Business Development Director - Investment Management Practice

Morgan Lewis; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); Hybrid; USD 175,000 - 304,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Parental leave

Paid time off

Income protection

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

Morgan Lewis is seeking a Business Development Director to lead and execute growth strategies for the Investment Management practice across offices. You will advise leadership, expand client relationships, and drive cross-practice opportunities in a hybrid, multi-office environment.

The role requires a strong BD background in professional services, deep market insight, and leadership to manage a team and budgets while delivering measurable results.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of relevant business development, strategy, client development, or related experience.
• Experience developing growth strategies in sophisticated professional services; investment management or financial services background preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead business development for the Investment Management practice and align growth priorities with firm objectives.
• Advise practice leadership on client development, market positioning, and opportunities across geographies.
• Develop client targeting and relationship initiatives to grow existing clients and win new work.
• Monitor industry developments and translate insights into go-to-market strategies.
• Drive initiatives from identification through execution with clear objectives and timelines.
• Oversee executive reporting, analyses, and recommendations on performance and market developments.
• Lead cross-practice collaboration and thought leadership in partnership with Marketing.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Leadership

Client development

Relationship management

Market analysis

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MBA preferred

Job description

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, one of the world’s leading global law firms with offices in strategic hubs of commerce, law, and government across North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, is seeking to hire a Business Development Director to support our Investment Management practice. The Business Development Director will lead business development strategy and execution, working closely with practice leadership and lawyers across the firm to drive growth, strengthen client relationships, identify new business opportunities, and expand the practice’s capabilities across practices and geographies. Serving as a strategic advisor to Investment Management leadership, you'll bring a strong understanding of the investment management industry, its clients, competitive dynamics, and evolving market and regulatory environment. You'll translate market, client, and firm insights into actionable opportunities and drive strategic initiatives from concept through execution. You'll collaborate with Business Development, Marketing, and other firm functions to advance client targeting, cross-practice and cross-office collaboration, thought leadership, and market visibility. You'll also help drive the strategic priorities and operating rhythm of the practice while overseeing a team of Business Development professionals. Maintaining an in-office presence is important to delivering our services through an integrated and collaborative work culture. This position can be resident in any one of our Boston, New York, Philadelphia, or Washington, DC offices and follows a hybrid three (3) days per week in-office working arrangement.

What you'll do:

• Lead business development for the Investment Management practice, partnering with practice leadership to establish growth priorities and execute plans aligned with firm objectives.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to practice leadership and lawyers on client development, market positioning, competitive differentiation, and growth opportunities.
• Develop a deep understanding of the practice’s clients, capabilities, competitive position, and priority markets and lead targeting and relationship-development initiatives that grow existing relationships, develop new clients, and expand work across practices and geographies.
• Monitor investment management industry developments and analyze client, financial, pipeline, matter, and market data to identify opportunities and translate insights into actionable business development and go-to-market strategies.
• Drive priority opportunities and initiatives from identification through execution, establishing clear objectives, responsibilities, timelines, and follow-up.
• Develop executive-level reports, presentations, analyses, and recommendations addressing performance, key metrics, strategic priorities, client and pipeline activity, and relevant market developments.
• Identify and advance thought leadership, events, sponsorships, communications, campaigns, and other profile-raising activities in partnership with Marketing and other firm functions.
• Collaborate with Business Development colleagues across practices, industries, clients, and geographies to identify cross-selling and cross-collaboration opportunities and align practice priorities with broader firm objectives.
• Drive key practice leadership meetings, working groups, and special projects, identifying strategic topics and opportunities and ensuring appropriate follow-up and accountability.
• Lead and develop a team of Business Development professionals, setting priorities, allocating workloads, providing coaching and feedback, evaluating performance, and fostering a collaborative, high-performing team.
• Manage applicable budgets and resources and identify opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

What sets this role apart:

