Associate Director of Business Development

Cooley LLP; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 260,000 - 320,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Health Savings Account

Dental

Vision

Commuter benefits

Life insurance

AD&D

Long-term care coverage

Backup care for dependents

Parental support benefits

PTO 25 days

10 paid holidays

Job summary

Cooley LLP is hiring an Associate Director of Business Development to join the Marketing and Client Development team. The role focuses on building relationships, executing outreach strategies, and converting engagement into a healthy pipeline across priority clients and sectors.

With 8+ years in marketing or business development, you will partner with Marketing and firm leaders to drive opportunities, manage campaigns, and support growth in a hybrid work environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of applicable experience in marketing or business development.
• Market-facing presence with an leverageable network.
• Strong relationship-building and commercial instincts.
• Solid presentation and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain a robust client network and engage with market ecosystems.
• Coordinate with Marketing to plan outreach, events, and follow-ups.
• Generate introductions and access to high-value opportunities for firm partners.
• Ensure smooth relationship continuity and effective handoffs between internal teams.
• Identify growth opportunities and move early-stage conversations to a qualified pipeline.
• Analyze whitespace and cross-sell opportunities within client relationships.
• Maintain discipline and visibility into outreach, meetings, and pipeline activity.
• Contribute to a proactive, lead-generation rhythm in the market.

Skills

Relationship-building

Networking

Communication

Presentation skills

Strategic thinking

Project coordination

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

iManage

Salesforce (CRM)

Job description

Associate Director of Business Development

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

About Cooley

Cooley is a global law firm with an expansive practice and more than 3,000 employees and partners worldwide. We value and celebrate diverse perspectives and strive to create a workplace where every individual can thrive. At the core of Cooley’s success is the exceptional talent and unwavering spirit of our people. We embrace individuality while fostering a ‘one-firm’ culture where collaboration and creativity thrive. Our people are the foundation of our success and the driving force behind everything we do.

Hybrid Schedule Philosophy

As part of the Cooley culture, we recognize and appreciate the value of being together, in person, to build comradery with others in the office and to be a contributing member of the Cooley office. However, we also appreciate the benefits and flexibility that come from remote working. As such, the default assumption for employees and partners is a hybrid schedule: some in-office presence and some work from home days absent certain essential in-office roles that require five (5) days/week in-office.

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

• 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)
• 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

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 dependent care flexible spending accounts
• pre-tax commuter benefits
• life insurance
• AD&D
• long-term care coverage
• backup care for children and/or adults
• 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.