Associate Director, Business Development Performance & Pursuits

The world’s leading organizations and global players choose Proskauer to represent them when they need it the most. With 900+ lawyers in key financial centers around the world, we are known for our pragmatic and business-savvy approach.

Proskauer is the place to turn when a matter is complex, innovative, and game-changing. We work seamlessly across practices, industries and jurisdictions with asset managers, private equity and venture capital firms, Fortune 500 and FTSE companies, major sports leagues, entertainment industry legends and other industry-redefining companies.

We are seeking an Associate Director, Business Development Performance & Pursuits to join the Business Development, Marketing & Communications team and lead the Firm’s strategic pursuits, opportunity and pipeline management, performance reporting, and business development budget oversight. This role establishes the data standards, processes, and governance used to capture, evaluate, pursue, and measure opportunities across practices and offices. The Associate Director analyzes pipeline, pursuit, conversion, return on investment, and budget data to help the Firm prioritize opportunities and investments. The role works closely with the Business Development Officer, business development leaders, lawyers, practice and department chairs, and colleagues across the Firm. The Associate Director manages the Proposals Manager and may manage additional direct reports. 

Opportunity & Pipeline Management

• Own the Firm’s business development pipeline and its governance, including opportunity types and stages, ownership, data standards, workflows, handoffs, and outcome tracking. Maintain data quality across the Firm’s business development and experience-management systems.
• Lead regular pipeline reviews with the Business Development Officer and business development leaders; identify priority, stalled, and at-risk opportunities, confirm follow-up, and prepare recurring pipeline reports for relevant stakeholders.

Business Development Performance Reporting, Data & Insight

• Define and document business development metrics and reporting standards. Deliver monthly pipeline and pursuit dashboards, quarterly performance reports for leadership, and an annual year-end review. 
• Analyze opportunity volume and type, sources of work, participation across practices and offices, cross-practice collaboration, lawyer involvement, and trends by client and sector.
• Translate findings into recommendations for practice and department leaders on business development priorities, staffing, and planning.
• Prepare performance analyses for leadership discussions, business development team meetings, and client relationship reviews. Track progress against business development priorities and report on outcomes.

ROI & Conversion Measurement

• Develop a framework to assess return on investment and conversion across pursuits, campaigns, events, sponsorships, hospitality, and thought leadership.
• Work with Finance to connect business development activity to opportunities, new matters, billings, and client growth where feasible; analyze wins, losses, and conversion trends and recommend where to focus resources and investment.

Firmwide Pursuits, Pitches, Proposals & RFPs

• Lead the Proposals team and oversee significant firmwide pursuits, including formal requests for proposals (RFPs), panel reviews and rate submissions, relationship reviews, and cross-practice or multi-office pitches, including London and European opportunities.
• Establish and improve consistent pursuit processes from intake and kickoff through review, submission, and follow-up. Develop go/no-go criteria and help leaders assess strategic fit and resource needs.
• Coordinate with Client Value, Conflicts, Competitive Intelligence, legal counsel, and other relevant teams. Gather client background, matter and billing history, and market research to support pursuit teams.
  • Develop pursuit strategies, themes, and executive summaries. Coach partners and other senior lawyers on positioning and presentation preparation.
  • Maintain reusable proposal resources, including a content library, approved responses, capability statements, templates, and final submissions.
  •  Review pursuit outcomes and apply lessons learned to improve proposal quality and processes.

Business Development Budget Management 

• Oversee the annual business development budget process by setting timelines, templates, and standards; work with business development leaders and practice group co-chairs to develop requests, assess proposed changes, and present prioritized recommendations to the Business Development Officer and Firm leadership.
• Monitor spending, forecasts, and variances; flag budget risks; oversee applicable transfer, reclassification, and approval processes; and partner with Finance on budget reviews and year-end close. Connect budget and return-on-investment information to inform decisions about events, sponsorships, hospitality, memberships, and campaigns.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Serve as the business development function’s business lead for pipeline, pursuit, and reporting requirements in the firm’s next-generation CRM initiative, while partnering with the Marketing Technology and Information Technology teams. 
• Partner with Marketing Technology on field design, guides, and training for the current systems (e.g., Foundation, InterAction) that support consistent data capture.
• Improve data quality and workflow consistency across business development systems. Develop and deliver training and user guidance to support adoption of tools and processes.
• Evaluate and apply technology, automation, and AI tools to improve proposal efficiency, content reuse, and reporting.

Team Leadership

• Manage the Proposals Manager and any additional direct reports assigned to the function by setting priorities, balancing workload, and supporting performance and career development. 
• Establish clear intake, prioritization, response, and escalation practices, and strengthen pursuit and data capabilities across the broader business development team through training, playbooks, and coaching.
   

• Bachelor’s degree required; an advanced degree in business, analytics or a related field is a plus.
• Minimum of 10 years of business development, proposals and pursuits, or business development operations experience, preferably within an AmLaw 100 or global law firm or another professional services organization.
• Minimum of 3 years of people management experience, with a demonstrated ability to establish priorities, manage workload and develop team members.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex RFPs, panel submissions and cross-practice or multi-office pursuits from strategy through submission and follow-up.
• Experience developing or improving pipeline management, reporting, data governance or pursuit processes in a complex, decentralized organization.
• Strong analytical skills, including advanced Excel proficiency and experience with data visualization or dashboard tools such as Power BI or Tableau.
• Experience supporting budget planning, forecasting or other financial management processes, as well as familiarity with law firm business development systems such as Intapp Foundation, InterAction or comparable CRM and experience-management platforms.
• Ability to synthesize complex information, translate data into practical recommendations and communicate effectively with senior lawyers and Firm leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate recommendations clearly, exercise sound judgment, influence stakeholders, facilitate decisions, and constructively challenge established approaches when appropriate.
• Excellent writing, editing, presentation and communication skills, with a high level of attention to detail.
• Collaborative and service-oriented approach, with the flexibility to manage multiple complex priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven and global environment.

This position will require physical presence in Proskauer’s offices on a regular basis (at least 3x per week, or more, if it becomes the policy of the Firm or as business needs require). The anticipated compensation range for this position is $230,000 - $270,000. The actual salary offered will be based on a number of factors including but not limited to the qualifications of the applicant, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job. 

Proskauer is committed to providing a work environment that includes equal opportunity without regard to race, color, gender, age, creed, sex, religion, national origin, disability (physical or mental), marital status, citizenship, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, or any other legally protected status.