Business Development Manager

Business Development Manager POSITION SUMMARY: The Business Development Manager will work closely with attorneys and practice and industry leaders to advance client development initiatives, pursue new business opportunities, and support the firm's growth priorities. Based in AGG's Washington, D.C. office, this individual will serve as a key business development resource for attorneys in D.C. while also supporting assigned practices and attorneys across the firm's offices. Reporting to the Senior Business Development Manager, the position will involve developing and executing business development plans, advising attorneys on client and prospect development, managing strategic pitches and proposals, and providing market and competitive intelligence. As the first member of the Marketing & Business Development team based in D.C., the Manager will also play an important role in connecting the office with the firm's broader resources and initiatives. The ideal candidate is a commercially minded, proactive business development professional with strong writing, analytical, and project management skills, sound judgment, and the ability to work independently and build trusted relationships with attorneys and practice leaders. The role offers the opportunity to work across practices and offices, contribute to meaningful business development initiatives, and make a direct impact on the firm's growth. Position Reports To: Senior Business Development Manager FLSA Status: Exempt Hours: Full Time Salary Range: $140,000 - $170,000 Location: Washington, D.C. Work Arrangement: Hybrid. This position is expected to work from the Washington, D.C. office at least three days per week. Remote-work arrangements are subject to business needs and firm policy. Key Responsibilities Practice, Industry, and Attorney Strategy Serve as a key business development contact and day-to-day resource for assigned practice groups, industry teams, and attorneys; provide visible, responsive, on-the-ground support for the Washington, D.C. office; and connect local attorneys with firmwide business development resources, intelligence, and initiatives. Build strong working relationships with practice and industry leaders and develop a thorough understanding of the groups' services, experience, clients, markets, competitive position, and growth priorities. Work with practice and industry leaders, the Senior Business Development Manager, and other firm stakeholders to support the development, refinement, and implementation of business development plans, priorities, and related action items. Attend and contribute to practice group, industry team, and planning meetings; help identify priorities, advance strategic initiatives, and maintain accountability for agreed-upon action items. Provide practical, proactive business development advice and individual coaching to attorneys regarding client relationships, target development, networking, market visibility, cross-selling, and specific pursuit opportunities. Support lateral attorney integration by facilitating access to relevant firm relationships, experience, client intelligence, and marketing resources. Contribute to business development training and development initiatives for attorneys at different career stages, including associate-focused programs, partner-focused support, and relationship-development activities. Client Growth and Market Intelligence Work with attorneys to identify prospective clients, new business opportunities, and opportunities to expand existing client relationships across practices. Research and analyze clients, prospects, industries, competitors, and market trends, translating findings into actionable intelligence, recommendations, and tailored briefing materials for attorneys. Use client, matter, relationship, and market intelligence to identify unmet client needs, cross-selling opportunities, and potential new sources of work. Monitor relevant business, regulatory, industry, and competitive developments and share timely insights and opportunities with attorneys and practice leaders. Maintain and track client development opportunities, relationships, pipeline activity, and follow-up through the firm's CRM and related systems. Proposals and Strategic Pursuits Lead and manage the development of targeted proposals, RFP responses, pitches, presentations, capability statements, and other client-facing materials for assigned groups and attorneys. Work with attorneys to shape pursuit strategy, clarify client needs and decision criteria, develop persuasive messaging, identify the most relevant experience and differentiators, and coordinate contributions across offices, practices, and administrative departments. Draft and edit client-facing materials to ensure that content is tailored, clear, accurate, persuasive, strategically positioned, and consistent with AGG's brand and client-service approach. Prepare attorneys for client meetings, pitch presentations, panel interviews, and other high-stakes interactions through targeted research, presentation outlines, anticipated questions, and talking points. Coordinate post-pitch follow-up, debriefs, and win/loss analysis, and use feedback to help strengthen future pursuits. Events, Visibility, and Budget Management Work with practice and industry leaders to develop and manage business development and marketing budgets for assigned groups and initiatives. Evaluate the effectiveness and return on investment of events, sponsorships, campaigns, and other BD activities, and provide recommendations for future investments. Collaborate with Client Events and Marketing Communications colleagues on conferences, client programs, sponsorships, webinars, speaking opportunities, and other initiatives that support practice and industry priorities. Work with attorneys to establish business development objectives, target audiences, outreach strategies, and follow-up plans for events, conferences, and sponsorships. Prepare attorneys for conferences, speaking engagements, and client programs with targeted research, attendee and company intelligence, talking points, and recommended outreach strategies. Coordinate post-event follow-up and track resulting client and prospect engagement, opportunities, and outcomes. Work with Marketing Communications to identify and develop thought leadership, client alerts, articles, webinars, media opportunities, and speaking engagements that support assigned groups' business development priorities. Legal Rankings and Directories Lead Chambers and other legal directory, ranking, award, and survey submissions for assigned practices and attorneys, including submission strategy, matter selection, drafting, editing, referee coordination, quality control, and deadline management. Review ranking results and available feedback, assess competitive positioning, and recommend opportunities to strengthen future submissions and market visibility. CRM, AI, and Business Development Technology Use the firm's CRM and other business development systems to analyze client relationships, identify opportunities, monitor pipeline activity, and develop useful intelligence for attorneys. Encourage effective use of CRM data by attorneys and colleagues to support client development, cross-selling, pursuit planning, and follow-up. Use firm-approved AI tools to support research, analysis, proposals, and other BD activities, and help develop and refine practical AI-enabled workflows that improve efficiency and work product quality. Develop and maintain templates, trackers, and processes that improve the consistency and efficiency of business development activities. Collaborate with Finance, Knowledge Management, IT, and other internal teams to improve the collection, reporting, and use of client, matter, and business development information. Team Collaboration Work closely with the Atlanta-based Business Development team and broader Marketing & Business Development department to coordinate coverage, share intelligence and best practices, and provide consistent support across offices. Provide direction, guidance, and quality control for shared resources supporting assigned business development initiatives, as appropriate. Contribute to firmwide business development processes, training, and initiatives, while independently managing competing priorities and deadlines. Perform other duties and special projects as assigned. Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, English, or a related field required. Five to seven or more years of business development experience in a law firm or professional services environment. Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with attorneys and practice leaders, provide practical business development advice, and develop and execute business development plans. Exceptional writing, editing, and presentation skills, with significant experience developing tailored proposals, RFP responses, pitches, and other client-facing materials. Strong research, analytical, and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to translate complex client, industry, market, and financial information into actionable insights and business development recommendations. Experience identifying client development and cross-selling opportunities, managing prospect pipelines, and using CRM and other data to inform strategy and track results. Experience managing business development budgets, evaluating marketing investments, and supporting legal directory and ranking submissions, including Chambers. Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and complex assignments involving multiple attorneys, offices, and stakeholders. Proficiency with Microsoft Office and relevant business development technologies, including CRM, proposal automation, experience management, research, and reporting tools. Experience using generative AI tools for research, drafting, analysis, and workflow improvements preferred. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, sound judgment, and the ability AGG