Director, Client Engagement Strategy

Goodwin•Washington, DC

4d•$180,000 - $260,000

About The Position

Join Goodwin’s Global Operations Team, and make a real impact on a global scale. At Goodwin, we work with some of the world’s most successful and innovative investors, entrepreneurs and disruptors in the life sciences, private equity, real estate, technology and financial industries, and where they converge. As part of the Global Operations Team – all business professionals at the firm – you’ll collaborate with colleagues from varied backgrounds and experiences, fostering an environment where cross-functional learning, networking, and collaboration are at the core of what we do. Here, we’re not just supporting a law firm; we’re partnering with attorneys and clients to deliver cutting-edge solutions in high-stakes litigation and dispute resolution, world-class regulatory compliance and advisory services, and complex transactions. Our commitment to integrity, ingenuity, agility, and ambition drives us, and we’re proud to have been recognised as the “Best Business Team” by The American Lawyer. This is your opportunity to grow professionally in a dynamic, global environment, surrounded by forward-thinking peers. The Director of Client Engagement Strategy & Sponsorships leads Goodwin’s Client Engagements function, shaping how the firm uses strategic engagements, sponsorships, and client experiences to strengthen priority relationships, create growth opportunities, and differentiate the firm in the market. This leader sets the strategy, operating model, governance, investment approach, and measurement framework for the function, while leading a pod-based global team aligned to Industry Groups. The role requires a strategic operational leader who can translate firm and client priorities into distinctive experiences with measurable business impact and outcomes across the full engagement lifecycle.

Requirements

15+ years of experience in client development, client engagement, events, growth strategy, or a related discipline, ideally within a professional services or similarly complex business-to-business organization.
Demonstrated success building, transforming, or scaling a strategic enterprise capability.
Proven ability to design and lead operating models, governance structures, prioritization frameworks, and scalable delivery approaches across a complex global organization.
Experience managing significant global portfolios, budgets, investments, and cross-functional teams, with strong operational and financial discipline.
Strong commercial judgment, with the ability to connect engagement strategy to relationship development, pipeline creation, opportunity progression, and revenue growth.
Experience using data, analytics, client insights, and technology to inform strategy, improve decisions, measure impact, and optimize investment.
Ability to operate as both a strategic advisor and an enterprise operator, moving effectively between long-term strategy, portfolio-level decisions, organizational change, and practical execution.
Demonstrated success leading change, including navigating ambiguity, influencing stakeholders without direct authority, building adoption, and sustaining accountability.
Exceptional executive presence and communication skills, with the judgment and credibility to advise firm leadership, senior partners, and other senior stakeholders.
Proven leadership experience building, developing, and inspiring high-performing teams, with a commitment to developing strategic and advisory capabilities in others.

Responsibilities

Set the vision, strategy, and operating model for the Client Engagements Center of Excellence (CoE), aligning the function to firm growth priorities, Industry Group strategies, client plans, and brand objectives.
Lead and evolve the function into a scalable, commercially focused capability that brings discipline, consistency, and strategic value to engagements across the firm.
Establish governance for the full client engagement lifecycle, including intake, prioritization, planning, resourcing, execution standards, measurement, and post-engagement activation.
Manage the firm’s global portfolio of client engagements, events, and sponsorships, ensuring investments are coordinated, appropriately resourced, and focused on opportunities with the greatest strategic and commercial potential.
Create tiered client engagement models that match target audience, investment, and expected outcomes to client value, growth opportunity, and strategic importance.
Advise the firm and Client Development leadership on market-leading engagements, sponsorships, and relationship-building strategies, bringing strategic judgment rather than event-led approaches.
Partner with Business Development leaders and teams to embed client engagement strategy into client plans, Industry Group priorities, campaigns, and broader go-to-market initiatives.
Define performance measures and executive reporting that show relationship progression, pipeline influence, opportunity creation, client participation, and overall portfolio performance.
Develop firmwide standards, playbooks, and enablement tools that improve quality, efficiency, and consistency while allowing appropriate flexibility by market, industry, audience, and objective.
Set the roadmap for engagement-related technology, data, automation, and process improvement, partnering with Digital & Technology, Marketing & Communications, and other stakeholders to improve planning, execution, measurement, and client experience.
Lead change management for the Client Engagements model, building stakeholder understanding, adoption, capability, and accountability across Client Development and the broader firm.
Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing, pod-based global team, creating an environment that combines business alignment, shared standards, advisory excellence, and continuous learning.
Collaborate closely with other GO Team functions to ensure consistency in event planning and execution across the firm.