Tech & AI
Expert Associate Partner - Travel & Hospitality
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Boston
- Charlotte
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- Connecticut - Darien
- Dallas
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Do you want to do work that matters, alongside supportive leaders who will help you grow faster than you ever thought possible? Are you a creative problem-solver who is energized by challenges?
You've come to the right place.
YOUR IMPACT
You will play a senior leadership role in shaping and delivering AI-enabled transformation for leading airlines, airports, hotels, cruise lines, rail operators, and other travel ecosystem players.
You'll work with small, flexible QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey teams and McKinsey client service teams to translate strategy into production-ready AI solutions-setting technical direction, designing architectures, and driving execution alongside client teams to deliver measurable outcomes.
We are in the midst of an unprecedented period of change within the travel and hospitality sector, with a high bar on delivering new capabilities rooted in AI. In your role, you will work with McKinsey client service teams to counsel clients, shape their AI agendas, and architect AI acceleration and transformation programs.
What that looks like in practice:
- Evaluate data and technology maturity across commercial, customer, and operational domains - then translate what you learn into a clear, sequenced roadmap that clients can execute (and fund).
- Lead end-to-end solution delivery - from use case shaping through build, deployment, and adoption - so the work lands in the business (not just in a slide). This includes partnering with client product/tech leaders, aligning stakeholders, and putting the measurement approach in place so value is visible and durable.
- Bring strong problem-solving and vision-setting to complex client needs - delivering high-impact insights and recommendations, and leading technical design workshops to co-create solutions and architecture with clients.
- Build scalable, secure foundations (data architecture, MLOps, governance, security) that enable repeatable AI delivery across lines of business - especially in environments where legacy commercial systems, loyalty platforms, and operational systems have to work together.
- Apprentice and mentor teams - you will be responsible for developing high-performing QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey practitioners across Travel & Hospitality, raising the bar on quality, pace, and practical impact.
You'll work as part of our Travel practice within the Travel, Logistics and Infrastructure (TLI) and QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey practice, closely with senior leaders across the global TLI practice and directly with senior clients on topics related to digital, technology, and advanced analytics. You will be part of the senior leadership team that helps clients deliver material value from their digital and analytics assets - overseeing multiple deployments and leading large, complex, high-profile working sessions on findings and implications. Driving lasting impact and building long-term capabilities with our clients is not easy work. You are the kind of person who thrives in a high performance/high reward culture - doing hard things, picking yourself up when you stumble, and having the resilience to try another way forward.
In return for your drive, determination, and curiosity, we'll provide the resources, mentorship, and opportunities you need to become a stronger leader faster than you ever thought possible. Your colleagues-at all levels-will invest deeply in your development, just as much as they invest in delivering exceptional results for clients. Every day, you'll receive apprenticeship, coaching, and exposure that will accelerate your growth in ways you won't find anywhere else.
When you join us, you will have:
- Continuous learning: Our learning and apprenticeship culture, backed by structured programs, is all about helping you grow while creating an environment where feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on your development. The real magic happens when you take the input from others to heart and embrace the fast-paced learning experience, owning your journey.
- A voice that matters: From day one, we value your ideas and contributions. You'll make a tangible impact by offering innovative ideas and practical solutions, all while upholding our unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity. We not only encourage diverse perspectives, but they are critical in driving us toward the best possible outcomes.
- Global community: With colleagues across 65+ countries and over 100 different nationalities, our firm's diversity fuels creativity and helps us come up with the best solutions for our clients. Plus, you'll have the opportunity to learn from exceptional colleagues with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
- World-class benefits: On top of a competitive salary (based on your location, experience, and skills), we provide a comprehensive benefits package to enable holistic well-being for you and your family.
YOUR QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS
- 7+ years of experience applying data science, advanced analytics, and AI to drive measurable business impact in client-facing or senior stakeholder settings (e.g., forecasting, pricing and optimization, personalization, operational decision support, or end-to-end performance improvement).
- Deep experience in travel and hospitality (e.g., airlines, airports, hotels, cruise, rail/urban transit, travel platforms), with hands-on understanding of the data and technology environments common to these sectors (commercial and demand data, pricing and revenue systems, customer and loyalty platforms, digital commerce, contact center/service operations, and operational and asset data)
- Experience designing and scaling modern AI solutions, including production-grade machine learning, generative AI, and agentic or workflow-embedded AI approaches that augment or automate complex business decisions
- Experience with data migrations, IT transformations (e.g., data lakes, platform warehouses, etc.) or enterprise implementations of CRM (Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, etc.) or ERP (Oracle, etc.) systems
- Demonstrated leadership of multidisciplinary engineering and analytics teams (data science, data engineering, full-stack, platform, DevOps), including experience managing distributed and offshore teams
- Strong expertise with major cloud platforms (AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure) and fluency in modern AI and data stacks, including core languages (e.g., SQL, Python), and emerging agentic AI tooling (e.g., LLM orchestration frameworks, tool-calling and workflow-based agents, retrieval-augmented generation, and MLOps pipelines)
- Flexible with travel: between 40-80%
- Strong communication and collaboration skills with a proven track record of establishing client relationships with successful outcomes
Please review the additional requirements regarding essential job functions of McKinsey colleagues.
Our
unwavering commitment to integrity
drives everything we do, guiding us to always act in the best interests of our clients, our people, and the communities we serve. Apply Now
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FOR U.S. APPLICANTS: McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Certain US jurisdictions require McKinsey & Company to include a reasonable estimate of the salary for this role.
For new joiners for this role in the United States, including all office locations where the job may be performed, a reasonable estimated range
is $243,000 - $249,000 USD -to help you understand what you can expect. This reflects our best estimate of the lowest to highest
[salary/hourly wages] for this role at the time of this posting, ensuring you have a clear picture right from the start, though it's important
to remember that actual salaries may vary. Factors like your office location, your unique blend of experience and skills, start date and our current
organizational needs all play a part in determining the final figure. Certain roles are also eligible for bonuses, subject to McKinsey's discretion
and based on factors such as individual and/or organizational performance. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive benefits package that reflects our commitment to the wellness of our colleagues and their families.
This includes medical, mental health, dental and vision coverage, telemedicine services, life, accident and disability insurance, parental leave and family planning benefits, caregiving resources, a generous retirement contributions program, financial guidance,
and paid time off. FOR NON-U.S. APPLICANTS: McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity employer. For additional details regarding our global EEO policy and diversity initiatives, please visit our McKinsey Careers and Diversity & Inclusion sites. Share This Job |
McKinsey & Company
parental leave, paid time off
May 07, 2026