McKinsey & Company - westcoast Office - Our Work


We believe that the team is the most powerful tool for taking advantage of the diverse knowledge and backgrounds of our consultants. To provide the appropriate complement of capabilities on any client engagement, we work together across West Coast locations as well as with consultants from other McKinsey offices. Our teams cooperate closely with the client and, in most cases, members of the client's organization act as full-time members of our working team. The core engagement team often consists of three to five consultants, though team size obviously depends on the scope and nature of the engagement. Below is a brief description of the different roles often involved in an engagement team.





Director of Client Service (DCS) Responsible for providing counsel to senior client leaders across high-priority issues, incorporating the work of multiple engagement teams over a long period of time.

Engagement Director (ED) Responsible for providing overall thought leadership and ensuring that the team delivers outstanding impact to the client. Also responsible for mentoring and coaching more junior team members.

Associate Principal (AP) Together with the ED, plays a critical role in problem solving and ensuring that the team delivers the best answer possible. Also responsible for securing client input and support throughout the process.

Engagement Manager (EM) Responsible for driving the team’s problem solving efforts and planning and managing much of the day-to-day work. The EM maintains a close working relationship with the client executives and is the “point person” on the ground.

Senior Associate Usually takes full responsibility for a significant piece of work and assists junior team members.

Associate Usually takes full responsibility for a piece of work, actively contributes to team problem solving, develops recommendations, and syndicates with client team members and executives.

Business Analyst (BA) Responsible for gathering and analyzing information, formulating and testing hypotheses with McKinsey and client team members, contributing to problem solving, and shaping recommendations.





Valuable support service groups are also available to provide consulting teams with assistance as needed.

Research & Information (R&I) Analyst/Specialist Supports the team by gathering and analyzing information. Highly experienced in leveraging firm knowledge resources as well as external information sources.

Graphics Specialist Helps the team in producing the reports and improving the visual design.

Executive Assistant Helps the team manage logistics, scheduling, and financial arrangements.

You can also find more information tailored to your background in Working at McKinsey.