Associate Director of Business Development

Position responsibilities

• Market Relationship Management: Build and maintain a robust network of clients, prospects, referral sources, and key external influencers, proactively working within relevant market ecosystems to increase firm visibility.
• Strategic Marketing Integration: Coordinate closely with the Marketing team to execute outreach, manage events, and drive disciplined follow-up on campaigns to convert engagement into tangible business leads.
• Partner Force Multiplication: Act as a strategic bridge for firm partners by generating introductions, opening doors to key decision-makers, and creating access to high-value opportunities.
• Relationship Continuity & Transition: Ensure seamless relationship continuity through structured follow-up, managing handoffs between internal teams and maintaining ongoing contact with key stakeholders.
• Opportunity Identification & Qualification: Proactively identify growth opportunities across existing and prospective clients, focusing on moving early-stage conversations into a qualified, high-probability pipeline.
• Whitespace & Cross-Selling Analysis: Surface untapped "whitespace" and cross-selling opportunities within existing client relationships, connecting specific client needs to the firm’s broader people and capabilities.
• Pipeline Coordination & Support: Ensure all identified opportunities are supported with the necessary internal coordination and tactical follow-up to move them through the business development lifecycle.
• Market & Pipeline Discipline: Maintain rigorous visibility into relationship activity by tracking all outreach, introductions, and meetings, ensuring clear documentation of next steps and pipeline movement.
• Operational Rhythm & Proactivity: Contribute to a consistent and proactive business development rhythm in the market, shifting the team from a reactive posture to a disciplined, lead-generation engine.

Skills and experience

• After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applications.
• Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours, as required.
• Ability to travel, as required.
• 8+ years of applicable experience in the field (e.g., marketing or business development), with 4+ years management experience (some at the senior level preferred).
• Market-facing presence including a leverageable network.
• Commercial instinct and proven relationship building skills, including strong working knowledge of enterprise CRM ecosystems (e.g., Salesforce).
• Bachelor’s Degree (Preferred).
• Prior legal industry or professional services experience (Preferred).

Competencies

• Entrepreneurial by nature.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Approaches tasks through a lens of quality and consistency.
• Approaches tasks through a digital first lens.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with ability to facilitate and solve problems.
• Organizes, prioritizes and coordinates multiple activities often under tight timelines.
• Takes a consultative approach to set goals, drive projects, and achieve outcomes.
• Strong judgment.
• Team-player with collaborative spirit.
• Unwavering ability to handle and maintain confidentiality regarding firm information, projects, client data.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence and develop talent.
• Proactive, analytical mindset.
• Effective presentation skills.

Benefits

• EEO.
• The expected annual pay range for this position with a full-time schedule is $260,000 - $320,000.
• Please note that final offer amount will be dependent on geographic location, applicable experience and skillset of the candidate.
• We offer a full range of elective benefits including medical, health savings account (with applicable medical plan), dental, vision, health and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts, pre-tax commuter benefits, life insurance, AD&D, long-term care coverage, backup care for children and/or adults and other parental support benefits.
• In addition to elective benefit options, benefited employees receive firm-paid life insurance, AD&D, LTD, short term medical benefits as well as 25 days of Paid Time Off (“PTO”) and 10 paid holidays each year.
• We provide generous parental leave and fertility benefits.
• New employees will attend a detailed benefit orientation to learn more about our many benefits and resources.