• Strategic Impact: Serve as a strategic advisor to Investment Management leadership and help shape growth priorities for a sophisticated, global practice.
• Industry Focus: Apply your knowledge of the investment management industry, client needs, competitive dynamics, and market developments to identify and advance meaningful opportunities.
• Leadership & Collaboration: Lead and develop a Business Development team while partnering with practice leaders, lawyers, and colleagues across practices, offices, and firm functions.
• Market & Client Engagement: Help strengthen key client relationships and advance the practice’s market position through targeted business development, thought leadership, and cross-firm collaboration.
• Flexibility: Morgan Lewis recognizes the benefits of supporting flexible working arrangements. This role offers a hybrid three (3) days per week in-office schedule in our Boston, New York, Philadelphia, or Washington, DC office providing flexibility while supporting our collaborative, team-based culture.
• Culture of Excellence: Join a collaborative, forward-thinking team recognized for responsiveness, strategic partnership, and exceptional client service.

Who we're looking for:

• Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university required; MBA, other advanced degree, or equivalent experience preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant business development, strategy, client development, management consulting, or related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Significant experience developing and executing growth strategies in a sophisticated professional-services environment strongly preferred.
• Experience working with investment management, asset management, private funds, financial services, or related industries strongly preferred; law firm or other professional-services experience preferred.
• Prior experience managing and developing business development or other professional staff preferred.
• Strong strategic and commercial orientation, with the ability to synthesize market, client, competitive, financial, legal, and regulatory information and translate insights into practical recommendations and opportunities.
• Proven success building credibility with, advising, and influencing senior leaders and professionals in a collaborative, highly matrixed environment.
• Demonstrated leadership and people-management skills, including setting priorities, developing talent, providing effective feedback, and leading through direct management and influence.
• Excellent planning, organizational, analytical, and project-management skills, with a track record of moving complex initiatives from strategy through execution while managing competing priorities.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and executive communication skills, along with strong interpersonal skills and a client-service orientation.
• Sound judgment, discretion, adaptability, and a proactive, results-oriented approach when managing changing priorities and confidential or sensitive business and client information.

Benefits:

• Morgan Lewis offers competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package, including medical coverage, parental leave, paid time off, income protection programs, and more.

For positions in Boston, MA, the salary range for this position is: $174,600.00 - $279,300.00.

For positions in New York, NY, the salary range for this position is: $189,800.00 - $303,650.00.

For positions in Washington, DC, the salary range for this position is: $182,200.00 - $291,475.00.

The base salary or hourly wage range for this position will be determined during the interview process and will vary based on multiple factors, including but not limited to prior experience, relevant expertise, current business needs, and market factors.

The final salary or hourly wages offered may be outside of this range based on other reasons and individual circumstances.

Additionally, salary or hourly wages may be only part of the total compensation package.

The total compensation package for this position may also include a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and parental leave), dependent on the position offered.

Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

If hired, the employee will be in an 'at-will position' and the firm reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, firm or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

At Morgan Lewis, we work in collaboration around the world- always ready to respond to the needs of our clients and craft powerful solutions for them.

From our offices in strategic hubs of commerce, law, and government in North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, we work with clients ranging from established, global Fortune 100 companies to enterprising startups.

We provide comprehensive litigation, corporate, finance, restructuring, employment and benefits, and intellectual property services in all major industries, helping clients address and anticipate challenges across vast and rapidly changing landscapes.

And we approach every representation with an equal commitment to first understanding, and then efficiently and effectively advancing, the interests of our clients and arriving at the best results.

If hired, your employment relationship with the firm will be on an 'at-will' basis, meaning that the firm may modify the terms and conditions of your employment at any time, and that either you or the firm will be free to end the relationship at any time with or without cause and with or without advance notice, although reasonable notice would be expected.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities.

We value inclusion and solicit applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Pursuant to applicable state and municipal Fair Chance Laws and Ordinances, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

SEARCH FIRMS:

Morgan Lewis does not accept resumes or referrals from search firms for most staff positions.

If you are a search firm, employment agency, or representative of either, you will not be compensated in any way for your referral of a candidate to a position not approved for agency recruiters and/or for an inquiry submitted to anyone other than the recruiting contacts as listed on our main website.