Director of Client Development

JOB TITLE: Director of Client Development FLSA STATUS: Exempt SCHEDULE: M-F, 40 hrs./week LOCATION: Any Spencer Fane Location (Hybrid Work Environment) REPORTS TO: Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer POSITION SUMMARY: The Director of Client Development serves as the operational leader of the Marketing and Client Development Department, with responsibility for overseeing daily departmental management and ensuring the effective execution of the firm’s marketing, client development, attorney engagement, and branding initiatives. May act on behalf of the Chief Marketing Officer as delegated and partners closely on strategic planning and departmental alignment with firmwide objectives. Provides oversight of client development, marketing communications, events, and branding functions, ensuring coordinated execution, resource management, and operational effectiveness across the department. COMPENSATION: At Spencer Fane, we carefully consider a wide range of factors when determining compensation, including but not limited to location, skillset, experience, training, licenses, certifications and other business or organizational needs. Compensation will be determined based on the above factors along with the requirements of the position. We expect the yearly salary for this position to be between $175,000 - $235,000. BENEFITS: Medical, Vision, Dental, PTO, 401k, Life, Disability. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: Strategic Department Leadership & CMO Partnership
Act as a trusted advisor, thought partner, and operational extension of the CMO, assuming responsibility for the day-to-day leadership, prioritization, and performance management of the Marketing & Client Development Department.
Translate strategic objectives into clear plans, workflows, and deliverables across teams, ensuring consistent execution and accountability.
Drive cross functional alignment, continuous process improvement, and effective resource allocation to support firmwide growth objectives. Budget Oversight & Financial Stewardship
Provide active oversight and management of individual attorney, practice group, office, and market team budgets in close collaboration with budget owners and client development stakeholders.
Partner closely with the Accounting team to strengthen financial reporting, monitor spend, evaluate return on investment, and identify opportunities for optimization.
Establish and communicate clear budget guidelines, expectations, and governance processes.
Serve as a collaborative partner to the CMO in evaluating and evolving the firm’s overall approach to funding client development initiatives. Team Leadership & People Management
Directly lead, manage, and develop managers and team members across client development, marketing communications, events, and creative/brand functions.
Set clear expectations around performance, priorities, and outcomes, and hold teams accountable through regular feedback, coaching, and performance management.
Foster collaboration across teams to ensure integrated delivery of marketing, branding, and client development initiatives.
Build scalable team structures, operating rhythms, and best practices that support growth and consistency across offices and markets. Marketing Communications, Branding & Client Development Oversight
Serve as a resource to the marketing communications and branding functions, helping the team to ensure consistent messaging, brand integrity, and high quality execution across all channels.
Support the department in designing and delivering client development programs and attorney facing services, ensuring they are practical, scalable, and aligned with firm priorities.
Provide support across the team that leads to seamless coordination between events, communications, branding, and client development efforts to maximize impact. Attorney Onboarding & Integration
Partner with the marketing communications manager in serving as representatives for the department to the firm’s Operations Integration Team, which is designed to ensure successful onboarding and integration of individual attorneys, teams and acquired firms onto the Spencer Fane platform.
Partner with client development managers, marketing communications, events, and other stakeholders to design and execute comprehensive onboarding and integration plans, materials, and touchpoints.
Ensure a consistent, high quality onboarding experience that accelerates integration, visibility, and long-terms success of talent joining the firm. QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS: Education
Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or related field required.
MBA or advanced degree preferred.
Legal industry certifications and continuing education in client development or professional services marketing strongly valued. Professional Experience
Minimum of 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in legal marketing, business development, or professional services marketing with substantial experience in AmLaw 200 or similarly complex firm environment strongly preferred).
Demonstrated experience operating at the department leadership level within a partnership-based organization.
Track record of leading multi-functional marketing and client development teams across offices, practices, and markets. Leadership & Organizational Management
Proven experience leading managers and senior professionals, with accountability for department structure, talent strategy, succession planning, and performance outcomes.
Demonstrated ability to scale and institutionalize attorney-facing services and client development infrastructure across a growing organization.
Experience driving cross-functional alignment and influencing senior stakeholders within a partnership governance model. Financial & Operational Stewardship
Direct experience with departmental budget ownership, financial forecasting, governance, and return-on-investment analysis across multiple budget lines.
Experience establishing operational frameworks, resource allocation models, and performance metrics to support firmwide growth objectives. Strategic Marketing & Client Development Expertise
Deep expertise in integrated marketing communications, brand strategy, events, and client development within a professional services environment.
Experience leading market, industry, or sector-based business development models at an enterprise level.
Demonstrated ability to translate firm strategy into executable marketing and client development initiatives. Executive Presence & Influence
Executive-level communication skills with demonstrated ability to advise and influence C-suite leadership and partnership.
Ability to operate as a strategic thought partner within a partnership structure while maintaining operational authority. Travel
Ability to travel to various marketing/firm events/meetings 20% of the time. SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:
Minimum of 4 direct reports. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Physical: Position is generally sedentary in nature; involves sitting most of the time, but may involve the need for inter-office mobility for brief periods of time.
Ability to occasionally or routinely lift up to 10 – 20 lbs.
Communication: Ability to efficiently communicate.
Manual Dexterity: Ability to perform repetitive motions required.
Visual: Ability to see and read PC screens, detect color coding, read fine print, and/or normal size print. DISCLAIMER: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required of employees.