Director of Business Development

Our client is an internationally recognized architecture and design firm with a distinguished legacy of design excellence spanning five decades. With a global office presence, the firm’s portfolio encompasses landmark projects inclusive of sophisticated towers, mixed-use developments, cultural institutions, and civic buildings worldwide.

Known for contextually-responsive design solutions that balance architectural ambition with pragmatic client service, the firm has earned recognition through completed projects that demonstrate both design quality and technical delivery rigor. Their award-winning portfolio emphasizes sustainable, thoughtful design that respects context while pushing creative boundaries, resulting in long-term client relationships and repeat commissions from major institutions and developers alike.

The firm's culture prioritizes collaborative professionalism, design intelligence, and reliable project delivery. Led by a partnership team that includes accomplished principals across multiple studios, the firm values talented professionals who bring both specialized expertise and authentic relationship-building capabilities. The firm provides potential progression to ownership participation for senior leadership, fostering an environment where business development, design quality, and team development are equally valued.

Our client seeks a Director of Business Development to create consistent BD infrastructure, support principal-level relationship-building, and provide strategic firm-wide pipeline management. This position represents a strategic opportunity that emerged during comprehensive consultation with the firm's leadership, recognizing the value of dedicated BD leadership to complement the firm's architectural principals and position the firm for accelerated growth.

The ideal candidate is a strong, independent business development professional with proven experience in professional services who can partner effectively with architectural principals while driving strategic BD initiatives. This non-architect leadership role will complement the firm's principal-level talent, creating dedicated BD infrastructure that amplifies the firm's capabilities and supports the firm's growth during a pivotal generational transition.

The Director of Business Development will serve as a strategic partner to the principals, maximizing the firm's business development impact by identifying and qualifying opportunities so principals can focus their expertise on winning work and leading design excellence. This role offers the opportunity to build professional BD infrastructure at a distinguished firm with strong market positioning and established client relationships, while helping shape the firm's future direction during an exciting evolution.

The Director of Business Development will play a pivotal role in expanding the firm's presence across multiple sectors and markets. You will support the partnership team in approaching new and existing clients to win work across mixed‑use development, cultural institutions, higher education, transportation, and civic buildings. This position involves identifying new business opportunities, building and maintaining client relationships, and collaborating with principals and studio teams to drive strategic growth.

The Director of Business Development is responsible for expanding the firm's business network, researching business opportunities, managing strategic partnerships essential for sector diversification, and coordinating planning and preparation of pursuit materials, RFPs, and proposals. You will work in close collaboration with the managing principal, partnership team, studio leaders, and the Director of Operations to create firm‑wide pipeline visibility and strategic resource allocation.

• Develop and implement strategic plans to achieve business growth objectives aligned with firm's sector priorities
• Create dedicated BD infrastructure that enhances the firm's business development capabilities
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities across multiple sectors…