Business Development Senior Manager - Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, & Securities

Holland & Knight; New York (NY); On-site; USD 176,000 - 264,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus opportunities

Comprehensive benefits package

Paid holidays & time off

Job summary

Holland & Knight seeks a Senior Business Development Manager for the Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions & Securities (CMAS) section to lead growth strategy and client development across Northeast offices. The role combines strategic planning, leadership, and cross-office collaboration with the Marketing Department.

You will advise senior attorneys, manage budgets, and direct complex RFPs, pitches, and client engagements while mentoring team members and advancing firm-wide priorities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree valued.
• 10+ years in business development/marketing, preferably in legal or professional services.
• Strategic thinking with ability to lead growth initiatives and executive-level advising.
• Strong leadership, communication, and relationship-building with senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of strategic business development plans for CMAS Practice Groups.
• Partner with Practice Group Leaders to identify growth opportunities and market positioning.
• Oversee budgets, ROI analysis, and resource allocation across Practice Groups.
• Direct high-value RFPs, pitches, and client presentations; coordinate cross-functional teams.
• Drive cross-selling across offices and industries; manage marketing collateral and thought leadership.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Executive advising

Leadership

Communication

Relationship building

Decision making

Autonomy

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

InterAction CRM

Qorus

Foundation

BI platforms

Job description

We are a Firm where people truly believe in what they do and strive to achieve the highest standards of performance and success. This position can be based in New York or at one of the Firm's offices: Philadelphia, Boston, and Stamford.

General Description: The Business Development Senior Manager for the Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions & Securities ("CMAS") Section serves as the strategic, business development lead for assigned Practice Groups, including in the Northeast, within the CMAS Section. Operating with a high degree of autonomy, and with support from the Director of Business Development for the Section as well as others in the Marketing Department, the Business Development Senior Manager works closely with the Practice Group and Team leaders on growth strategy, marketing positioning and client and prospective client development efforts and is accountable for translating Firm, Section and Practice Group objectives into measurable business development results. The role leads complex, high-impact initiatives, anticipates opportunities and risks, influences senior attorneys and stakeholders and drives coordinated execution across offices and practices. The Business Development Senior Manager supervises, develops and mentors team members and provides leadership across the department by establishing best practices, strengthening collaboration and advancing Firm-wide priorities.

Key Responsibilities and Essential Job Functions:

• Strategic Development: Lead the development, implementation, measurement and continuous refinement of sophisticated business development plans for assigned Practice Groups. Establish priorities, measurable objectives, target markets and accountability frameworks aligned with the Firm, Section and Practice Group goals.
• Practice Group Leader Partnership: Serve as a senior, trusted advisor to assigned Practice Group Leaders, and other senior attorneys. Independently provide strategic counsel on growth opportunities, market positioning, client and prospective client targeting, competitive differentiation, investments decisions and attorney business development.
• Practice Group Engagement: Lead the business development agenda for assigned practice group and team meetings, including setting priorities, presenting recommendations and performance insights, facilitating decisions, and ensuring timely follow-through and accountability.
• Budget Management: Develop, recommend and manage budgets for assigned Practice Groups, including forecasting, prioritization, resource allocation, expenditure overview and ROI analysis. Advise senior leadership on investments and reallocation based on strategic value and performance. Practice Group and Team budgets.
• Business Development Execution: Lead the strategy, development and delivery of high-value and complex RFPs, pitches, proposals and client presentations. Shape pursuit strategy, coordinate cross-functional teams, challenge assumptions, and coach attorneys on messaging, presentation, and follow-up.
• Cross-Selling: Originate and lead cross-practice, cross-office, and cross-industry initiatives that convert practice strengths and client relationships into broader opportunities. Facilitate introductions, coordinate account strategies, and track outcomes.
• Market & Competitive Intelligence: Direct and synthesize research on market trends, industry developments, clients, targets, and competitors. Translate insights into actionable recommendations, growth opportunities, risk considerations, and differentiated market strategies.
• Directory & Awards Oversight: Set strategy and provide senior-level oversight for directory, ranking, and awards submissions for assigned practices. Prioritize opportunities, strengthen positioning and evidence, and ensure consistently high-quality submissions.
• Collateral & Content Strategy: Set the content strategy and oversee development of marketing collateral, practice descriptions, brochures, deal and case lists, website content, and other materials. Ensure accuracy, differentiation, quality, and alignment with firm and practice positioning.
• Public Relations & Visibility: Partner with PR and Communications leadership to develop integrated visibility strategies for significant matters, market developments, thought leadership, and attorney profiles. Counsel practice leaders on priorities, messaging, and reputational considerations.
• CRM & Database Oversight: Champion disciplined use of CRM, experience, pipeline, and engagement data for assigned practices. Partner with designated professionals to improve data quality, relationship intelligence, activity tracking, and reporting that supports leadership decisions.
• Event Strategy: Develop and oversee strategic programs for events, sponsorships, seminars, webinars, and client engagement. Evaluate opportunities, define objectives and audiences, coordinate execution across offices, and assess outcomes and return on investment.
• Team Leadership: Lead, supervise, develop, and mentor Managers, Coordinators, Assistants, and other team members, as assigned. Set expectations, delegate effectively, balance workloads, provide ongoing feedback and coaching, conduct performance reviews, support succession and professional development, and foster a collaborative, accountable, and inclusive team environment.
• Expected to maintain a regular and predictable work schedule and full attention to and engagement in work activities on behalf of the firm during business hours unless otherwise approved or required by applicable law. Special projects and duties as assigned.

