Job Description:
Position Overview
The Director of Client Strategy & Growth serves as a strategic partner to the Practice Leader, with a dedicated focus on expanding market opportunities, strengthening client relationships, developing new business opportunities, and identifying what clients will need next across the mortgage industry.
This individual will combine deep mortgage industry expertise, an established network of industry relationships, strong client relationship skills, and a strategic growth mindset to help expand Baker Tilly's Mortgage Risk Advisory Practice across Mortgage Quality Control, Compliance, Servicing Quality Control, and related advisory services.
The Director will work closely with the Practice Leader to enhance the practice's ability to pursue new opportunities, deepen existing client relationships, increase market visibility, and proactively identify solutions to emerging client needs.
This role is intentionally different from a traditional Business Development position. The individual will collaborate with Baker Tilly's Business Development professionals while bringing the mortgage industry knowledge, executive relationships, client insight, and subject matter credibility necessary to develop opportunities and advance strategic client conversations.
The role is also designed to complement and enhance the Practice Leader's responsibilities. Overall practice strategy, operations, financial performance, service delivery, quality, client accountability, and people leadership remain the responsibility of the Practice Leader.
Primary Responsibilities
Strategic Growth & Market Development
- Partner with the Practice Leader to identify, develop, and advance growth opportunities across the mortgage industry.
- Leverage established industry relationships to create introductions and new opportunities with mortgage lenders, servicers, investors, and other market participants.
- Identify prospective organizations and decision-makers that align with the practice's capabilities and strategic growth objectives.
- Develop relationships with executive-level decision-makers and influencers throughout the mortgage industry.
- Support the development of strategic pursuits from initial relationship development through solution discussions, proposals, and presentations.
- Bring mortgage subject matter expertise and industry credibility into prospective client conversations.
- Identify opportunities to expand the practice into new segments, relationships, and areas of the mortgage lifecycle.
- Partner with the Practice Leader on targeted market strategies based on industry developments, client needs, and emerging opportunities.
- Collaborate with Baker Tilly Business Development professionals to complement firmwide sales efforts with mortgage-specific relationships, market intelligence, and subject matter expertise.
Client Relationship Expansion & Client Success
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders across existing clients.
- Enhance the Practice Leader's ability to maintain proactive executive engagement across a growing client portfolio.
- Develop a deep understanding of each client's business model, strategic priorities, challenges, and future objectives.
- Identify opportunities to expand existing relationships through additional Mortgage Risk Advisory services.
- Proactively identify additional ways Baker Tilly can provide value beyond the client's current scope of services.
- Support strategic client discussions and executive business reviews focused on future needs, industry developments, and opportunities.
- Gather client feedback and market intelligence that can help strengthen relationships and identify future opportunities.
- Help ensure clients continue to view Baker Tilly as a trusted advisor and strategic partner rather than solely a service provider.
- Support client retention through proactive relationship development, responsiveness, industry insight, and continued value creation.
Strategic Client Insights & Growth Opportunities
- Leverage client discussions, industry trends, engagement results, and market intelligence to identify opportunities for deeper client engagement and practice growth.
- Partner with the Practice Leader to identify emerging client needs and determine where additional services, solutions, or advisory support may create value.
- Recognize trends across the client base that may signal broader market opportunities or the need for new or expanded service offerings.
- Use knowledge of a client's business, strategic priorities, and challenges to proactively bring forward ideas and opportunities beyond the current engagement.
- Help develop executive-level conversations that shift relationships from individual services to broader strategic discussions around risk, compliance, quality, servicing, technology, and business priorities.
- Identify opportunities to connect clients with additional capabilities across the Mortgage Risk Advisory Practice and broader Baker Tilly organization.
- Gather market and client intelligence that helps the Practice Leader determine where the practice should focus future growth efforts.
- Identify recurring client challenges that could be developed into scalable service offerings, advisory solutions, or targeted market initiatives.
- Help turn successful client solutions and outcomes into relevant market stories, thought leadership, and conversations with prospective clients.
- Proactively identify "what's next" for key clients—what challenges they are likely to face, what support they may need, and where Baker Tilly can engage before a formal need or opportunity is identified.
Mortgage Industry & Market Strategy
- Maintain a comprehensive understanding of developments across the mortgage lifecycle and the challenges affecting lenders, servicers, investors, and other industry participants.
- Monitor regulatory, agency, economic, technology, and market developments that could create new client needs or business opportunities.
- Translate industry developments into potential client conversations and market opportunities.
- Identify emerging areas where the practice can develop or expand capabilities to address changing client needs.
- Maintain awareness of competitor capabilities, market positioning, and service offerings to help identify opportunities for differentiation.
- Bring forward ideas regarding AI, automation, analytics, technology, and other emerging capabilities when they can create client value, support strategic growth, or create new service opportunities.
- Help the Practice Leader continuously evaluate where the mortgage market is heading and how the practice can remain ahead of changing client needs.
Industry Presence & Strategic Relationship Development
- Maintain and expand a strong network of relationships throughout the mortgage industry.
- Represent the Mortgage Risk Advisory Practice at relevant conferences, associations, industry events, and client meetings.
- Build relationships with mortgage executives, technology providers, industry organizations, investors, and other strategic market participants.
- Identify opportunities for strategic introductions, partnerships, and industry collaboration.
- Support thought leadership, webinars, industry discussions, and other opportunities that increase visibility for the Mortgage Risk Advisory Practice.
- Identify opportunities for the Practice Leader and other Baker Tilly leaders to engage with key industry decision-makers.
- Use industry relationships and market knowledge to identify prospective clients and emerging opportunities before they become formal pursuits.
Critical Skill Set
The ideal candidate will possess a unique combination of deep mortgage industry expertise, established relationships, strategic growth capabilities, client relationship skills, executive presence, and market awareness.
Deep Mortgage Lifecycle Expertise
The individual must possess comprehensive knowledge of the end-to-end mortgage lifecycle, including:
- Mortgage origination and loan manufacturing
- Processing and underwriting
- Closing and post-closing
- Mortgage Quality Control
- Regulatory compliance
- Operational and credit risk
- Servicing
- Default servicing and loss mitigation
- Investor and agency requirements
- Vendor oversight
- Mortgage technology and operational workflows
The individual should understand how these areas intersect and be able to recognize client challenges and opportunities across the mortgage lifecycle rather than having expertise limited to a single function.
