20+ years experience in tech, tech ops, service management in Financial services. Considering MBB as a bridge to c-level roles. Worth considering? What type of roles could I aim for? And what is, realistically, the work-life balance like? I don't mind taking a step back seniority wise so I can learn the MBB way
Thank you
Hi there,
Wow, you have a lot of experience.
I would need to understand your experience a bit better to be able to suggest a role, but most likely you would be looking at something equivalent to Associate Partner.
Even so, they might start you as a senior Manager for a year or so before you learn the ropes.
My recommendation would be to reach out to the recruiters from the firms you would be interested in joining and have an honest conversation.
This is also the most 'top down' way of doing it because from them you'll get a sense of how willing they are to hire senior people, in what roles and when.
This will help you plan a bit better for the application process.
High-level, if you are looking for a way of approaching the application process strategically, you might find the following guide useful:
Best,
Cristian
Hi there,
Depending on your history, offices’ needs and relationship with senior leaders, this may be a valid move. I suggest you reach out to some senior leaders at MBB (cold message them on LinkedIn) to check it.
The roles you may fit are likely: Engagement manager and Associate partner (McKinsey’s roles). Most likely the first one.
Work life balance is not good, honestly. Expect from 60-90 hours a week depending on the project and the projects’ phase.
Best,
Mari
If you’re looking in the UK, I can point you to two people you can do a cold outreach to. One came in as an experienced hire, the other could be more aligned to your type of work. Maybe their perspective might help.
Work-life balance, I wouldn’t bring that up. It’s the default trade-off for a consulting career at MBB level.
What position are you going into? If its EM or below - Hard no. These profiles have consistently struggled and have been counselled out.
If AP and above; not too bad I reckon if you can stay a year.
Your kind of profile would likely come in as an Associate Partner, depending on the level of leadership and depth of your network from previous roles.
At McK, they will often ask APs to spend a few months shadowing Associates and EMs before they take on project leadership.
Work life balance will likely be worse than in a corporate role; that is to be expected with MBB since you are now client-facing.
