Executive Recruiter

McKinsey & Company; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

McKinsey & Company is seeking a recruiting leader to drive Harvard Business School campus hiring. You will lead a team of senior stakeholders, consultants, and campus recruiters to attract and win top talent, while owning McKinsey’s brand on campus.

You will partner with Northeast Regional TA Leads and senior partners to develop strategy, coordinate interview days, and advise candidates throughout the two-year lifecycle.

Qualifications

• University degree required.
• 6+ years of recruiting experience in high-volume or competitive environments.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with data-driven decision making.
• Exceptional organizational and administrative skills with ability to manage multiple tasks.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of stakeholders and campus recruiters to attract, interview, and win top talent from Harvard Business School.
• Develop and execute a strategy to attract talent and manage relationships with Career Services and campus leaders.
• Coordinate with regional Talent Attraction leads and senior partners to align hiring strategy across streams.
• Advise candidates throughout the recruiting lifecycle and provide strategic connections.
• Shape on-campus recruiting with regular updates and competitive intelligence.
• Manage interview days and contribute to a data-driven approach to improve outcomes.

Skills

Recruiting experience

Stakeholder management

Analytical thinking

Communication

Organizational skills

Education

University degree

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

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

You will be responsible for driving and managing all aspects of recruiting for full-time and summer roles at Harvard Business School (HBS).

You will lead a team of senior stakeholders, consultants, former consultants on campus and global performance cells to identify, hire and win the best talent from HBS, while owning McKinsey’s brand on campus. You will also be an integral member of the Northeast and North America campus recruiting teams.

Key Responsibilities include but are not limited to: leading a team of senior stakeholders, consultants, and staffed recruiting ambassadors to develop and execute a strategy to attract, interview, and win the top talent from HBS. This includes leading structured problem‑solving discussions with senior leaders, bringing in competitive insights, and applying creative thinking to drive the right strategy.

Convening & Integrating Strategy across Streams: you will partner with Northeast Regional Talent Attraction (TA) Lead and Senior Partner Sponsor(s) for Harvard to integrate our hiring strategies across streams at the school; convene Harvard BA and APD Recruiters to share regular updates with senior stakeholders, work together on strategy, and integrate where it makes sense.

Candidate Advising & Cultivation: you will serve as the primary contact, counselor, and trusted advisor for HBS students throughout their two-year recruiting lifecycle, understanding their key decision drivers and making strategic connections early.

Stakeholder & Cell Collaboration: you will advise global performance cells on best approaches for focused on-campus activity. You will ensure appropriate representation throughout the recruiting lifecycle. You will proactively shape high-potential and interview lists, working closely with cells to ensure strategic Partner and "buddy" connections are made early and strengthened over time (e.g., driving regular win room calls, tracking touchpoints/intel, and nudging Partners).

Closing & Yield Management: you will work alongside global performance cells, drive candidate cultivation by developing personalized strategies for each offeree based on their decision drivers, pulling in the right senior-level consultants to address their specific questions and concerns.

Pipeline Diversification: you will strategically identify and excite top talent pools to apply to McKinsey beyond those traditionally interested in consulting (e.g., scholars, former athletes, veterans, entrepreneurs).

Community & Brand Building: you will build a strong community of McKinsey alumni on campus to act as ambassadors for the firm. You will also own the McKinsey narrative on campus from day one by proactively sharing key messages, securing the best speakers/hosts, and preparing all consultants with relevant talking points.

Relationship Management: you will develop strong relationships with Career Services and key campus leaders (e.g., professors, alumni) to ensure we are well positioned to identify, attract, and win top talent, as well as influence dates and policies to align with firm needs.

Event Planning & Budgeting: you will plan and execute a variety of high-quality events (presentations, small group sessions, content-based, and relationship-building events) to excite top students, while independently managing the source recruiting budget and strategically staffing consultants.

Data-Driven Decision Making: you will track and analyze recruiting results against historical and competitive benchmarks, leveraging data to identify strategies that continuously improve recruiting initiatives and outcomes.

Interview Operations: you will help manage final-round interview days in the Boston office during non-MBA peak periods, including planning schedules, coordinating with Partners, APs, and EAs to secure participation, and leading decision meetings.

Firmwide Contribution: you will serve as an integral part of the broader Northeast and North America campus recruiting team by actively participating, sharing best practices, systematically gathering competitive intelligence, and innovating McKinsey’s recruiting strategy.

Your Qualifications and Skills

• University degree required
• 6+ years of recruiting experience, with demonstrated success managing complex recruiting efforts in high-volume or competitive environments. Knowledge of professional services-based recruiting is a strong plus
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities; able to rationally structure challenges to generate insights, base decisions on data, and develop creative solutions. Possesses the desire and energy to continuously improve recruiting processes
• Exceptional organizational and administrative skills. Able to manage your time and energy to deliver high-quality work, independently coordinate multiple complex tasks, prioritize effectively, and work with minimal direction
• High degree of comfort with Excel and PowerPoint
• Proven ability to build deep trust and collaborate effectively across leaders, teams, and geographies. Discreet, respectful, and caring when handling highly confidential information
• A proactive self-starter with a track record of demonstrated initiative, judgment, and maturity. Always mindful of the firm’s external reputation
• Passion for taking on new challenges with a strong commitment to the firm's mission and values
• Able to work effectively under pressure, navigate ambiguity gracefully, and adapt flexibly to last-minute changes
• Exceptional communication abilities; capable of turning raw information into compelling insights and narratives to excite top talent and align senior internal stakeholders