Market Development Specialist

At K&L Gates, we are looking for smart, imaginative and hard-working people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and ideas to join us. Perhaps our search for talented visionaries and your search for important and impactful work lead to the same place.

We are seeking a Market Development Specialist to join the D.C., New York, Charlotte, or Chicago office. Candidates must be self-starters who possess the ability to work independently and as part of a team. Excellent communication skills and a commitment to providing the highest quality client service are strongly preferred. Working under the direction of a Business Development Manager or Director level, the Business Development Specialist (BDS) will support and execute marketing and business development programs and initiatives for firmwide practice areas, industry groups and/or offices.

The BDS will have significant interaction with lawyers, office and practice managers and firm administration. Successful candidates will possess superior written and oral communications skills, project management abilities and will be able to implement strategic directives and coordinate marketing functions. The BDS will see projects through from concept to delivery, sometimes with limited or no oversight from a manager.

Business Development Managers, office and practice managers, firm administration and others Business Development team

• Assist practice groups and individual lawyers with development and implementation of marketing, business and client development projects and provide general marketing support to practice groups.
• Serving as a primary point of contact for production and assembly of customized marketing packages and promotional materials.
• Creating and delivering client‑focused proposals, qualifications and presentation materials in response to RFPs and other opportunities for new business.
• Drafting, editing and proofing such materials as marketing collateral, slide decks, letters, event invitations, and lawyer biographies.
• Serving as liaison to lawyers and secretaries to build, maintain and regularly update practice group contact lists in the firm’s client relationship management (CRM) database.
• Creating and maintaining experience lists for practice areas and lawyer activities.
• Prepare and deliver detailed competitive intelligence and marketing research reports leveraging firmwide research tools and library resources. This may also include development of qualified prospect lists for certain marketing/client development initiatives.
• Coordinate the development of articles, newsletters, electronic news alerts and other marketing communications materials.
• Coordinate practice/industry group/office special events, including mailing list management, collateral production, logistics planning and on‑site support. Assist in planning process and provide support to all follow‑up business development activities.
• Assist in tracking information relating to business development activities in the firm’s proposal tracking system.
• Support office and practice public relations activities.
• Coordinate practice group membership/renewals in various trade and related organizations.
• Secure reprint permissions and stock for use in future marketing efforts.
• Serve as a member of K&L Gates’ firmwide marketing team. Execute firmwide initiatives as assigned. Participate in special projects at the behest of the CMO.
• Work collaboratively with Business Development Coordinators and oversee assigned tasks.
• Undertake other projects as assigned.
• Participation in outside conferences and seminars, hold a membership in trade associations.

EXPERIENCE SKILLS REQUIRED

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience required
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; ability to write and produce compelling proposals, collateral, research reports and client‑facing presentation materials.
• Strong interpersonal skills with demonstrated service orientation.
• High level of maturity and confidence necessary to interact with sophisticated internal and external clients.
• Excellent computer skills with knowledge of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Internet research…