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 eight consecutive years and #1 on Law.com's UK A-List twice in the past three years—rankings that honor the "best of the best" law 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, Paris, 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.

The Senior Client Development Manager will work closely with the Director of Client Development to drive the executive client engagement program for the Firm’s Chair and Vice Chair.  In addition, this position will proactively provide and coordinate strategic and practical client development, client relationship management, and service delivery support for a group of priority Client Teams with the objective of developing a deep, long-term, mutually beneficial relationship with the client ensuring that it is best served.

Executive Client Engagement

• Cultivate deep understanding of the firm’s top revenue drivers.
• In conjunction with the Director of Client Development, develop annual executive engagement plans for Chair and Vice Chair focused on deepening relationships with top-priority clients/targets.  Present to Chair/Vice Chair, gain buy-in, and sustain execution throughout the year.
• Continually recalibrate plans based on emerging industry developments.
• Act as bridge between Chair/Vice Chair and practice groups, client teams, industry teams, offices leaders, individual partners, and clients that request Chair visits. Prioritize requests using a decision matrix, and drive follow-up.
• Proactively source opportunities for executive outreach from internal and external sources.
• Maintain a consistent process for client visits – from intake, to briefing, to follow-up.
• Develop comprehensive briefings for Chair and Vice Chair in advance of client visits.
• Continually work to improve briefing content by testing new AI tools and ongoing collaboration with the Competitive Intelligence team.
• Prepare Chair/Vice Chair for high-profile events including prioritization of clients/targets to meet and recommendation of warm connection points.
• On occasion, coordinate Chair/Vice Chair involvement in client retention efforts following partner departures or succession.
• Handle highly confidential information and politically sensitive situations with the utmost discretion.

Client Teams

• Manage a portfolio of Client Teams in the Private Equity industry. Help to identify and implement strategies and tactics to improve client satisfaction, expand into new areas of service and grow client revenues.
• Together with Client Coordinating Lawyers (CCL’s):
• develop and nurture a core team around the relevant Client Teams
• take responsibility for the development and execution of Client Team plans, including identifying key objectives and supporting actions to development the relationship
• create and manage the annual Client Team budget.

• Ensure that each Client Team is managed in accordance with best practice key account processes.
• Organize and actively participate in regular Client Team meetings both as part of the smaller core team with the CCLs and as part of the fuller team, including creating agendas, meeting minutes and facilitating follow up.
• Commission client research in support of specific pitches or to enhance client team’s general overall knowledge of the client’s business.
• Regularly monitor and share with the Client Team intelligence about the client and its market with an eye for opportunities to enhance the client team’s knowledge-base, assist with cross-selling, develop value added training, etc.
• Monitor financial performance:
• work closely with the designated Finance and Client Operations colleagues for the Client Team, to establish the most appropriate management tools, systems and billing processes
• review monthly client financial reports and develop analysis of key trends for the client team partner lead(s) and the broader client team
• Coordinate and manage client-wide RFPs, pitches, panel renewal procedure and fee arrangements, working with relevant business support colleagues.
• Identify opportunities to conduct post-pitch debriefs, post-matter reviews, statesperson visits, and annual meetings with the clients.
• Ensure delivery of service commitments agreed with the client and implement systems and procedures to promote client service quality and consistency.
• Develop relationships with the client becoming the key contact person where appropriate.
• Manage and develop junior members of the Client Development team where appropriate.

• Bachelor's degree.
• Master of Business Administration degree (MBA), preferred but not required.
• Senior professional experience with a minimum of ten (10) years of experience in business development within a large professional services firm.
• Able to handle highly confidential information and politically sensitive situations with the utmost discretion.
• Superior writing and editing skills.
• Excellent communication, project management, organizational and proofreading skills.
• Proven ability to work in a (virtual) team and effective in collaborating across various teams, countries and cultures.
• Service-oriented approach: flexible, proactive management of expectations, unflappable in the face of change.
• The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated track record of success and results within a partnership or professional services environment. Must have executive level presence, a high degree of poise and presence with the ability to interact effectively, build relationships with several different constituents, and the ability to influence action and achieve results.
• Must be able to establish credibility with partners, tailoring your style to bring to bear the right mix of confidence, tact and persistence in working with the firm's lawyers across offices. Effecting change without direct authority.
• High level of self-motivation and results orientation, setting and achieving goals.
• Demonstrate advanced stakeholder management, communication skills, diplomacy and negotiation skills to achieve buy-in and ownership of stakeholders; setting and communicating goals; measuring accomplishments and holding people accountable.
• Able to work within a matrixed organization - balancing the needs of the client and firm goals.
• Strong collaboration, teamwork and sharing of best practices. Ability to listen, collaborate and influence others.
• Strong understanding of new business processes and platforms, CRM and the emerging technologies needed to help win and retain the client’s legal work.
• Ability to operate calmly under pressure and manage competing priorities, be methodical and logical, thrive in a robust and fast-paced environment.

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 listed below and 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.

Boston: $171,100 - $273,600

New York: $179,200 - $286,650

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.