Senior Business Development Manager - Antitrust & Competition

We are seeking an experienced, strategic, results-oriented Senior Business Development Manager to lead the firm's global business development and marketing efforts for our top tier Antitrust and Competition practice.

The Senior Business Development Manager will work closely with the firm's Director for Business Development for Litigation and Investigations, antitrust practice group leaders and senior lawyers, and the broader Marketing and BD team to ensure effective business development, marketing strategy, and external communications programs.

The right candidate must possess a strong background in working with senior attorney stakeholders, as well as fostering a collaborative environment across teams. The candidate will also have a deep understanding of global antitrust practice and to work with antitrust lawyers to plan and execute successful marketing and business development plans.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Strategy and Business Planning

• Lead the development and execution of the business development and marketing strategy for the antitrust practice in partnership with practice leadership, senior lawyers, and key Business Development colleagues.
• Guide attorney stakeholders and Business Development team members in developing and executing practice and individual business plans, ensuring clear objectives, measurable milestones, and alignment with firm priorities.
• Proactively identify and pursue client development opportunities aligned with the practice's strategic objectives.
• Monitor market, industry, and regulatory developments to identify emerging client opportunities and business risks.
• Develop and manage marketing and business development budgets for assigned practice areas.
• Partner with practice leadership on preparing for and following up on quarterly strategy meetings with the firm's Management Committee.

Business Development

• Work directly with senior lawyers to develop and implement business development initiatives designed to expand relationships with existing clients and generate new business opportunities.
• Partner with Marketing and Business Development colleagues across the firm's global offices to monitor progress against business plan objectives and drive execution of key initiatives.
• Strategize with practice leadership and senior lawyers to identify actionable client targets and attorney facilitators.
• Lead the strategic planning and execution of client development trips for key lawyers, including target identification, outreach strategy, meeting development, and follow-up.
• Develop targeted pitches, proposals, and marketing collateral supporting the practice's strategic priorities in coordination with senior lawyers.
• Lead the practice's responses to pitches, RFIs, and RFPs, including coordinating preparatory sessions for relevant lawyers and business professionals. Collaborate with the global RFP Team on cross-practice opportunities.
• Leverage the firm's Marketing Research Team to analyze market opportunities and support attorneys' preparation for client meetings and business development initiatives.
• Partner with Client Relationship Managers and Business Development liaisons to strengthen existing client relationships and identify opportunities for expanded engagement.
• Support the strategic integration of lateral attorneys, including business development planning, client integration, and market positioning efforts.
• Develop recommendations for CLE and additional client-facing programs aligned with practice objectives and client interests.

Marketing

• Identify and lead strategic in-person and virtual events that support practice objectives, including concept development, audience targeting, content planning, and post-event follow-up, while partnering with the firm's Events Team on event execution and logistics.
• Identify and evaluate external sponsorships and speaking engagements that advance the practice's marketing and business development objectives.
• Develop and maintain representative matter descriptions that accurately reflect the practice's experience and market position.
• Lead the development of submissions for legal directories, rankings, and industry awards, including Chambers and GCR.
• Develop and maintain practice, industry, and region-specific marketing collateral that supports business development objectives, including website content, brochures, and other external communications materials.
• Partner with the CRM Team to develop and maintain focused client and prospect mailing lists that support targeted outreach initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, or a related field; an advanced degree is a plus.
• Minimum of seven years of experience in professional services marketing and business development, including progressively responsible leadership experience.
• Prior law firm business development experience supporting antitrust litigation, antitrust investigations, and/or transactional antitrust practices is strongly preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build credibility and influence senior attorney stakeholders.
• Demonstrated leadership, initiative, and sound judgment, with a proactive and solutions-oriented approach.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, maintain attention to detail, and deliver high-quality work under tight deadlines.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively across functions and levels of the organization and foster productive working relationships among diverse stakeholders.
• Experience mentoring and developing junior team members is preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, CRM platforms, and other marketing, research, and knowledge management technologies.

Status: Exempt

Reports To: Director of Business Development - Litigation

Workplace Type: Hybrid

Salary range of $278,500 - $355,500 dependent on candidate experience.

Candidates hired for staff positions with a minimum work schedule of 30 hours per week are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package, including healthcare insurance. Learn more about benefits at Covington.

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Covington & Burling LLP is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in any aspect of employment, including hiring, salary, promotion, discipline, termination, and benefits, on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, sexual orientation, family responsibility, disability (including physical handicap), or any other improper criterion.

Covington will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with applicable laws, including the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, and the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.