Associate Director of Business Development

Cooley LLP; Boston; On-site; PHP 15,999,999 - 19,692,307; Full time

Job summary

Cooley LLP is seeking an Associate Director of Business Development to join the Marketing and Client Development team. This role leads outreach strategies, builds high-value connections, and converts engagement into a healthy, sustainable pipeline.

You will partner with Marketing and firm leaders to drive market relationships, coordinate campaigns, and identify growth opportunities across priority clients and sectors. A strong network and CRM experience are essential to success in this role.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of applicable experience in marketing or business development
• 4+ years of management experience
• Legal industry or professional services experience preferred

Responsibilities

• Market Relationship Management: Build and maintain a robust network of clients, prospects, referral sources, and key external influencers to increase firm visibility
• Strategic Marketing Integration: Coordinate with Marketing to execute outreach, manage events, and drive follow-up to convert engagement into leads
• Partner Force Multiplication: Generate introductions and access to high-value opportunities for firm partners
• Relationship Continuity & Transition: Ensure seamless handoffs between teams and ongoing stakeholder contact
• Opportunity Identification & Qualification: Identify growth opportunities and move conversations into a qualified pipeline
• Whitespace & Cross-Selling Analysis: Surface untapped opportunities within client relationships
• Pipeline Coordination & Support: Provide internal coordination to move opportunities through lifecycle
• Market & Pipeline Discipline: Track outreach and meetings with clear next steps
• Operational Rhythm & Proactivity: Maintain a proactive lead-generation cadence
• All other duties as assigned or required

Skills

Relationship building

Strategic thinking

Communication

Leadership experience

Project coordination

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Salesforce

Microsoft Office

iManage

CRM systems

Job description

Associate Director of Business Development Cooley is seeking a Associate Director of Business Development to join the Marketing and Client Development team.

Position summary

This role is part of the Business Development Team, which leads the firm’s business development efforts in the market, in close partnership with Marketing, to build relationships, generate opportunities, and support growth across priority clients, prospects, and sectors. Responsible for partnering with Marketing and firm leaders to execute outreach strategies, create high-value connections, and convert engagement into a healthy and sustainable pipeline.

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.
• All other duties as assigned or required

Skills and experience

Required: 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

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

Cooley offers a competitive compensation and excellent benefits package and is committed to fair and equitable employment practices.

EOE.

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