BD Support Senior Manager

Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

Orrick is hiring a BD Support Senior Manager for its Sector & Markets, Business Development team. The position may be based in any U.S. office, with consideration for fully remote work from U.S. locations. Reporting to the Chief of Staff – Business Development, the role is the operational leader of a central pool of generalist business development professionals supporting the firm’s BD function. The Senior Manager sets priorities, balances capacity across stakeholder demands, and is accountable for the team’s quality, accuracy, and responsiveness. The role manages team leads and senior team members, develops earlier-career staff, and establishes processes, standards, and a culture that support consistent delivery at scale. This includes streamlining workflows, sharing best practices, and adopting AI and other technology-enabled tools. The Senior Manager also builds trusted relationships with colleagues and stakeholders across BD. Orrick is a global law firm focused on Technology & Innovation, Energy & Infrastructure, Finance, and Life Sciences & HealthTech. Founded more than 150 years ago in San Francisco, the firm has offices in more than 25 markets and emphasizes innovation and collaboration. The expected salary range varies by location: $160,000–$210,000 in New York City, Silicon Valley, and San Francisco; $155,000–$200,000 in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Orange County, Santa Monica, Sacramento, Boston, and Seattle; and $150,000–$185,000 in all other U.S. locations. Pay within the range depends on job-related factors such as qualifications, relevant experience or education, skills, expertise, and geography. Other compensation may include an annual discretionary merit bonus based on firm and individual performance. The firm offers elective health benefits, mental well-being programs, care benefits, disability coverage, parental leave, health savings account contributions where applicable, flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) program, Flexible Time Off, and paid holidays. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Requirements

At least 10 years of marketing or business development experience.
At least 3 years of team management experience, including managing managers or team leads.
Four-year college degree or equivalent experience required.
Experienced people leader with sound judgment and a growth mindset who can build and manage a cohesive, high-performing team.
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build trusted relationships with BD colleagues and stakeholders.
A clear understanding of BD-wide priorities and the ability to identify where the central team adds the most value.
High proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
Experience with, or ability to learn, firm BD systems.
Strong ability to navigate online platforms and databases.

Nice To Haves

Marketing or business development experience in a legal or professional services environment is preferred.
MBA preferred.

Responsibilities

Directly manage the team, emphasizing performance management, engagement, and accountability.
Build a culture of professionalism, trust, and high performance by setting and enforcing clear expectations.
Conduct regular one-on-ones, team meetings, and coaching conversations, and provide direct, timely, candid feedback.
Develop and retain talent through coaching, structured technical and professional skills training, and succession planning.
Partner with HR on recruiting, onboarding, performance counseling, and employee relations matters.
Serve as a credible leader across the team, BD, and the partnership, and provide hands-on support to model standards and unblock work.
Use emotional intelligence and judgment to resolve complex people issues.
Translate BD department and firm initiatives into clear, actionable expectations for the team.
Partner with BD Operations on planning and intake; allocate incoming requests through workflow tools and systems, including ServiceNow or equivalent, to ensure appropriate assignment, prioritization, and delivery quality.
Monitor workload distribution, capacity, utilization, and overtime, adjusting resources to support sustainable and consistent service.
Act as an escalation point for team members, attorneys, and BD stakeholders on people and service issues, resolving concerns promptly and constructively.
Staff and oversee special projects, establishing scope, deadlines, and accountability.
Collaborate across BD teams to ensure smooth handoffs and aligned execution.
Establish and monitor KPIs for service delivery, workload, skill development, and team health.
Use data to assess workload trends, performance, and capability gaps, and act on findings.
Prepare actionable updates for senior leadership that translate data into decisions.
Apply sound financial and operational judgment, including expense and overtime management.
Implement pragmatic process improvements that balance efficiency with people impact.
Capture and share best practices and ensure consistent standards, templates, and approaches for recurring work such as pitches, credentials, directory submissions, and events.
Champion AI and other technology-enabled tools, evaluate emerging tools, and train the team on new processes, systems, and ways of working.
Perform other ad hoc duties as required.

Benefits

Elective medical, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits.
Mental well-being programs.
Child, family, elder, and pet care benefits.
Short- and long-term disability benefits.
Parental leave benefits.
Health savings account contributions with applicable medical plans.
Flexible spending accounts.
401(k) program.
Flexible Time Off program.
Paid holidays.
Other compensation may include an annual discretionary merit bonus based on firm and individual performance.