Associate Director of Business Development (National) - Life Sciences

Cooley LLP•Los Angeles, CA

1d•$260,000 - $320,000

About The Position

This role is part of the Business Development Team, which leads the firm’s business development efforts in the market, in close partnership with Marketing, to build relationships, generate opportunities, and support growth across priority clients, prospects, and sectors. Responsible for cultivating strategic relationships with clients, prospects, and industry influencers while identifying cross-selling, account expansion, and high-value pursuit opportunities that connect client needs to the firm’s national capabilities.

Requirements

After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applications
Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours, as required
Ability to travel, as required
8+ years of applicable experience in the field (e.g., marketing or business development), with 4+ years management experience (some at the senior level preferred)
Market-facing presence including a leverageable network
Commercial instinct and proven relationship building skills, including strong working knowledge of enterprise CRM ecosystems (e.g., Salesforce)
Demonstrated industry experience in life sciences
Bachelor’s Degree

Nice To Haves

Prior legal industry or professional services experience
Entrepreneurial by nature
Excellent attention to detail
Approaches tasks through a lens of quality and consistency
Approaches tasks through a digital first lens
Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with ability to facilitate and solve problems
Ability to organize, prioritize and coordinate multiple activities often under tight timelines
Takes a consultative approach to set goals, drive projects, and achieve outcomes
Strong judgment
Team-player with collaborative spirit
Unwavering ability to handle and maintain confidentiality regarding firm information, projects, client data
High level of professionalism at all times
Demonstrated ability to lead through influence and develop talent
Proactive, analytical mindset
Effective presentation skills

Responsibilities

Partner with business leaders to advance growth priorities for assigned industries, business area or market segments, providing tailored support to shape growth plans and define market-facing priorities.
Build and maintain high-value relationships with selected clients, prospects, and referral sources, actively participating in industry-specific ecosystems and communities to strengthen the firm's national footprint.
Team with geographic BD professionals and partners to activate opportunities where national priorities intersect with local markets, ensuring seamless introductions and coordinated handoffs.
Surface whitespace, cross-selling, and account expansion opportunities specifically within the assigned focus area, identifying client needs that align with the firm’s national capabilities.
Identify and leverage anchor events, strategic partnerships, and national campaigns to raise firm visibility and translate high-level priorities into actionable, market-facing activities.
Help advance selected high-value opportunities by connecting focus-area needs with the right partners and practices across all geographies, ensuring internal coordination is streamlined.
Coordinate with the Marketing team on specialized outreach and campaigns tied to the focus area, ensuring a unified brand voice across all national and segment-specific initiatives.
Act as a strategic conduit, bringing market insights, competitive themes, and opportunity trends back to BD leadership to inform future investments and firm-wide decision-making.
Maintain rigorous visibility into relationship activity and opportunity movement, tracking outreach and meetings to ensure a proactive and consistent BD rhythm within the assigned focus area.
All other duties as assigned or required