Business Development Specialist

Department:  Marketing

Reports to:  US Director of Business Development/Corporate

Office:  New York or New Jersey (preferred)

Status:  Exempt

Position Summary

The Business Development Specialist will support our client’s nationally ranked Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies practice group and the Technology, Media and Telecommunications sector group, both in the US and globally. The remaining time working closely with the Director on firm wide projects and initiatives. This position will enhance and support the business development (BD) needs primarily for our client’s Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies practice group, which is ranked in the Top 10 nationally by Dow Jones Private Equity Analyst and recognized by Chambers USA. The practice concentrates its marketing efforts on developing Firm-sponsored networking events and external event sponsorships within the venture capital and public company technology markets. The position will also provide BD support to the Privacy and Security practice and work closely with the practice’s Managing Director.

Responsibilities:

• Plan, execute and evaluate ROI of all BD initiatives to attract, retain and expand a loyal client base.
• Build networks and manage relationship with existing and potential clients to help lawyers generate leads and connect business referrals to clients.
• Contribute to development of business plans and budgets.
• Track industry news for opportunities/issues.
• Identify or create client/prospect outreach development tools such as one-on-one meetings, seminars and speaking engagements, events and online calendars, sponsorships, client alerts, marketing collateral, newsletters, fact sheets and other direct client communications.
• Identify opportunities for thought leadership and other marketing and campaign ideas to increase brand awareness within the practices.
• Track the actual number of wins/losses and the reasons for them.
• Serve as point of contact for conferences, sponsorships and seminars; coordinate with lawyers and others to provide required materials.
• Work with lawyers and with our Awards and Rankings Strategist to develop directory awards/rankings submissions.
• Orient laterals, including working with them to create biographies and announcements, and to develop and implement BD plans that take Our clients’ global platform, synergies and cross-selling opportunities into consideration.
• Monitor competitive activity, as well as client, company, sector and geographic trends; draw conclusions, assess implications and prepare marketing and research reports.
• Assist with assessing/recommending priorities for BD plans/budgets; track budgets throughout the year and make recommendations to optimize limited resources.
• Promote usage of new and emerging technology.
• Regularly update and work with Our client’s PR and Communications teams to promote lawyers’ matters and publications.
• Proactively track deals and submit new matters to ranking agencies for league tables and other credit/acknowledgment.
• Collect and archive matter/case summaries and all related information for use in pitches/RFPs, bios, legal directory submissions, websites, marketing collateral, annual reviews, press releases, etc.
• Coordinate with other offices for practice/sector-specific events, including CLE events and office-specific events as needed.
• Assess, on a quarterly basis, the return on the investment of time and cost for larger initiatives.
• Regularly update lawyer bios and practice descriptions with new content, including matters and awards/rankings.
• The position will dedicate time to supporting the US Business Development Director (overseeing the US corporate/transactional BD practices) on firm wide projects and initiatives.

Experience & Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent is required; a JD or master’s degree is a plus.
• The ideal candidate will be a results-oriented, self-motivated and driven individual with the demonstrated ability to prioritize, juggle multiple assignments and function as part of a cohesive team.
• 3-5 years of experience working for a law firm, consulting firm or financial institution; sales and/or marketing experience in an emerging growth technology sector company is a strong plus.
• Ability to juggle multiple high-visibility, time-sensitive business development projects.
• Exceptional attention to detail.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Strong management, organization and multitasking skills.
• Ability to think both strategically and creatively.
• Ability to take a leadership role with respect to the production of high-quality materials.
• Social media savvy.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.