Senior Business Development Manager - Finance & Investment Funds

Alston & Bird is seeking a Senior Business Development Manager to strengthen growth for its Finance and Investment Funds practice groups in New York. This onsite role partners closely with senior attorneys and practice leaders, combining strategy, client development, and visible market positioning to support revenue and long-term client relationships.

Working as the senior BD advisor for the practice areas, you will lead targeted initiatives across pursuit management, materials production, intelligence gathering, and measurement, while helping align go-to-market priorities with the firm’s broader business development efforts.

What you’ll do

• Act as the senior BD advisor and primary point of contact for Finance and Investment Funds attorneys and practice leaders.
• Lead strategic business development initiatives that support growth, client development, cross-selling, and market visibility.
• Build and manage client targeting, pursuit, and follow-up programs, including tracking activity, outcomes, and next steps.
• Ensure BD activities align with practice priorities, revenue opportunities, and client service goals.
• Use market, client, industry, and competitive intelligence to guide targeting, positioning, and pursuits.
• Maintain and leverage deal, matter, and experience data to support pitches, credentials, rankings, league tables, and client development.
• Support lateral partner integration by aligning client relationships, credentials, and go-to-market priorities with firmwide BD efforts.
• Prepare pitches, proposals, RFP responses, capability statements, presentations, and other BD materials.
• Manage BD budgets and evaluate sponsorships, memberships, conferences, and client-facing events for ROI and strategic alignment.
• Coordinate client programs, thought leadership, marketing materials, and related visibility initiatives.
• Manage directory, ranking, and award submissions, including Chambers, Legal 500, Best Lawyers, and Best Law Firms.
• Track BD activities, opportunities, and follow-up to support accountability and measurement.
• Supervise, mentor, and help prioritize work for BD team members supporting the assigned practices.

What you bring

• Strong business development, client development, and professional services judgment.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong project management skills and ability to manage competing priorities.
• High attention to detail and commitment to quality work product.
• Ability to build credibility with attorneys, practice leaders, and colleagues across the firm.
• Leadership presence, sound judgment, and ability to influence stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort working with market, client, and competitive data.
• Self-starter who can work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Comfort using CRM, research, proposal, and AI-enabled tools to improve BD execution and insight generation.
• Bachelor’s degree required.

Experience & education

• 8+ years of business development, marketing, or professional services experience; 10+ years preferred, preferably in a law firm.
• Experience advising senior attorneys or practice leaders and leading cross-functional BD initiatives is preferred.
• Familiarity with structured finance, private credit, fund finance, leveraged finance, asset management, private equity funds, credit funds, hedge funds, or related private capital strategies is preferred.
• Experience preparing pitches, proposals, RFP responses, client presentations, and related BD materials.
• Experience with rankings, awards, directory submissions, events, thought leadership, deal data, and league tables is preferred.

Role details

• Location: New York, NY (onsite)
• Salary: USD 190,000 - 200,000 per year
• Technologies: Microsoft Office Suite, CRM, AI-enabled tools