Cooley LLP

Director of Pursuit & Proposals

Cooley LLP$260K — $320K *
Legal & Accounting
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years in marketing/business development with focus on proposals
  • 5+ years management experience in relevant roles
  • Proven track record in leading and modernizing pursuit functions
  • Experience writing/editing high-quality proposals
  • Strong working knowledge of pursuit technologies, e.g., Templify and Foundation
  • Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Responsibilities

  • Lead the development of impactful proposals and pitch materials
  • Define win themes and messaging to differentiate the firm
  • Align pursuit strategies with specific client needs
  • Provide coaching on pitch delivery and approach
  • Direct strategic focus on the firm’s largest pursuits
  • Coordinate complex project management for cross-functional pursuits
  • Standardize processes to transition from reactive to scalable proposals
  • Implement technology solutions to improve efficiency

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans
  • Flexible spending accounts for health and dependent care
  • Generous Paid Time Off (25 days annually)
  • Paid parental leave and fertility benefits
  • Firm-paid life insurance and long-term disability coverage
  • Backup care support for children and adults
  • Detailed orientation to benefits for new employees
  • Pre-tax commuter benefits and various elective programs
Full Job Description
Director of Pursuit & Proposals

Cooley is seeking a Director of Pursuit & Proposalsto join the Marketing and Client Developmentteam.

Position summary:Thisrole is part of thePursuits and Proposals Team, whichsupports pursuit, pitch, and proposal execution for priority opportunities, while also helping shape win strategy, coach teams, and build a more consistent and scalable pursuit model.Primarilyresponsible for leadingthe firm27s strategic pursuits, proposals, and pitch efforts by developing compelling win strategies, aligning messaging to client needs, and driving high-quality execution across complex opportunities. This role partners closely with firm leadership and teams to coach presentation readiness, standardize scalable pursuit processes, and implement technology-enabled solutions that improve consistency and efficiency across practices and regions.Specificduties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Position responsibilities:

  • LeadPursuits, Pitches, and Proposals:Lead and support the development of high-impact proposals and pitch materials, ensuring teams respond with clear, compelling, and well-structured content for the firm'shighest priorityopportunities.

  • Shape Win Strategy:Define the win themes, positioning, and messaging that differentiate the firm in the market, bringing greater rigor to how opportunities are shaped before any materials are developed.

  • Align Strategy to Client Context:Support pursuit teams in aligning their overall strategy to specific client needs and context, ensuring the firm27s value proposition is directly relevant to the target audience.

  • Coach Strategic Pursuits:Provide hands-on coaching to partners and teams on pursuit approach, pitch flow, and presentation readiness, elevating the quality of delivery through rigorous preparation and feedback.

  • Direct High-Importance Opportunities:Provide direct leadership and support for the firm27s largest or most significant pursuits, ensuring they receive the strategic attentionrequiredfor success.

  • Structure Complex Opportunities:Lead the project management of large or cross-functional pursuits, coordinating timelines, workstreams, and inputs to keep key opportunities moving forward and teams aligned.

  • Build Repeatable Ways of Working:Standardize core pursuit and proposal processes to move the function from reactive support to a scalable model, developing the tools, templates, and playbooks that improve efficiency.

  • Scale Through Technology:Evaluate and implement technology solutions that help scale repeatable processes, ensuring the team can handle increased volume without sacrificing quality.

  • Drive Process Consistency:Establishand reinforce a more consistent approach to how the firm manages pursuits, ensuring that standard best practices are applied across all practices and regions.

  • People Leader:

  • Serve as direct supervisor and mentor to direct reports

  • Provide day-to-day supervision of direct reports, ensure compliance with assigned workhoursandmonitor forcompliance with all firm and department policies. Manage staffing coverage,reviewand process time logs/time off requests

  • Support business professional development and continued educational opportunities

  • In collaboration with immediate supervisor and central HR,participatein hiring, performance appraisals, counseling,terminationand other employee lifecycle events

  • All other duties as assigned orrequired

Skills and experience:

Required:

  • After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibitproficiencyin the Microsoft Office suite,iManageand other firm applications

  • Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours, asrequired

  • Ability to travel, asrequired

  • 10+ years of directly relevant exempt-level experience(e.g., marketingor business development, preferably with an emphasis working in a pursuits and proposals function),with 5+ years of management experience in relevant roles

  • Demonstrated experience writing and editing proposals

  • Strong working knowledge of pursuit technologies (e.g.,Templifyand Foundation)

  • Proventrack recordof effective leadership, includingexperience tomodernizea pursuit function and pursuit coaching

  • Bachelor27s degree

Preferred:

  • Priorlegal industryor professional servicesexperience

Competencies:

  • Entrepreneurial by nature

  • Excellent attention to detail

  • Approaches tasks through a lens of quality and consistency

  • Approaches tasks through a digital first lens

  • Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with ability tofacilitateand solve problems

  • Ability to organize, prioritize and coordinate multiple activities often under tight timelines

  • Takes a consultative approach to set goals, drive projects, and achieve outcomes

  • Strong judgment

  • Team-player with collaborative spirit

  • Unwavering ability to handle and maintain confidentialityregarding firm information, projects,client data

  • High levelof professionalismat all times

  • Demonstrated ability to lead through influence and develop talent

  • Proactive, analytical mindset

  • Effective presentation skills

The expected annual pay range for this position with a full-time schedule is $260,000 - $320,000.Please note that final offer amount will be dependent on geographic location, applicable experience and skillset of the candidate.

We offer a full range of elective benefits including medical, health savings account (with applicable medical plan), dental, vision, health and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts, pre-tax commuter benefits, life insurance, AD&D, long-term care coverage, backup care for children and/or adults and other parental support benefits. In addition to elective benefit options, benefited employees receive firm-paid life insurance, AD&D, LTD, short term medical benefits as well as 25 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) and 10 paid holidays each year. We provide generous parental leave and fertility benefits. New employees will attend a detailed benefit orientation to learn more about our many benefits and resources.

About Cooley LLP

Cooley LLP is an American international law firm, headquartered in Palo Alto, California with offices worldwide. The firm's practice areas include corporate, litigation, intellectual property, fund formation, public markets, employment, life sciences, clean tech, real estate, and tax. Cooley's clients include private and public companies, financial institutions, venture capital firms, and nonprofit organizations. Cooley has been recognized as one of the top law firms for technology and life sciences companies. The firm has also been recognized for its diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Learn more about Cooley LLP
Size
1,200 employees
Industry
Founded
1920

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