Associate or Engagement Manager for experienced hire?

Openness to experienced hires depends on timing, demand,  and alignment with current projects and clients. I would suggest doing a bit of due diligence about the projects and the industries your reference offices work with (reading online articles and networking with junior office members) and preparing a story of your resume reflecting the potential matches. Then, I would attempt to reach out to some partners (with a solid story about your CV ready!) to discuss your interest, obtain a referral, and get a feeling of what level you could join (a close-to-promotion associate could be a good compromise).

PS Given your experience I would also have a look at the implementation practices

Hi there, 

From what I've seen in practice, lateral hire Engagement Managers at MBBs are typically from other consultancies. While your project management experience will definitely come in handy eventually, running an MBB consulting project will feel very very different. 

That's why consultancies would tend to hire you as a an Associate, maybe with a fast track agreement, pending on performance. In this way, you can learn the consulting fundamentals, and then leverage your management and industry experience. 

This would depend a lot however on the specific office, their current needs and the details of your experience. 

I would suggest you do the following:  
1. Prepare your story (why consulting, why now, why you would be a good candidate)
2. Have a strong CV
3. Start reaching out / networking expressing your intention, your story and your question - I think it represents and excellent opportunity to discuss with someone from the inside and get more specific guidance. 

Good luck!
Ariadna 

Hi there,

Q: I have roughly 15 years of engineering and project managent experience. Should I apply to Associate level roles?

If you don’t have previous experience in consulting and want to target a consultant role, they will normally let you start as an Associate (McKinsey) / Consultant (BCG/Bain), with the option to have a fast track to a Manager role after a few months.

If you have the option, I would target an expert position with your experience, as it might be a better fit.

Given your seniority, rather than applying for a specific position online, I would recommend looking for a referral and letting them reach out to HR for the next steps. You can find more information on referrals at the link below:

▶ How to Get an MBB Invitation

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

With this much experience, you would very likely be a direct-entry EM. 

I agree with Matteo that you should start reaching out to partners in the relevant offices to get the discussion going!

Sidenote: Even if you start out as an EM, you might initially be staffed as an Associate for 1-2 projects to learn the ropes (which is a super important experience to go through and will help you to become an effective EM much quicker!).

Reach out if you need help!

Cheers,

Florian

I'd problem-solve this with the recruiter from your office. 

They are your thinking partner in this process. And they do have your best interest at heart in terms of being positioned in the right role. 

With your experience, I'd rather say you qualify for EM, rather than Associate, though it's also a fair plan to go for Associate and then seek an early promotion (saw this happen with the CTO of a large tech company that was fast tracked promoted in 5y from Associate to Partner). 

Do reach out if you have additional questions that I can help with.

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your situation:

• First of all, given your extensive technical and project management experience, a direct application for an Engagement Manager position might be a better choice. Even if you have no previous consulting experience, there is essentially no downside to giving it a shot.
• Moreover, if the recruiter or your interviewer feels that your experience doesn't match the requirements for the Engagement Manager position, they will still consider you, even if it's just an Associate position.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming McKinsey interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Given my experience with 10+ year industry experience candidates - McK/BCG will be highly selective in accepting you for an EM position. It is likely they will start you at Associate (or Consultant for BCG) and maybe give you a few months tenure to start with.

The issue is that they want you to develop some specific skills that are crucial to being a good EM.

That said, with a deep industry experience - you should aim for the expert tracks in MBB.

This is a very different role. You do not have the adequate skillset to be considered for an EM role as you have no business nor consulting background.

Thinking the other way around, would a Mckinsey EM or Partner have the credentials to do your job? Probably not.

You have to apply to associate roles and learn the job before moving up to become an EM.

On the positive side, if your experience is relevant to the team, and you prove to learn the ropes quickly, you will be fast tracked to become an EM.