Associate Director of Client Initiatives

About the role

This role is part of the Client Initiatives Team, which is responsible for advancing client insight, segmentation, and strategic growth initiatives that support business development, strengthen go-to-market efforts, and elevate the client experience. The Associate Director of Client Initiatives will design and lead priority programs, processes, and campaigns to support geographies, sectors, and other parts of the firm.

Responsibilities

• Lead client listening efforts to gather feedback, identify key themes, and surface new opportunities for the firm.
• Scale up the win/loss debrief program and develop deep insight into client needs, market trends, and emerging growth areas.
• Translate findings from client and market research into clear, actionable steps for Business Development, Marketing, and firm leadership.
• Design and manage national programs and initiatives, including priority account programs and account development frameworks, that support growth and client development.
• Establish the processes, tools, and governance required for consistent execution across the firm, helping to focus effort and investment on the greatest opportunities.
• Create templates, playbooks, and processes used across regions and teams to bring consistency to how client insight, segmentation, and growth initiatives are executed.
• Clarify and manage the balance of strategic programs, determining which elements should be centrally managed versus locally deployed for maximum impact.
• Track participation, adoption, and outcomes of all initiatives to assess performance and refine tools, processes, and priorities based on feedback and results.
• Serve as direct supervisor and mentor to direct reports, providing day-to-day supervision, ensuring compliance with assigned work hours, and monitoring adherence to firm and department policies.
• Manage staffing coverage, review and process time logs/time off requests, and support professional development and continued educational opportunities.
• In collaboration with immediate supervisor and central HR, participate in hiring, performance appraisals, counseling, termination, and other employee lifecycle events.
• Perform all other duties as assigned or required.

Requirements

• 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 directly relevant exempt-level experience (e.g., marketing or business development, preferably with an emphasis working in a client initiatives function), with 4+ years of management experience in relevant roles.
• Demonstrated experience building executive-ready dashboards in data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI).
• Strong proficiency in data manipulation to evaluate both quantitative metrics and qualitative sentiment analysis.
• Strong working knowledge of enterprise CRM ecosystems (e.g., Salesforce).
• Advanced, hands-on experience administering enterprise feedback and surveying platforms (e.g., Qualtrics).
• Proven track record of effective leadership.
• Bachelor’s degree.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous legal industry or professional services experience.

Skills

• 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.
• Ability to organize, prioritize, and coordinate 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, and client data.
• High level of professionalism at all times.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence and develop talent.
• Proactive, analytical mindset.
• Effective presentation skills.

Benefits

• Medical, health savings account (with applicable medical plan), dental, vision, and 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.
• Firm-paid life insurance, AD&D, LTD, and short-term medical benefits.
• 25 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) and 10 paid holidays each year.
• Generous parental leave and fertility benefits.

Pay

The expected annual pay range for this full-time position is $200,000 - $240,000. Final offer amount will be dependent on geographic location, applicable experience, and skillset of the candidate.