Business Development Manager - Infrastructure Industry Group and Real Estate Practice - Ropes & Gray LLP

About Ropes & Gray:

Ropes & Gray is a preeminent, global law firm. The firm has been ranked in the top-three on The American Lawyer's prestigious "A-List" for seven years and is ranked #1 on Law.com International's "A-List" in the U.K.—rankings that honor the "Best of the Best" firms.

 

The firm has approximately 2,500 lawyers and professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology, and government in Boston, Chicago, Dublin, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C.

 

The firm has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including asset management, private equity, M&A, finance, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring.

 

Ropes & Gray is an equal opportunity employer.

 

About Business Development at Ropes & Gray:

The Business Development Department’s objective is to grow firm revenue and take market share by:

 

a) expanding existing client relationships via industry, practice and client team efforts

b) identifying and developing new client pursuits and business initiatives

 

The Business Development Department is part of a broader business support organization with a collaborative work environment. We are a specialist business support function with a range of offerings focused solely on business development in the firm’s practice groups, industry groups and client teams including new business pursuit; key account management; BD skills & coaching; pitches, proposals, RFPs; and client feedback.

Overview:

The Business Development Manager (BDM) is a highly visible, partner facing position that provides strategic support and serves as a trusted advisor to the Infrastructure Industry Group Leaders (Infrastructure IGLs) and the Real Estate Practice Group Leaders (RE PGLs) and other partners with BD responsibilities to provide strategic, commercial and practical business development and client development support in support of the implementation of the industry group and practice group’s strategic and commercial priorities.

 

In particular, the BDM will work closely with lead partners, other lawyers and business support colleagues to:

 

• Develop and execute business development and marketing efforts designed to generate new business and improve market visibility for the Infrastructure Industry Group (Infrastructure IG) and the Real Estate Practice Group (REPG)
• Identify and target new clients
• Develop relationships with existing and new clients
• Deliver industry group and practice group products and knowledge marketing to the appropriate client and market audience.

Responsibilities:

• Working with Infrastructure IGLs, RE PGLs and practice development colleagues, develop and execute the business and client development strategy for the Infrastructure IG and REPG with a focus on growing market awareness, revenue and relationships.
• Through in-depth understanding of the Infrastructure IG and REPG’s ambition, identifying, assessing and pursuing new clients
• Managing and driving the development of existing client relationships in collaboration with other relevant business support colleagues including:
•  organizing, participating in and maintaining business development meetings and being responsible for all aspects of client and target development efforts including proactively driving follow-up
• becoming expert in the Infrastructure Industry and Real Estate practice including by commissioning and conducting business research to keep abreast of industry/market intelligence and to support the BD strategy
  
  
• Driving pitching and new business generation by:
• Managing and executing large pitches, proposals and RfPs, including leading a team to develop a winning strategy, identifying ways to differentiate from the competition and helping to write aspects of the pitch
• working with finance to develop compelling fee arrangements
• maintaining up-to-date pitch content, materials and client information
• acting as trusted advisor to attorney teams to scope, prepare for in-person meetings and pitches, and provide post pitch client and target feedback
  
  
• Working with the marketing team and other business support colleagues to:
• identify opportunities to create and implement integrated branding and profile-raising campaigns
• assess market conference opportunities, advise the lawyers on selection, participation in and execution
• identify the appropriate client and market targets for the delivery of knowledge marketing
• Create and manage the annual Infrastructure IG BD budget and REPG BD budget.
• Managing and developing junior members of the business development team
• Supporting the development of attorney-facing BD training.
• Building a strong working knowledge of adjacent practice and industry group services and a clear understanding of relevant group's strategy, priorities and clients
• Communicating best practice business development activities and successes across the group.

 

Essential Capabilities:

This position requires a professional, highly motivated individual capable of functioning in an international, fast-paced legal environment:

• Superior client service orientation
• Quickly able to establish credibility with lead partners and key stakeholders by balancing a confident, measured and persistent approach
• Work effectively and efficiently as a team player with an enthusiasm for developing relationships. Able to engage with and support colleagues and stakeholders across all aspects of the business
• A confident leader and self-starter, when required, in a dynamic environment
• Commercially minded and solutions orientated
• Excellent organization, communication and project management skills
• Attention to detail and accuracy in all aspects of role and responsibilities
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with all levels of attorneys and business professionals.
• Experience writing in a professional services environment
• Able to set clear goals and priorities, multi-task and meet multiple deadlines
• Creative and flexible when managing individual as well as team’s workload and priorities, taking colleagues’ time into account, to respond quickly and positively to shifting demands and opportunities
• Able to demonstrate creativity and initiative by continuously looking for areas to improve and ways to implement positive change to all aspects of role and responsibilities
• Work effectively in a culturally and educationally diverse multi-office environment.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree
• MBA or JD helpful but not required
• Minimum of eight years of experience in business development within a professional services firm or corporate environment
• Demonstrated knowledge of Infrastructure and Real Estate Industries is preferred.
• Experience working in an industry wide, cross practice role in professional services is preferred.

Compensation and Total Rewards Package:

Ropes & Gray is proud to offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package to our business support team members. The firm also offers comprehensive health and well-being benefits, personal and professional development, career growth opportunities and a collegial and supportive culture. The anticipated pay range for this role is $140,000 - $211,000(NY) and $133,500 - $201,000 (BOS), which represents our good faith and reasonable estimate of the starting salary range at the time of posting. In addition, this role is eligible for a discretionary bonus based on performance. The actual offered rate for this position will be determined based on job-related, non-discriminatory factors, including qualifications and experience, geographic location, education, external market data and consideration of internal equity. 

Working Conditions:

This position requires hybrid on-site presence as an essential function of the role. Consistent and predictable on-site presence is required for ongoing business continuity, professional development and effective collaboration with colleagues and management.