Director of Pursuit & Proposals

Position summary: This role is part of the Pursuits and Proposals Team, which supports 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. Primarily responsible for leading the firm’s 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. Specific duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following: 

Position responsibilities:  

• Lead Pursuits, 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's highest priority opportunities.  

• 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 firm’s 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 firm’s largest or most significant pursuits, ensuring they receive the strategic attention required for 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: Establish and 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 work hours and monitor for compliance with all firm and department policies. Manage staffing coverage, review and process time logs/time off requests 

• Support business professional development and continued educational opportunities 

• In collaboration with immediate supervisor and central HR, participate in hiring, performance appraisals, counseling, termination and other employee lifecycle events  

• All other duties as assigned or required 

Skills and experience:  

Required: 

• After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applications 

• Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours, as required 

• Ability to travel, as required 

• 10+ years of directly relevant exempt-level experience (e.g., marketing or 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., Templify and Foundation)  

• Proven track record of effective leadership, including experience to modernize a pursuit function and pursuit coaching 

• Bachelor’s degree 

Preferred: 

• Prior legal industry or professional services experience 

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 to facilitate and 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 confidentiality regarding firm information, projects, client data  

• High level of professionalism at all times 

• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence and develop talent  

• Proactive, analytical mindset 

• Effective presentation skills