Director of Business Development

Selbert Perkins Design; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Selbert Perkins Design (SPD) is a women-owned design firm specializing in signage, wayfinding, branding, and placemaking, with studios in Los Angeles. We seek a Business Development Director to drive new business growth from the LA studio, reporting to Principals and Partners.

The role emphasizes lead generation, market research, and written proposals for public and private clients. You will manage new business portals, track solicitations, and lead RFP responses.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of business development experience with an architecture, design, engineering, or environmental graphic design firm.
• Established relationships with clients, architects, developers, and public agencies across the West Coast, with sector experience in transportation, higher education, healthcare, sports and entertainment, mixed-use, or civic work.
• Experience navigating public procurement, including vendor portals, SBE/WBE/DBE requirements, and RFP, RFQ, and SOQ responses.
• Excellent writing skills, with the ability to produce clear, persuasive proposals and correspondence.
• Confident presenter who is comfortable leading client meetings and shortlist interviews.
• Working knowledge of AI tools such as Claude and ChatGPT, and the ability to use them effectively for research, lead identification, proposal drafting, and day-to-day productivity.
• Proficiency in Adobe InDesign, Keynote, and Microsoft Office is required; experience with a CRM such as HubSpot is preferred.
• Highly organized and self-directed, with the ability to manage multiple pursuits and deadlines at once.
• Willingness to travel for client meetings, interviews, and industry events.
• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, design, architecture, or a related field.

Responsibilities

• Lead Generation and Outreach: Identify potential clients within SPD's business sectors and build relationships with decision-makers.
• Prepare tailored outreach and capabilities packages, then follow up to set up meetings and interviews.
• Research the market to generate a steady pipeline of new leads, planned capital projects, and agency budgets.
• Build and maintain relationships with clients, architects, developers, contractors, fabricators, and teaming partners.
• Attend new business events, conferences, and pre-proposal meetings.
• Opportunity Tracking and Proposals: Manage SPD's new business portals and procurement registrations, monitoring opportunities.
• Evaluate opportunities and recommend which to pursue, then lead responses to RFPs, RFQs, and SOQs.
• Write proposals, cover letters, and related sales materials responding to client needs.
• Strategy and Reporting: Analyze market conditions and recommend ways to strengthen SPD's market position.
• Present and consult with partners on trends and SPD's branding philosophy and services.
• Contribute to sales, marketing, PR, and social media strategies.
• Attend weekly marketing meetings with partners and global calls with offices.
• Maintain pipeline records and provide reports on prospects, proposals, and events.

Skills

Business development

Lead generation

Proposal writing

Public procurement

Client relationship management

Presentation skills

AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT)

Adobe InDesign

Keynote

Microsoft Office

HubSpot (CRM)

Education

Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, design, architecture, or related field

Tools

HubSpot

Adobe InDesign

Keynote

Microsoft Office

Job description

Selbert Perkins Design (SPD) is an internationally recognized, women-owned design firm specializing in signage, wayfinding, branding, and placemaking, with studios in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Shanghai. Our work spans transportation, higher education, healthcare, sports and entertainment, mixed-use and retail, hospitality, civic, and corporate environments.

We are seeking a Business Development Director to lead new business growth from our Los Angeles studio under the direction of our Principals and Partners. This role is focused first and foremost on developing business leads: identifying potential clients within each of our business sectors, reaching out with tailored qualifications packages, and following up to secure meetings and interviews where SPD can present its work. The Director will also manage our new business portals, track relevant public and private solicitations, and write the proposals that carry qualified opportunities through to submission and award.

Responsibilities

Lead Generation and Outreach

• Identify potential clients within each of SPD's business sectors, along with the decision-makers inside those organizations
• Prepare and send tailored outreach and capabilities packages, then follow up consistently to set up meetings and interviews where SPD can present its qualifications
• Research the market to generate a steady pipeline of new leads, including planned capital projects, developer pipelines, and agency budgets
• Build and maintain relationships with clients, architects, developers, contractors, fabricators, and teaming partners
• Attend new business and networking events, industry conferences, and pre-proposal meetings

Opportunity Tracking and Proposals

• Manage SPD's new business portals and procurement registrations, monitoring them regularly for relevant opportunities to pursue
• Evaluate opportunities and recommend which to pursue, then lead the response to RFPs, RFQs, and SOQs as required
• Write proposals, cover letters, and related sales materials that respond clearly to each client's design service needs

Strategy and Reporting

• Analyze market conditions and recommend ways to strengthen SPD's market position and support the firm's financial growth
• Present and consult with the partners on business trends, and present SPD's branding philosophy and services with confidence
• Contribute to sales, marketing, PR, and social media strategies as needed
• Attend weekly marketing meetings with the partners and weekly global marketing calls with colleagues across offices
• Maintain accurate pipeline records in our CRM and provide weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual reports on prospects, proposals submitted, new business won, and events attended

Qualifications

• 4+ years of business development experience with an architecture, design, engineering, or environmental graphic design firm, with a proven record of generating leads and winning work
• Established relationships with clients, architects, developers, and public agencies across the West Coast, with sector experience in transportation, higher education, healthcare, sports and entertainment, mixed-use, or civic work
• Experience navigating public procurement, including vendor portals, SBE/WBE/DBE requirements, and RFP, RFQ, and SOQ responses
• Excellent writing skills, with the ability to produce clear, persuasive proposals and correspondence
• Confident presenter who is comfortable leading client meetings and shortlist interviews
• Working knowledge of AI tools such as Claude and ChatGPT, and the ability to use them effectively for research, lead identification, proposal drafting, and day-to-day productivity
• Proficiency in Adobe InDesign, Keynote, and Microsoft Office is required; experience with a CRM such as HubSpot is preferred
• Highly organized and self-directed, with the ability to manage multiple pursuits and deadlines at once
• Willingness to travel for client meetings, interviews, and industry events
• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, design, architecture, or a related field