Harbor is seeking a
Director, Client Engagement & Market Development (Knowledge and Research Services) to help grow our Knowledge & Research Services practice by creating and shaping new client engagements. This role builds relationships across the legal market, turns client needs into well-scoped engagements, and stays connected through delivery so that each engagement is set up to succeed. The Director will also oversee our market-facing programs, including BLISS and LINKS, and lead the practice's thought leadership.
This role works closely with Harbor's Client Engagement team and partners with Knowledge & Research Services delivery leaders from first conversation through to successful completion.
This is a fully remote role that can be worked from anywhere in the United States, United Kingdom, or Canada, with an expectation of approximately 20-30% travel.
Responsibilities:New Engagement Development- Build a pipeline of new Knowledge & Research Services engagements through market relationships, existing clients, and referrals
- Lead discovery conversations to understand client priorities, challenges, and desired outcomes
- Shape client needs into practical engagement approaches, bringing in subject matter and delivery experts as needed
- Partner with Client Engagement on opportunities and identify ways to extend existing client relationships
Scoping, Proposals & Commercial Support - Develop scope, assumptions, and resourcing for proposals and Statements of Work in partnership with delivery leaders
- Contribute to pricing and commercial models that support margin objectives
- Maintain consistent, high-quality proposal and scoping materials
- Track opportunities and contribute to pipeline reviews and forecasting
Interim Research - Own growth, performance, and P&L for Interim Research services
- Oversee delivery quality and placement success across engagements
- Define strategy for improving utilization, margins, and scalability
- Position Interim Research as a strategic entry point for broader services
Delivery Alignment - Lead the handover from engagement development to delivery, making sure scope, assumptions, and client expectations are clearly understood
- Stay connected to engagements through delivery to support client communication and resolve scope questions
- Identify follow-on opportunities as engagements progress
- Apply lessons learned from delivery to improve future scoping and positioning
BLISS, LINKS & Thought Leadership - Oversee the planning and delivery of BLISS and LINKS
- Use insights from BLISS and LINKS to inform the practice's point of view and open new client conversations
- Lead the Knowledge & Research Services thought leadership agenda, including content, presentations, and webinars
- Partner with Marketing to align messaging with our service offerings
Market Engagement - Build relationships with library, research, knowledge, and innovation leaders across the legal market
- Represent Harbor at industry events, client meetings, and roundtables
- Bring market trends and emerging client needs back into service development
- Help Harbor colleagues understand our offerings and recognize opportunities for Knowledge & Research Services
Qualifications:- Bachelor's degree required. Master's degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS), JD, or other relevant advanced degree preferred
- Significant experience in knowledge, research, or information services within a law firm, professional services, or consulting environment
- Proven experience developing client relationships and shaping new engagements, ideally in advisory or managed services
- Experience developing proposals, Statements of Work, and scoping or pricing inputs
- Strong understanding of the priorities of law firm library, research, and knowledge functions
- Experience with thought leadership, events, or market-facing programmes
- Excellent communication, facilitation, and presentation skills, with the ability to engage credibly with senior stakeholders
- Strong commercial judgement and a collaborative approach to working with delivery teams
- Experience with Salesforce or similar CRM platforms preferred
- Reliable internet connection for virtual working
