We are looking for a Business Development Manager to help drive the growth of our Los Angeles studio by identifying, pursuing, and winning new work. Our LA studio is a key part of our West Coast presence, and we are investing in our client relationships and visibility across the region. This role works directly with firm leadership and has a real seat at the table in shaping how the office grows.
What You'll Do
- Work with the LA Managing Principal and West Coast Principals to develop annual business development plans, revenue targets, and market sector priorities for the Los Angeles office.
- Partner with the Director of Business Development, West Coast, to align LA pursuits with regional strategy, share leads across offices, and build the pipeline, including support for our San Francisco office as needed.
- Track and report business development metrics, including revenue projections, hit rate, and cost of pursuit, to firm leadership.
- Keep the opportunity pipeline and CRM accurate and current, including leads, pursuits, win/loss data, and client contacts.
- Monitor RFP and RFQ sources, industry publications, and market intelligence to surface opportunities early.
- Research clients, competitors, and project fit to support go/no-go decisions.
- Identify and qualify prospective clients and projects that align with our practice areas and strategic goals.
- Lead proposal, qualifications, and RFP and RFQ responses in collaboration with leadership, marketing, and technical staff.
- Coordinate shortlist interview and client presentation preparation, including strategy, messaging, and rehearsals.
- Maintain and continuously improve pursuit collateral, including project sheets, resumes, boilerplate content, and case studies.
- Build and steward relationships with clients, brokers, project managers, developers, contractors, consultants, and public agencies.
- Plan and execute client engagement activities, from targeted outreach campaigns to firm hosted events.
- Represent STUDIOS at industry organizations and events such as CoreNet, NAIOP, ULI, and AIA, and identify sponsorship and speaking opportunities for firm leadership.
- Collaborate with the marketing team on positioning, award submissions, PR opportunities, and content that supports business development goals.
- Bachelor's degree in marketing, business, communications, architecture, or a related field.
- 10 or more years of business development, marketing, or client development experience in the A/E/C industry (architecture, engineering, construction, real estate, or related professional services).
- Strong knowledge of the Los Angeles and Southern California real estate and development market.
- Demonstrated success managing pursuits and developing winning proposals for design or professional services firms.
- Experience leading shortlist interview and client presentation preparation.
- Experience managing an opportunity pipeline in a CRM, with accurate tracking of leads, pursuits, win/loss data, and client contacts.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft persuasive narratives and present confidently to senior audiences.
- Proficiency with a CRM platform such as [Deltek Vantagepoint] or Salesforce, and with Adobe Creative Suite, particularly InDesign.
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple deadlines across concurrent pursuits.
- An established network of client and industry relationships in the Los Angeles market is desired.
- Experience in a mid-size firm where the role spans strategy and hands on execution is desired.
- Active involvement in industry organizations such as SMPS, ULI, AIA, CoreNet, or NAIOP is desired.
- Familiarity with California public agency procurement processes is desired.
Compensation
The salary range for this position is $130,000 to $150,000 annually. The range reflects what STUDIOS reasonably expects to pay for this position. Final compensation will depend on experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors.
Fair Chance Hiring
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles City Fair Chance Ordinance and the California Fair Chance Act.
