Private Equity Client Relationship Executive

Grant Thornton - Americas•Chicago, IL

6d•$172,000 - $258,000

About The Position

Grant Thornton is seeking a Private Equity Client Relationship Executive (Director) to join the team in Chicago, IL. About the Role: Private Equity client relationship executives (PE CREs) sell Grant Thornton tax, audit and advisory services to clients and prospects in our target markets. This includes Private Equity firms with $500M-20B in assets under management (AUM) and their portfolio companies. The primary buyers are C-Suite finance, accounting, risk and tax executives at the fund and portfolio company levels, as well as deal professionals on the investment team and operating partners. As a relationship-oriented sales executive, this position is responsible for opening new doors and generating new business opportunities for Grant Thornton across all industries and all service lines within their assigned set of PE accounts. Key success criteria are pipeline, sales and revenue as well as the ability to collaborate effectively with a wide range of external and internal stakeholders.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Accounting, Finance or related field; advanced degree/MBA is a plus.
5+ years of business development or sponsor coverage experience selling professional services to private equity firms and/or their portfolio companies. It is ideal if this sales experience is in professional services.
5+ years of experience selling at the C-Suite level is required.
Ability to immediately leverage existing network of Board of Directors, C-Suite Officers and private investors.
Exceptional communication, presentation, and executive-presence skills.
Strong project management capabilities and comfort working with cross-functional teams.
Proficiency with CRM platforms and Microsoft Office suite.
Prior exposure to the field of finance and accounting.

Responsibilities

Identify, qualify and pursue new sales opportunities at prospects and select existing client accounts.
Build effective and collaborative relationships with the key decision-makers within the prospect organizations. Leverage existing C -Suite and Board relationships.
Identify winning strategies by understanding the client’s needs, challenging the status quo and creating opportunities for Grant Thornton to partner. Develop account plans to broaden client relationships and services.
Participate in sales presentations of Grant Thornton services and conduct face-to-face or virtual meetings with prospects.
Work directly with Partners, Principals and Managing Directors, manage the pursuit process and act as a key advisor to the pursuit team throughout the sales process.
Participate in industry organizations and informal networks to develop, build and sustain a robust set of professional relationships.
In partnership with marketing, execute events and other outreach campaigns in order to identify and engage targets, and build the Grant Thornton brand in the marketplace.
Work with functional, industry, and geographic service line leaders to maximize cross-selling opportunities.
Negotiate and participate in pricing strategy to make Grant Thornton competitive.
Regularly (daily) and consistently use CRM system to ensure that data reporting, customer information and sales activity/pipeline are up to date.
Other duties as assigned.