McKinsey & Company, North American Knowledge Center

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

Overview:
We are seeking a Knowledge Specialist to lead growth of the US Regional Economic Development service line. The service line engages with regional (primarily state) governments to understand related economic environments at the state, regional, city or even neighborhood level and develop strategies against key opportunities.

The Knowledge Specialist role has four core elements:

1. Deliver cutting edge expertise and knowledge in client service and development by:
- Shaping the thinking on the initial diagnostics, strategy development, related initiatives and implementation as part of regional economic development, innovation hubs, corporate site selection projects
- Developing the next generation of diagnostic analyses and levers for growth
- Collaborating with a team of peers to execute on multiple often simultaneous projects and priorities

2. Build knowledge against key priorities by working closely with service line/team leadership and team members. Current knowledge priorities include:
- Developing a suite of advanced analytical tools to speed up insight delivery and uncover new insights
- Developing internal and external publications on related topics
- Leading incorporation of new insights and analyses into existing tools and materials on a continuous basis

3. Ensure relevant knowledge and tools are in the hands of our clients and internal stakeholders by:
- Participating in relevant client projects, letters of proposal, client development documents and internal and external publications
- Developing outreach materials
- Leading outreach to relevant client teams
- Ensuring presence of latest service line materials/tools/offerings at core internal forums and discussions

4. Build strong service line operations, including but not exclusive of:
- Maintaining visibility of service line performance through convening leadership meetings, developing dashboards
- Staying abreast of relevant internal and external knowledge, and disseminating among stakeholders; introducing and implementing new ideas for knowledge, tools, operations
- Ensuring strong linkages with adjacent expertise areas/service lines: on projects, knowledge building and team development
- Ensuring strong team development for analysts in the service line

Desired Skills:
- Strong understanding of core topics within regional economic development, such as public finance, urban economics public sector, and corporate site selection
- A solid foundation in business and economic research with a broad range of topics is required; more in-depth knowledge in one or two areas is helpful
- Quantitative skills in economic impact modeling and forecasting
- Knowledge of the full range of government economic and demographic data (such as US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)) as well as other sources of public sector data and analysis
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Analytical mindset with excellent problem-solving skills
- High level of initiative and entrepreneurial drive coupled with ability to interact effectively with stakeholders at all levels of an organization

Education and experience:
- A graduate degree in economics or a related discipline. PhD in a related field is highly desired.
- 5+ years of experience in research or consulting in areas of economic development, public sector, or corporate site selection; as well experience in economic impact modeling and forecasting. For candidates with completed Ph.D, will consider equivalent educational experience.