VP & Chief Business Development Officer

Association of Corporate Counsel • Washington, DC

9h • $200,000 - $245,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer is an executive responsible for driving strategic, sustainable revenue growth for ACC. This role focuses on maximizing sponsorship, partnership, advertising, and other non-dues revenue streams across all ACC programs, platforms, and services (e.g., Annual Meeting, online platforms, new product launches). The Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer will serve as a core member of the executive leadership team, translating the association's strategic goals into clear revenue targets and ensuring the Business Development team operates as a highly productive, market-aligned unit. This role requires exceptional strategic thinking, proven sales leadership, and a deep understanding of the corporate legal market.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field required
• Minimum of 10+ years of progressive sales, marketing and business development, or corporate relations experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role managing a sales team.
• Proven track record of achieving aggressive revenue targets and managing complex, multi-year seven-figure partnership deals.
• Deep understanding of the association business model, focusing on balancing revenue generation with the imperative of delivering non-biased member value.
• Strong leadership and management skills, with ability to build and lead high-performing teams.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate with all stakeholders.
• Excellent management and supervisory skills.
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills.
• Proficient in Salesforce and analytics/data visualization tools, Excel
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Working familiarity with cultivation of business development relationships, sponsorship sales, marketing, and non-dues revenue generation.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, and the ability to get along with diverse constituencies and personalities, including the Board, members, staff, and contacts at external organizations.
• Can successfully direct significant courses of action on behalf of ACC; and make important and well-thought-out decisions.
• Fluency in English is required

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree or relevant professional certification preferred.
• Prior experience within an association, nonprofit, or corporate legal/B2B environment is highly preferred.
• ACC seeks to hire multi-lingual candidates, and a second language is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and lead a comprehensive, multi-year business development strategy focused on accelerating non-dues revenue growth, with a specific emphasis on securing long-term, high-value corporate partnerships and sponsorships.
• Serve as a key strategic partner to the CEO and other executive leaders (Membership, Content, Finance) to align BD efforts with overall organizational priorities, financial goals, and member value objectives.
• Lead, mentor, and manage the Business Development team, establishing clear performance metrics, managing pipelines, and fostering a culture of high performance, accountability, and market expertise.
• Manage the annual BD budget, revenue forecasts, and pricing strategies to ensure profitability and sustained growth.
• Personally cultivate and manage relationships with top-tier corporate partners, law firms, and service providers relevant to the in-house counsel community.
• Work closely with the Content and Education teams to create unique, customized sponsorship packages and platforms that deliver demonstrable ROI for partners while enhancing the member experience (e.g., sponsored research, proprietary event sessions).
• Oversee the entire sales cycle, from prospecting and needs assessment through contract negotiation, closing, and renewal.
• Develop and execute a strategic roadmap for identifying and capitalizing on new revenue opportunities within ACC's international chapters and the global corporate legal market. This includes securing multi-regional sponsorships and custom partnership deals that drive global value for members. To prevent erosion of local revenue, this strategy requires close collaboration with ACC Chapters to identify mutually beneficial sponsorship opportunities and define clear boundaries between global and local sponsor bases.
• Continually monitor the legal service provider market, competitor strategies, and sponsor trends to identify new business opportunities and competitive advantages for ACC's offerings.
• Collaborate with the Membership and Content teams to develop business cases and go-to-market strategies for new, revenue-generating member services and resources.
• Ensure the BD team utilizes CRM data and insights to demonstrate value, target prospects effectively, and improve forecasting accuracy.
• Report on the performance of the non-dues revenue portfolio to the Board of Directors, including regular updates on sponsorship attainment, partnership pipeline health, key market trends, and competitive risks/opportunities.
• Collaborate with the CEO and Board of Directors to develop and implement long-term partnership and sponsorship policies that align the association's commercial activities with its mission, strategic goals, and member value.
• Represent the association at key internal and external events and meetings, specifically to cultivate high-value relationships, promote strategic alliances, and provide market intelligence necessary for future revenue growth.

Benefits

• The flexibility of a hybrid schedule (only two days in the office on either Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday) and remaining days you can work from home. Staff working in the Washington, DC office must reside in the DMV area.
• Competitive base salary and benefits including:
• 23 PTO days, 11 holidays, and a paid one-week end of year break
• 401K match, annual bonus, and an additional annual employer retirement contribution
• Subsidized healthcare plans, you can choose from an HMO, PPO, or HSA plan
• Office conveniently located in downtown Washington, DC with onsite fitness center and easy access to the Metro Center station.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive