Director of Business Development-Corporate

New York, Seattle, DC, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Santa Monica

Summary

The Director of Business Development for Corporate is a leadership position whose primary purpose is to accelerate the firm’s growth by acting as a catalyst that extends our attorneys’ ability to develop business from current and prospective clients.  The Director will be comfortable — even thrive — in a rapidly changing environment, can manage a diverse range of projects and prioritize effectively. This role will anticipate needs and provide thoughtful solutions and have a passion for engaging and developing the team. This position can be based in any of their U.S. office locations.

Responsibilities

• Work with practice and industry group leaders as well as individual partners from the general corporate, capital markets/public company, employee benefits, M&A and securities groups to advise them on business development planning and implementation
• Work with the Director of Business Development for IP, Litigation and Regulatory, Director of Client Engagement, CMBDO and senior leadership in the firm to innovate the firm’s sales function and its interplay with other Marketing functions
• Work with key personnel in other admin groups to better refine pricing, products, internal tools and business intelligence that supports firm’s sales and business development functions
• Develop and manage an eager, hard-working Corporate Business Development team
• Individually and as the leader of the firm’s Business Development function, the Director will:
• Help practice groups, industry groups, client teams and individual attorneys develop and implement business development plans and programs
• Build and maintain a strong, efficient Business Development Group that provides valuable, proactive support to the firm’s practices and individual attorneys
• Continually improve the Business Development’s function around developing and maintaining targeted sales materials, message points, competitive intelligence and relevant client lists and experience management
• Identify, develop, monitor and report on internal business development metrics, with an eye towards improving the efficiency and effectiveness of business development efforts (time and costs)
• Develop and help implement the training of Partners and Associates in business development
• Identify targets, develop pursuit strategies, and support pursuit efforts, including strategies and tactics to promote cross-selling
• Identify potential new areas of practice and industry growth that further support the firm’s mission of providing innovative legal services to technology and life sciences companies
• Develop long-term plans and strategies for expanding key client targets by assessing and tracking client service needs, promoting cross-selling opportunities, managing client teams (formal and informal), conducting industry research and analysis and identifying client-service related activities

Requirements

• Outstanding communication skills, with the ability to grab the attention of and inspire busy and skeptical law firm partners
• A consensus-building, team-oriented approach in working with the business development group, as well as other marketing and administrative colleagues
• Sense of humor, with a knack for keeping morale high under often stressful circumstances
• Self-directed and self-reliant worker, who can roll up his or her sleeves and work in the trenches when needed
• Proven capability to accomplish difficult, complex goals with limited actual “authority”
• Affinity for technology, both to best understand the clients we serve and to deploy tools that maximize efficiency and usability of the firm’s business development function
• Deep understanding of sales and marketing for professional services
• Wherewithal to thrive in a rapidly changing business environment
• The qualified candidate will have a minimum of 15 years’ experience in professional services business development is required. A law or business degree is preferred or, in its absence, a keen ability to deeply understand the services and strategic objectives of the firm.