Required Skills:

Enterprise-level strategic thinker who can independently develop, prioritize, and execute growth plans that deliver measurable results. Advanced business and financial acumen, including the ability to connect business development investments and activities to client growth, revenue opportunity, and strategic objectives. Exceptional communication skills, including executive-level advising, active listening, persuasive writing, facilitation, and confident presentation to senior audiences. Demonstrated leadership and people management capabilities, including the ability to set direction, influence without authority, delegate, coach, develop talent, and lead through change. Exceptional interpersonal, judgment, and relationship-building skills, with a record of establishing credibility and trusted partnerships with senior attorneys and firm leadership. Ability to operate autonomously, make sound decisions with incomplete information, and manage multiple complex, high-impact priorities in a fast-paced environment. High level of professionalism, discretion, accountability, and sound judgment when handling sensitive or confidential matters. Advanced consulting, presentation, negotiation, and executive-influence skills. Innovative and solutions-oriented mindset, with the confidence to challenge established approaches, champion new ideas, and drive adoption. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite or Microsoft 365; experience with CRM (InterAction), proposal (Qorus), experience-management (Foundation), and business intelligence platforms preferred.

Required Qualifications & Education:

Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree or relevant professional certification highly valued. 10+ years of professional experience in business development and/or marketing, preferable in a legal or professional services environment.

Physical Requirements:

Ability to sit or stand for extended periods of time. Moderate or advanced keyboard usage.

This position may be filled in multiple locations.

In accordance with applicable Pay Transparency Laws, the pay range(s) for this position are listed below. These ranges may not be applicable to other locations. An individual's actual compensation will depend on the individual's qualifications and experience. In addition to the base compensation, Holland & Knight provides bonus opportunities and an exceptional benefits package.

Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York (City): $176,000.00 - $264,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• comprehensive medical (PPO and HDHPs), dental and vision plans including coverage for domestic partners; life and AD&D insurance; short and long term disability insurance; tax-advantaged accounts for health care expenses, including FSAs and HSAs; FSAs for dependent care; health advocacy services; behavioral health and counseling resources for all family members; 401(k); profit sharing; backup dependent care; senior care planning support; resources for individuals with development disabilities and their caregivers; and paid holidays and other paid time off, including paid leave for new parents.

Holland & Knight is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related conditions, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status or any other factor prohibited by law.

Applicants who are interested in applying for a position and require an accommodation during the process should contact [e-mail].

Personal Information collected from applicants will be used for the purpose of processing the application throughout any recruitment or employment process, as well as inclusion in a personnel file. Categories of data collected may include name, address, phone numbers, email, Social Security Number, and signature.

Holland & Knight may collect further information if you consent to a background check. This includes criminal background, employment, and certifications. Please visit Legal Information Portal for Holland & Knight LLP’s privacy policies.

Holland & Knight is proud of having built one of the largest, most respected law firms in the world today. Holland & Knight has been advising clients for more than 130 years and has approximately 2,200 lawyers across the U.S. and in five international offices. Holland & Knight services clients globally. Known for our extraordinary legal service to clients, our culture of excellence, and our commitment to the communities in which we work, we are a firm of people who truly believe in what we do. We invite you to experience what Holland & Knight has to offer. It takes more than lawyers to build a great law firm and, as a result, the firm employs more than 1,700 business professionals. Business professionals play a pivotal role in the firm by planning and implementing strategic initiatives to enhance the firm’s capabilities and drive growth. The firm employs business professionals in many different areas, including technology innovation, pricing, business development, finance, talent acquisition, marketing, information governance, cybersecurity, information technology, talent development, compliance, office administration, communications, and project management, just to name a few. Additionally, the firm employs many paralegals and practice assistants who directly support our lawyers and clients. Together, these roles form the infrastructure that allows our lawyers to focus on providing exceptional client service.