Client Development Specialist - Public Sector
McKinsey & Company
Sales & Business Development
Washington, DC, USA
USD 192k-192k / year
Posted on Feb 24, 2026
Client Development Specialist - Public Sector
Job ID: 106152
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 member of McKinsey’s U.S. Social Sector, Healthcare, and Public Sector Entities (SHaPE) practice, you will play a pivotal role in driving impact for our U.S. Public Sector clients.
Our SHaPE practice provides management consulting services to clients across federal, state, and local governments, leveraging a unique client service model that combines expertise, capabilities, and talent from both the public and private sectors. This distinctive approach enables us to deliver exceptional value to our clients and their communities.
In this role, you will collaborate closely with U.S. Public Sector-focused client service teams (CSTs) to support business development, capture management, and proposal delivery. Your efforts will directly contribute to the growth of these teams, enabling them to maximize their impact within the communities they serve. You will be instrumental in generating new engagements in the public sector by identifying opportunities, shaping strategies, and delivering high-quality proposals.
Your responsibilities will span across business development, capture management, and proposal delivery, with a significant focus on the latter two areas. As part of your capture management activities, you will lead efforts to coordinate partnerships with other organizations, helping to advance clients’ ability to contract McKinsey for services. You will also work to increase McKinsey’s advanced notice of upcoming procurements, allowing the firm to shape opportunities and prepare responses well in advance of any formal requests for proposals (RFPs) or requests for quotes (RFQs).
In the business development phase, you will establish and maintain relationships with government procurement professionals and end clients within identified organizations. You will also build connections with senior and program management leaders at other consultancies and contractors, including both small businesses and large firms, to explore potential partnerships. Additionally, you will support CSTs by developing written materials for client discussions, providing expertise on client positioning, contracting, and funding. Your efforts will include educating procurement professionals and potential partners about McKinsey’s capabilities, gathering intelligence on upcoming procurements, and orchestrating collaboration across McKinsey’s U.S. Public Sector go-to-market functions.
During the capture management phase, you will help position McKinsey as a trusted partner by making recommendations to ensure government clients can clearly define their requirements and procure the assistance they need. You will drive contracting strategies for opportunities that emerge from client conversations and identify potential industry partners for teaming agreements. Collaborating with market intelligence colleagues, you will develop competitive analyses and assess McKinsey’s strengths and weaknesses relative to competitors for specific opportunities.
In the proposal delivery phase, you will play a critical role in ensuring McKinsey’s success in competitive procurements. You will analyze RFP objectives and requirements, formulating strategies to position McKinsey for success, including pricing strategies. You will work closely with CSTs and proposal teams to draft key elements of proposals, identify relevant resources, and review drafts to ensure alignment with client needs. Additionally, you will help CST partners and consultants prepare for oral presentations, providing guidance and feedback to ensure they effectively communicate McKinsey’s value proposition. After McKinsey wins procurements, you will support contract negotiations, and in cases where procurements are not successful, you will conduct debrief sessions to identify opportunities for improvement.
Through your work, you will help McKinsey deliver meaningful impact to public sector clients, enabling them to address their most pressing challenges and achieve their goals.
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
- 5+ years of professional experience in government services acquisition, either as a government employee with program acquisitions focus or from the commercial sector in business development, capture management, and proposal delivery. Preferences for candidates who have worked in government acquisitions, or at large professional services or aerospace-defense firms, as well as those with prior U.S Government client experience
- Deep understanding of the U.S Public Sector environment, corresponding government requirements development and procurement processes, how such procurement decisions are made, the competitive landscape, and how a consultancy like McKinsey can maximize the chance of winning new contracts
- Interact collaboratively with consultants and operate as an integral member of the U.S Public Sector CSTs’ leadership teams, forging effective relationships across McKinsey’s distributed and non-hierarchical organization. Build consensus for his or her ideas and help lead within their client segment without formal line authority
- Creativity, experience and a good network of contacts to enable cultivating go-to-market partnerships and contracting/sub-contracting options
- Collaborate with the leadership of the U.S Public Sector CSTs to identify new opportunities to grow into white space portions of these client ecosystems and increase their impact over time
- Having a successful track record developing client relationships within the U.S Public Sector markets
- Initiative to surface and pursue innovative ideas, without prompting from other SHaPE leaders
- Collaborate with a team of writers, be able to draft and refine win themes that anchor proposals and advise senior members of the CST about how to improve their writing specific to the government RFP context. This includes experience leading within a standard government proposal development cycle with color team reviews
- U.S. citizenship required
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.
Certain US jurisdictions require McKinsey & Company to include a reasonable estimate of the salary for this role. For new joiners for this role in the United States, including all office locations where the job may be performed, a reasonable estimated range is $192,000 - $192,000 USD —to help you understand what you can expect. 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.
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 - CSS Associate
Job Skill Code - CDS - Client Development Specialist
Function - Strategy & Corporate Finance
Industry - Public Sector
Post to LinkedIn - Yes
Posted to LinkedIn Date - Mon Feb 23 00:00:00 GMT 2026
LinkedIn Posting City - Washington DC
LinkedIn Posting State/Province - Maryland
LinkedIn Posting Country - United States
LinkedIn Job Title - Client Development Specialist - Public Sector
LinkedIn Function - Consulting
LinkedIn Industry - Defense & Space
LinkedIn Seniority Level - Associate
Job Skill Code - CDS - Client Development Specialist
Function - Strategy & Corporate Finance
Industry - Public Sector
Post to LinkedIn - Yes
Posted to LinkedIn Date - Mon Feb 23 00:00:00 GMT 2026
LinkedIn Posting City - Washington DC
LinkedIn Posting State/Province - Maryland
LinkedIn Posting Country - United States
LinkedIn Job Title - Client Development Specialist - Public Sector
LinkedIn Function - Consulting
LinkedIn Industry - Defense & Space
LinkedIn Seniority Level - Associate