From January 2010 to November 2010, McLean served as a field director for the Tom Perriello (D-VA) campaign. From 2011 to 2012, he worked as director of media tracking for the Democratic National Committee. Following the 2012 election, McLean cofounded Analytics Media Group, which used data purchased from set-top box and DVR collection as well as from third parties to generate ad strategies for political campaigns as well as for businesses. In 2016, Dolan Family Adventures acquired Analytics Media Group, absorbing it into its company named 605. After the acquisition, McLean became EVP of Client Solutions. Since it was founded in 2018, McLean has worked as president of Future Forward USA Action, a left-of-center nonprofit advocacy group, and its affiliated political action committee, Future Forward PAC.