Senior Director, Client Development

With 500+ professionals and 350+ business professionals, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP (www.manatt.com), is a multidisciplinary, integrated national professional services firm known for quality and an extraordinary commitment to clients. The Firm’s groundbreaking approach—bringing together legal services, advocacy and business strategy—differentiates Manatt from its competitors and positions the Firm to provide a distinct and compelling value proposition.

Opportunity

We are seeking a Senior Director of Client Development to drive growth by identifying market opportunities, building senior-level external relationships, and advancing priority pursuits. This role sits at the intersection of client development, growth planning, marketing, and leadership, partnering closely with business unit leaders and client account groups to accelerate pipeline, support revenue growth, and improve market positioning,

The Senior Director of Client Development will partner closely with the firm and business unit leadership to set priorities, drive pursuit strategy, and deliver measurable growth outcomes. We are seeking a senior client development leader with strong executive presence, sound judgment, and the ability to influence and align stakeholders across business units and offices. This role supports professionals by providing executive-level guidance on client targeting, account planning, and business development. The successful candidate will strengthen pipeline governance and reporting, coordinate visibility and thought leadership efforts with Marketing and Communications, and improve proposal and rankings performance through clear standards, high-quality credentials content, and disciplined processes.

This role reports to the Chief Client Development and Marketing Officer and plays a significant leadership role within the BD/Marketing team.

Core  Responsibilities

Strategy, Planning and Leadership

• Own business development strategy and oversee execution across the portfolio, translating growth priorities into measurable revenue and pipeline outcomes.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to partners and senior leaders, providing executive-level coaching on targeting, pursuit strategy, client meeting preparation, and relationship development best practices.

• Manage and develop a high-performing business development team, establishing a proactive approach to business development, operating and service level standards, and clear accountability for deliverables and results.

Client Development and Growth

• Implement a client engagement strategy incorporating of regular client feedback into our business development process. Establish program and processes that may include executive visits, feedback surveys and win/loss analysis to improve go to market effectiveness.  Anticipate personal engagement with clients.

• Lead client targeting and strategic account planning, including development of prospect lists, account plans, relationship maps, and coordinated pursuit strategies across business units and geographies.

• Identify and activate cross-business units and cross-office growth opportunities by orchestrating pursuit teams and aligning stakeholders around shared client and market initiatives.

• Support the growth of key client relationships and priority clients through targeted business development initiatives, research, and opportunity identification.

Marketing, Branding and Communications

• Align visibility and brand-building initiatives with business development priorities, leveraging thought leadership, awards, speaking, and media to advance targeted pursuits and client development goals.

• Serve as the senior most business development advisor to connect across business units and develop strategies to position business units nationally and work with professionals to market services and expertise both externally and within the Firm.

• Collaborate with Senior Director Marketing and Communications on the firm’s thought leadership strategy and editorial direction, partnering with Communications and Marketing to develop, package, and amplify high-impact content aligned to priority industries, strategic accounts, and pursuit pipelines.

• Develop and manage a strategic network of external organizations (industry associations, professional groups, educational institutions, and client partners), securing leadership appointments, speaking opportunities, and referral relationships that advance priority pursuits, strengthen market position, and support revenue growth.

Proposals, Pitches and Rankings

• Drive RFP and pitch strategy and continuous improvement, including scalable tools and t