Communications Associate Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Illinois

Job ID: 113140

Location: Chicago

Do you want to do work that matters, alongside supportive leaders who will help you grow faster than you ever thought possible? Are you a creative problem-solver who is energized by challenges? You’ve come to the right place.

YOUR IMPACT

You will lead the development and execution of an integrated Reach & Engagement strategy for the Midwest, helping translate the region’s priorities, distinctive capabilities, knowledge, and impact into compelling engagement with colleagues, clients, media, business and civic leaders, alumni, and other key stakeholders.

You will join McKinsey’s Reach & Engagement (R&E) function as the Communications Leader for the Midwest, a seven-office region with Chicago serving as its largest office and regional hub. Based in Chicago, you will work closely with Midwest leadership, local office managing partners, and colleagues across the region to strengthen how McKinsey engages the audiences most important to the firm and its work.

Communications and Marketing

You will shape and drive high-impact internal and external communications across the Midwest, ensuring that the region communicates with a clear, distinctive, and consistent voice. Working closely with regional and office leadership, you will identify the stories, issues, and opportunities that matter most and develop communications strategies that strengthen engagement and advance the firm’s priorities.

You will serve as a trusted thought partner and communications counselor to Midwest leadership and local office managing partners, advising on communications strategy, executive positioning, reputation, and engagement with key internal and external audiences. You will develop and oversee communications across channels and formats, including leadership communications, media engagement, events, digital and social content, thought leadership, and targeted stakeholder outreach.

You will help strengthen McKinsey’s external presence across the Midwest by identifying opportunities to bring the firm’s knowledge, expertise, and perspectives to relevant conversations. This will include shaping the region’s approach to community impact and local R&E events; building and strengthening relationships with key media, business, and industry leaders, institutions, and community stakeholders across the region; and identifying strategic board and external leadership opportunities for McKinsey leaders.

You will also help connect colleagues across the seven offices to the Midwest’s priorities and purpose, developing internal communications that build understanding, engagement, and a stronger sense of connection across the region.

Client Activation

You will work in close partnership with the Strategy & Operations lead for the Midwest, who leads the region’s client activation agenda, to ensure R&E capabilities effectively support the region’s client priorities.

You will bring an audience and engagement lens to these priorities, helping activate McKinsey’s knowledge, thought leadership, convenings, communications, digital channels, and external relationships in support of priority clients and prospective clients. You will work with partners and other firm leaders to identify priority audiences and organizations, develop tailored engagement approaches, and mobilize the firm’s knowledge, convenings, communications, and relationships to reach them.

This will include developing programs that bring together senior clients and prospective clients around issues of relevance to the Midwest; identifying opportunities for targeted dissemination of McKinsey knowledge and insights; and helping partners build and strengthen relationships with senior executives and other influential stakeholders across the region.

You will bring a disciplined, audience-led approach to this work, using insights and data to inform engagement strategies and measure the effectiveness of R&E efforts. Working with the Midwest Strategy & Operations lead, you will help connect client priorities with relevant R&E opportunities across the seven offices and ensure client-facing engagement reinforces the region’s broader reputation and external engagement strategy.

You will operate as an R&E integrator—connecting regional priorities with local office needs and bringing together colleagues across R&E, practices, sectors, and other parts of the firm. You will lead complex, high-profile R&E initiatives, mobilize senior and junior colleagues, and ensure that activity across the Midwest is coordinated, focused, and designed to deliver measurable impact.

You will bring strong judgment, an instinct for reputation and stakeholder dynamics, and the ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving, highly collaborative environment. You will establish clear goals and measures of success, use audience and performance insights to continually refine the region’s approach, and help ensure that the Midwest’s communications and R&E efforts reinforce one another.

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

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent education or work experience)

• 10+ years of experience in a business communications-related field; prior background in professional services, corporate communications, government, or a communications agency is beneficial

• Exceptional writer, editor, and storyteller capable of translating complex ideas into clear, compelling communications for senior internal and external audiences; brings a broad toolkit across external and internal communications, media relations, executive communications, digital and social media, websites, thought leadership, events, and stakeholder engagement.

• Strong instinct for audience resonance with the ability to quickly grasp complex business and regional issues, go deep into content when needed, and turn regional priorities, knowledge, and ideas into compelling engagement that brings McKinsey’s perspectives to relevant conversations.

• Strong client orientation with the ability to partner closely with Strategy & Operations, partners, practices, and colleagues to translate regional client activation priorities into tangible, effective R&E programs—including communications, events and convenings, community engagement, external partnerships, thought leadership, and targeted outreach.

• Proven ability to build and sustain meaningful relationships with media representatives, business and civic leaders, community organizations, institutions, and other external stakeholders.

• Exceptional ability to influence and mobilize senior stakeholders (including partners and office leaders) and drive progress without direct authority, adeptly connecting the right people, expertise, relationships, and resources across offices, practices, sectors, and functions to get things done.

• Highly action-oriented, entrepreneurial, and resourceful problem solver who readily takes ownership of outcomes; excels at moving from loosely defined objectives to clear plans and high-quality execution while personally driving the work and mobilizing, leading, and developing others.

• Outstanding organizational and project management skills to juggle multiple priorities with speed, accuracy, meticulous attention to detail, and follow-through; applies sound judgment to establish priorities, make decisions, and maintain forward momentum in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.

• Exceptional instinct for identifying reputational risks and opportunities early, exercising sound judgment, and providing practical counsel to senior stakeholders, paired with the ability to pragmatically use data and audience insights to make decisions, improve programs, and assess overall impact.

• Mastery of Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Teams) and firm-related tools (Box, Slack); consistently embodies core firm values through personal accountability, continuous professional development, resilience, and a dedication to driving high-impact work.

• Fluent-level verbal and written English language skills required.

Please review the additional requirements regarding essential job functions of McKinsey colleagues.

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