Client Development Director

Client Development Director

ESI Design, an NBBJ Studio, transforms places into experiences that drive excitement and create a unique invitation for personal interaction and empathy. We experiment and collaborate to develop new ideas for high-profile, visionary clients. We are a community that design, develop and construct large-scale, novel ideas. As a studio within the highly regarded NBBJ Design firm, we are uniquely positioned within the experience industry. 

ESI Design’s approach to experience design combines the physical, digital and behavioral to create memorable moments. We believe the most compelling experiences are born from interdisciplinary collaboration. As a result, our eclectic team and user-first approach allows us to provide a range of experience solutions and a depth of service that’s unique in the world of design. We create custom experiences that are made for every individual client’s needs.

The Role at a Glance
The Client Development Director will be based in NBBJ | ESI Design's New York office and will report to the Operations Leader. This individual is the studio's ambassador in the market and will spend roughly 75% of their time out of the office: on the road, in person with clients, connectors, and industry leaders, building the relationships that grow the business and identifying the project pursuits that follow. They will work closely with leaders in studio operations/project management and creative disciplines to bring the right people into those conversations. The role advises the Market Leaders and Marketing Manager with client and market insight; marketing and writing colleagues own the creation of prospect collateral. The role will be primarily client-facing (meeting and nurturing cold, warm, and hot leads in person) and strategic (targeting and researching new leads and pursuits), with advisory input on positioning and design competitions. 

A key aspect of this role will be showing up in person to keep ESI in the minds of the experiential industry as well as the greater design world. This means having your finger on the pulse of the latest conferences, meetups, mixers etc, and deciding where we need to be, then showing up to meet prospects, connectors, and peers. You will work directly with the Director of Communications to align on the communications activities and investments that support this presence.
You are part of the ESI team. NBBJ has a full marketing team that will support this role with proposal writing resources, communications teams, and the support and partnership of the studio leadership. 

In Your New Role, you will:
Work with the studio’s operation and creative leadership team to align relationship-building and pursuit activity with top-line revenue goals
Execute the studio’s growth strategy roadmap through in-person meetings, travel, and events aimed at identifying and securing work from new clients 

Travel regularly to spend the majority of your time in person with clients, prospects, and connectors, at their offices, project sites, and industry gatherings

In collaboration with studio leadership, identify target markets, clients and lead lists for potential clients, connectors and project prospects

Build and maintain relationships with c-suite and decision-maker level contacts, and with the connectors who lead to larger relationship growth among the people tied to target projects
Proactively research, identify, and qualify new clients, markets, and project opportunities
Meet with potential clients to establish a relationship and introduce the appropriate creative/market leaders

Abilitiy to access and connect with senior level decision makers 
Involvement upstream in identifying pre-positioning opportunities to elevate ESI reputation, market visibility and thought leadership. 

Collaborate with firmwide Communications Team and XD subject matter experts to expand ESI’s presence within the industry with regular attendance at industry events and speaking engagements at conferences

When networking, be able to persuasively articulate the value of experiential design and demonstrate to prospects how ESI adds value and helps them meet business goals [MN7.1]
Monitor and analyze client trends and relevant news to maintain a competitive edge and enhance service offerings.

Develop year-end analysis of business development successes and failures to evolve year-over-year strategic plans

Leverage ‘best practice’ tools[MN8.1] such as win/loss debriefs, surveys, Pipedrive and CRM data analysis, and other methods to understand market trends, identify opportunities, and track success metrics

Advise on key value points to be included in marketing materials, proposal and communications working with the marketing teams and studio leadership to release

The annual base pay range for this role is anticipated to be between $130,000-$150,000. Actual compensation for successful candidates will be carefully determined based on a number of factors, including their skills, qualifications and experience. NBBJ is an Equal Opportunity Employer. M/F Disabled and Vet EEO/AA Employer.

NBBJ is an Equal Opportunity Employer. M/F Disabled and Vet EEO/AA Employer.

Why choose NBBJ?



We believe that all NBBJ employees should love their work. This means not only loving what you do but having pride in your workplace. We strive to be that irresistible place to work by enhancing your employee experience with customized programs and comprehensive benefits. In addition to 100% covered employee healthcare costs and 401k contributions, we offer unique professional development opportunities, volunteer opportunities and access to leading technology and resources to further help you love your work and advance your career.

• NBBJ has been named three times by Fast Company as one of the most innovative architecture firms.


• Founded in 1943, our first office opened over 75 years ago in Seattle, Washington. We now have over 10 office locations around the globe.


• We are a transdisciplinary, cross-practice focused firm with a deep portfolio of Civic & Cultural, Commercial, Corporate, Healthcare, Higher Education, Science and Technology, Sports, and Urban Environment projects. We also have several areas of service expertise including: Architecture, Environmental Graphic Design, Interior Design, Lighting Design, Workplace Consulting and more.


• In the past decade, NBBJ has received more than 300 awards from leading global, national and regional award programs across the business, real estate and design communities.


• We work with 5 of the top global high-tech companies, 14 of the U.S. News and World Report Top Hospitals, and 4 of the top 10 highest-ranked learning institutions.


• Our clients include institutional leaders such as Cambridge University, Google, Samsung, Cleveland Clinic, Tencent, and Stanford University.