HR & Talent Specialist

McKinsey & Company; Chennai District; On-site; INR 2,500,000 - 3,800,000; Full time

Job summary

McKinsey & Company in India seeks a seasoned Talent Strategy professional to shape the talent agenda across the VG&Media function. You will partner with people leaders, drive development programs, and lead cross-functional initiatives to scale a global talent strategy.

You will apply analytics to people data, guide career development, and oversee PD operations while collaborating with multi-country teams. Based in Chennai or Bangalore, the role offers growth in a high-performance environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in shaping talent strategy and developing people.
• Ability to advise, build trust, and establish credibility with leadership at multiple levels.
• Capable of driving cross-functional strategic initiatives with global consistency.
• Proficiency in analysing people metrics to uncover actionable insights.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication with global teams.
• High level of self-direction and organization in autonomous work environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead Talent Strategy Design & Execution within VG&Media to translate business strategies into talent priorities.
• Manage Professional Development domain operations, annual reviews, and PD programs across VG&Media.
• Drive cross-functional HR & Talent initiatives and standardize processes globally.
• Analyze people metrics to inform strategy, identify challenges, and influence interventions.

Skills

Talent strategy

People leadership

Cross-functional initiatives

Data analytics

Communication

Organization & prioritization

Job description

Who You\'ll Work With

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 Impact

Leveraging your expertise in talent management and stakeholder collaboration, you will drive the Professional Development domain operations and actively support the execution of our core Talent/PD strategy for the global VG&Media function.

As a member of the HR&Talent and VG&Media People & Culture teams, you will apply your end-to-end program management and planning skills to spearhead initiatives and PD operations to ultimately advance our talent objectives. You will be recognized and relied upon as a subject matter expert in the professional development domain.

You will leverage a core set of capabilities to drive the following outcomes:

Talent Strategy Design & Execution

Apply Business Acumen: Translate functional business strategies into actionable talent priorities, defining and executing targeted talent measures within the VG&Media function.

Leverage Organizational Design: Maintain and administer the path talent architecture, including defining role progressions, mapping skill codes, and structuring clear career paths.

Drive Stakeholder Alignment: Partner with key functional leaders to build clarity and consensus on overarching talent and performance management strategies.

Professional Development Domain Management

Provide Strategic Advisory & Coaching: Serve as a trusted advisor to people leaders and individuals, offering expert counsel on career development, review and recognition cycles, and navigating performance issues (integrating subject matter experts to resolve complex challenges).

Execute Operational Excellence: Independently lead and seamlessly execute developmental milestones, Annual Reviews, and essential PD operations across VG&Media.

Facilitate & Influence: Convene and guide VG&Media managers to align on professional development strategies, share best practices, and cultivate a culture of continuous growth.

Project Management

Drive Strategic Projects: Drive and manage cross-cutting HR&Talent initiatives that reinforce and scale the broader talent strategy across the global VG&Media function.

Optimize Global Processes: Champion consistency across people processes by scaling and standardizing best practices for annual reviews and ongoing performance management.

Data Management & Insights-driven Collaboration

Apply Analytical Problem-Solving: Analyze people and team metrics (e.g., advancement data, historical performance trends) to uncover insights that directly inform and shape our talent strategy.

Drive Data-Informed Interventions: Track progress against developmental milestones, proactively identify core challenges, and architect creative solutions to achieve key PD outcomes in VG&Media. Ensure Data Integrity: Manage core organizational data accuracy within firm systems (e.g., MyDev).

You will be based in Chennai or Bangalore, two of our primary India centers supporting the VG&Media function.

Your Qualifications and Skills

• 5+ years of experience in shaping talent strategy and developing people, either through direct people leadership or as a subject matter expert


• Demonstrated ability to confidently advise, build trust, and establish credibility with leadership at multiple levels


• Capable of driving cross-functional strategic initiatives from conception to execution, managing change, and ensuring global consistency


• Proficiency in analysing people metrics to uncover actionable insights, inform strategic decisions, and solve complex organizational challenges


• Exceptional written and verbal communication abilities, with a proven capability to partner effectively across diverse, global teams and functions


• High level of self-direction and organization, capable of managing competing priorities and delivering results in a complex, largely autonomous work environment