Junior Specialist - Product Development

Who You'll Work With

You will be based in one of our European offices as part of our Operations Practice.

Our Operations Practice assists our clients in solving complex operational challenges. Blending strategic thinking with hands-on practicality, our teams of consultants and experts work to develop and implement operational strategies that solve our clients’ most critical problems.

McKinsey’s Product Development service line is committed to helping clients develop products that fit market needs, produce attractive margins, provide platforms for add-on offerings, and enhance the reputation of brands for future business growth. Our work in product development includes developing, defining, and implementing strategies that help clients make lasting improvements to their innovation and business performance.

When you join McKinsey as a Junior Consultant, you join a firm that will challenge you and invest heavily in your professional development. You will have the opportunity to work in teams and help the best organizations in the world solve some of their most difficult problems

What You'll Do

You will play an active role in problem solving for clients including identifying issues, forming hypotheses, designing, and conducting analyses, and synthesizing conclusions into recommendations.

As part of our two-year Operations Excellence Program (OEP), you will work on client engagements in the same way as any other McKinsey consultant. You will gain leading edge operations and consultancy skills, primarily through on-the-job coaching, which will be complemented by the OEP’s structured capability-building program.

We view the OEP position as the start of a rewarding, challenging and highly flexible career with McKinsey and the Operations practice. During your first few years with the firm, you will serve as a junior practice specialist on multiple client engagements and work with a number of colleagues and clients in a range of industry and operations service lines. You will acquire the necessary knowledge and expertise to help companies achieve excellence in their operations.

Along with other members of the OEP community, you will dedicate many days to functional training and knowledge development under the leadership of our operations experts. You will follow a curriculum based on operations excellence themes and will receive advanced training in one of six specific areas of operations manufacturing, product development, purchasing, service operations, supply chain management, or capital excellence.

Upon completion of the program, successful consultants will join our global group of leading experts in operational excellence. We already have OEP graduates working at all levels of the firm from associate to partner.

Your application should be in English and include your CV and your transcripts (high school, university, etc.), indicating all relevant grades.

OPS2024

Qualifications

• Master’s degree and exceptional academics required
• Initial experience in product development (e.g., product optimization/value analysis, leading R&D projects, technical supplier management)
• Proven record of leadership in a work setting and/or through extracurricular activities
• Mobility and enthusiasm for taking on European assignments during the work week
• Exceptional analytical and quantitative problem-solving skills
• Ability to communicate complex ideas effectively, both verbally and in writing, in English and local office language