy adherence.
Reporting to the Manager of Operations in Policy Adherence, you will help oversee Policy Adherence Operations within Optimize’s Operations team. Your responsibilities will include leading the operational aspects of risk mitigation and compliance within Optimize, conducting research, auditing procurement processes, operationalizing policies, documenting standard operating procedures (SOP), expanding the scope of risk management, creating efficiency plans, and performing audits. You will also collaborate on the strategic direction of the Optimize Policy Adherence team in coordination with other teams, including Supplier Risk, Legal, Global Finance, Information Security, Risk, HR, and Compliance, along with other functions/groups across the firm to support operations and process development.
You will be the escalation point for expense-related discussions with colleagues and senior firm leaders. You will provide expert guidance to resolve highly complex and sensitive escalation issues related to policy, risk, compliance, and processes. You will measure and track team and partner performance (e.g., outsourcing partner); identify growth & improvement opportunities and collaborate with service providers (e.g., Coupa, Aravo, Uber, Lyft) to drive innovation for the respective team/category(s). You will also align with leadership on ESG & Risk strategies and implement and deliver on ESG & Risk strategies.
Your work will help minimize risk to our firm as we work to set the standard for our profession.
Your Growth
You are someone who thrives in a high-performance environment, bringing a growth mindset and entrepreneurial spirit to tackle meaningful challenges that have a real impact.
In return for your drive, determination, and curiosity, we’ll provide the resources, mentorship, and opportunities to help you quickly broaden your expertise, grow into a well-rounded professional, and contribute to work that truly makes a difference.
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. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from exceptional colleagues with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
- Exceptional 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
- Undergraduate degree; Advanced graduate degree (e.g., MBA, PhD, etc.) or equivalent work experience preferred
- 3+ years of corporate and/or professional services experience
- Excellent organizational capabilities, including the ability to initiate tasks independently and the ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritize them, and carry them out independently while being mindful of the big picture to meet your responsibilities in a complex and largely autonomous work environment
- Independently manages multiple people and projects simultaneously while participating in best practices and nurturing a trust-based, inclusive, productive environment
- Ability to create materials, which may include PowerPoint decks, Excel models, articles, or other written deliverables
- Experience with building, monitoring and addressing cases involving policy adherence, risk management, or compliance. Sensitivity with confidential information and adherence to the highest professional and process standards
- Proficient in rational decision making based on data, facts, and logical reasoning
- Capable of raising issues, generating solutions, and working effectively under pressure
- Strong influencing capabilities, including willingness to push back and deliver tough messages to senior audiences, and demonstrated track record of leadership in high-performing teams
- Ability to work in-person (team schedules and office locations may vary) and to work or attend meetings outside of traditional business hours or take on projects with limited or no notice at times
- Effective communication skills, both verbal and written, in English and local office language(s), with the ability to adjust your style to suit different perspectives and seniority levels
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 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.
FOR NON-U.S. APPLICANTS: McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity employer. For additional details regarding our global EEO policy and diversity initiatives, please visit our McKinsey Careers and Diversity & Inclusion sites.
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Job Skill Group - N/A
Job Skill Code - OMO - Operations Manager
Function -
Industry -
Post to LinkedIn - Yes
Posted to LinkedIn Date - Fri Feb 12 00:00:00 GMT 2027
LinkedIn Posting City - San Jose
LinkedIn Posting State/Province -
LinkedIn Posting Country - Costa Rica
LinkedIn Job Title - Specialist - Policy Adherence
LinkedIn Function - Administrative;Legal
LinkedIn Industry - Legal Services
LinkedIn Seniority Level - Associate
Job Skill Code - OMO - Operations Manager
Function -
Industry -
Post to LinkedIn - Yes
Posted to LinkedIn Date - Fri Feb 12 00:00:00 GMT 2027
LinkedIn Posting City - San Jose
LinkedIn Posting State/Province -
LinkedIn Posting Country - Costa Rica
LinkedIn Job Title - Specialist - Policy Adherence
LinkedIn Function - Administrative;Legal
LinkedIn Industry - Legal Services
LinkedIn Seniority Level - Associate