Learning Design Expert

McKinsey & Company; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 159,000 - 212,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Hybrid work model

Excellent benefits

Job summary

McKinsey & Company is seeking a senior Learning Design Leader to drive end-to-end development of instructional programs, leveraging AI and learning science to deliver measurable impact. The role is hybrid, based near an office in the United States, with collaboration across Global L&D, People, technology, and data teams.

You will design interventions from apprenticeship to AI-based coaching and classroom delivery, building reusable, modular content and guardrails to ensure quality and scale

Qualifications

• University degree in instructional/learning design or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 6+ years’ experience in instructional content development; professional services preferred.
• Fluency in learning science and development techniques; know when to elevate or fix.
• Ability to see a project as part of a larger development ecosystem.
• Downstream effects: people, tech, data, and practices intertwined.
• Experience with ILT/VILT, apprenticeship, coaching, and other development approaches.
• Structure around ambiguity; manage complexity and stakeholders to deliver results.
• Strong project management; Agile experience; data analysis preferred.
• Experience with legacy L&D authoring tools like Articulate Suite.
• Experience with evolving AI tools (Claude, OpenAI, Cursor).
• Ability to author, test, and iterate reusable AI-assisted drafting skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end design and development of learning experiences.
• Collaborate with Global/Regional L&D, People, tech, and data teams.
• Design interventions across apprenticeship, AI-based coaching, classroom, and deliberate practice.
• Build AI-enabled modular content, standards, and guardrails for scalable delivery.
• Combine AI and human development to move faster while maintaining quality.

Skills

Instructional design

Learning science

AI tools familiarity

Project management

Agile

Stakeholder collaboration

ILT/VILT

Complex problem solving

Content development

Articulate Suite

AI drafting skills

Education

University degree in instructional/learning design or related field

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Articulate Suite

AI tools (Claude/OpenAI/Cursor)

Job description

Locations

• Amsterdam


• Atlanta


• Budapest


• Chicago


• Dublin


• Dusseldorf


• Lisbon


• London


• Madrid


• Munich


• Poznan

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 work in the Learning Design, Innovation, and Analytics Center of Excellence, a team that pairs a rare combination of strengths: world-class people-development experts, learning scientists, cross-functional connectors, data analysts, and AI innovators.

You will help colleagues learn through apprenticeship, flagship leadership programs, structured curricula, and high-quality deliberate practice. You will use technology and AI as the levers that advance McKinsey’s position as the preeminent leadership development institution in the world.

You will design and develop a wide range of learning interventions that meet the needs of our diverse colleagues, across a range of topics. You will work in collaboration with a vast network of team members from Global L&D, Regional L&D, People, technology, and data. You will also collaborate with subject matter experts and senior stakeholders, with an eye toward firm impact, effectiveness, rigorous standards, and timeline.

Innovation is core to every role on the team, and you’ll develop emerging perspectives that help shape how the firm develops, manages, and delivers learning, with AI and data as core enablers.

You will work in a hybrid model, based near one of our offices, occasionally traveling for key project meetings and program deliveries.

You will bring world-class, creative design expertise to McKinsey, grounded in the best of learning science, behavioral science, and neuroscience, designing solutions that support specific performance objectives and drive measurable impact. At its core, this team helps people build the capability, expertise, and judgment that makes our firm distinctive. Increasingly, you will do that work in partnership with AI: using it to move faster and reach further, while keeping human-based development at the center.

You’ll lead the entire end-to-end design and development process, from partnering with AI to identifying performance needs through the creation of learning experiences including apprenticeship, AI-based coaching, instructor-led classroom, and deliberate practice.

You will also help build and maintain the shared, AI-enabled modular content, reusable components, standards, and guardrails that let teams and colleagues across the firm adapt and deliver learning experiences without sacrificing quality.

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

• University degree in instructional/learning design, human resource development, educational technology, communications, or a related field. Advanced degree preferred


• 6+ years’ experience in instructional content development; experience with a professional services organization preferred


• Deep learning science and human-development fluency, grounded in best-in-class instructional design technique and insights from related disciplines, knowing what good looks like and when to elevate, override, or fix


• Ability to see a project as part of the larger development ecosystem, connected to other teams, tools, and decisions


• Ability to work through a solution’s downstream effects, positive and negative, recognizing that people, technology, data, and firm practices are deeply intertwined


• In-depth working knowledge across multiple development approaches including but not limited to: deliberate practice, ILT and VILT, workplace learning, apprenticeship, and coaching


• Ability to create structure around ambiguous assignments and manage complexity in terms of the work and stakeholders to deliver results in a compressed timeframe


• Excellent project management and problem-solving skills; familiarity with Agile project management principles, as well as experience with qualitative and quantitative data analysis preferred


• Experience with legacy L&D authoring tools (e.g., Articulate Suite), preferred


• Experience with a range of evolving AI tools (e.g., Claude, OpenAI, Cursor)


• Ability to author, test, and iterate reusable agentic skills that drive AI-assisted drafting, adaptation, and quality checks, not just one-off prompting

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.

Industries

• Infrastructure

Capabilities

• Organizational Structure


• Transformation

FOR U.S. APPLICANTS: McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action 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. To help you understand what you can expect, the salary range for new joiners in this role in United States, including all office locations where the job may be performed, is $159,200 - $212,100 USD gross per year. 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.