Specialist - Payors

McKinsey & Company; Darien (CT); On-site; USD 172,800 - 211,200; Full time

Job summary

McKinsey & Company in the United States is seeking a senior professional to join the HALO team within SHaPE, delivering impact for payors and health plans across affordability, access, and quality. You will lead analyses, shape strategies, and guide client engagements with a collaborative, results-oriented mindset.

You bring 5+ years in healthcare cost optimization or related areas, strong problem-solving, and the ability to influence multiple stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree; advanced degree preferred.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in healthcare payors or cost optimization areas.
• Understanding of the healthcare ecosystem, especially payors; knowledge of medical/administrative cost optimization is a plus.
• Strong problem‑solving skills with ability to process complex information.
• High level of entrepreneurship, professionalism and presence to succeed on the ground with clients.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high‑quality outputs to guide decisions on affordability, accessibility, and quality of healthcare.
• Identify opportunities in medical, administrative, or pharmacy costs and develop tactical programs and plans.
• Engage frontline client teams, manage client relationships, and guide discussions with leadership.
• Use project management and client communication skills in problem‑solving sessions with clients and McKinsey leadership.

Skills

Strong problem solving

Entrepreneurship

Client-service mindset

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Your Impact

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 have come to the right place.

You will work with McKinsey's Healthcare Access, Quality and Outcomes improvement (HALO) domain as part of our Social Sector, Healthcare & Public Sector Entities (SHaPE) practice in one of our offices in North America. HALO aspires to build solutions, expertise, and capabilities to deliver a comprehensive, end‑to‑end performance impact to payors (including provider‑led health plans) and services clients (including investor entities and those that operate like payors and take risk) across affordability, access, quality, and efficiency. Taken together, HALO aspires to improve the performance of healthcare worldwide through its levers and capabilities. The HALO domain is the combination of an impact‑focused, interdisciplinary team and a robust suite of analytics, insights, expertise, and solutions to enable payor transformations. These assets can be deployed rapidly across our clients either directly or in partnership with other domains (e.g. pharmacy, value‑based care, clinical operations). You will collaborate with other HALO colleagues, other SHaPE healthcare areas, and the broader global practice of McKinsey consultants and teams. You will also work closely with professional development to align domain goals with the team experience and help bring the people development vision to life. You will be staffed on client engagements, primarily with national and regional health plans, to make healthcare better, more affordable, and more accessible for all.

In this role you will deliver high‑quality outputs to guide decisions on critical business problems for our clients. These outputs could include strategies to improve affordability, accessibility, and quality of healthcare; identify opportunities in medical, administrative, or pharmacy costs; and develop tactical programs and implementation plans to support execution of the strategies you help develop. You will engage front‑line client teams involved in improving the quality and cost of healthcare, take ownership of client relationships, guide clients through appropriate syndication discussions, and participate in implementation projects. You will also use your project management and client communication skills in problem‑solving sessions with clients and McKinsey leadership. Time will be devoted to creating new knowledge, assets, and capabilities for the payor practice in partnership with HALO leadership.

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 resilience to try another way forward. In return for your drive, determination, and curiosity, we 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 will receive apprenticeship, coaching, and exposure that will accelerate your growth in ways you cannot find elsewhere.

• 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, while upholding our unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity. We encourage diverse perspectives, which 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 develop the best solutions for our clients. You’ll 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

• Bachelor's degree, advanced degree preferred
• 5+ years of relevant experience, including experience in at least one of the following areas: Payment Integrity (Fraud, Waste & Abuse); Medical & Pharmacy Cost Optimization; Network Optimization; Administration & Operational Efficiency; Care Management; Risk Adjustment
• Understanding of the healthcare ecosystem, particularly payors; knowledge of medical or administrative cost optimization is a plus
• Strong problem‑solving skills with the ability to process complex information
• High level of entrepreneurship, professionalism and presence to succeed on the ground with clients
• Client‑service mindset
• Able to provide leadership over, and influence individuals across, multiple stakeholders from different levels and backgrounds by tailoring approach
• Ability to be a strong team player in a dynamic and changing environment
• Knowledge of automation or other AI is a plus
• Ability to travel to and work in varying environments that may be challenging and/or not accessible

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/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 U.S. 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 the United States, including all office locations where the job may be performed, is $192,000 - $192,000 USD gross per year. This reflects our best estimate of the lowest to highest 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.