Harbor

Strategy, legal tech, operations, intelligence consulting

Director, Client Engagement & Market Development - Knowledge & Legal Research Services

Account ExecutiveUpdated on Nov 14

Full-timeNo salary listed

About the Job

Requirements

A bachelor's degree is required.
Significant experience in knowledge, research, or information services within a law firm, professional services, or consulting environment is required.
Proven experience developing client relationships and shaping new engagements, ideally in advisory or managed services, is required.
Experience developing proposals, Statements of Work, and scoping or pricing inputs is required.
A strong understanding of the priorities of law firm library, research, and knowledge functions is required.
Experience with thought leadership, events, or market-facing programmes is required.
Excellent communication, facilitation, and presentation skills, with the ability to engage credibly with senior stakeholders, are required.
Strong commercial judgement and a collaborative approach to working with delivery teams are required.
A reliable internet connection for virtual working is required.

Responsibilities

Build a pipeline of new Knowledge & Research Services engagements through market relationships, existing clients, and referrals.
Lead discovery conversations to understand client priorities, challenges, and desired outcomes.
Shape client needs into practical engagement approaches, bringing in subject matter and delivery experts as needed.
Partner with Client Engagement on opportunities and identify ways to extend existing client relationships.
Develop scope, assumptions, and resourcing for proposals and Statements of Work in partnership with delivery leaders.
Contribute to pricing and commercial models that support margin objectives.
Maintain consistent, high-quality proposal and scoping materials.
Track opportunities and contribute to pipeline reviews and forecasting.
Own growth, performance, and P&L for Interim Research services.
Oversee delivery quality and placement success across engagements.
Define strategy for improving utilization, margins, and scalability.
Position Interim Research as a strategic entry point for broader services.
Lead the handover from engagement development to delivery, ensuring scope, assumptions, and client expectations are clearly understood.
Stay connected to engagements through delivery to support client communication and resolve scope questions.
Identify follow-on opportunities as engagements progress.
Apply lessons learned from delivery to improve future scoping and positioning.
Oversee the planning and delivery of BLISS and LINKS.
Use insights from BLISS and LINKS to inform the practice’s point of view and open new client conversations.
Lead the Knowledge & Research Services thought leadership agenda, including content, presentations, and webinars.
Partner with Marketing to align messaging with service offerings.
Build relationships with library, research, knowledge, and innovation leaders across the legal market.
Represent Harbor at industry events, client meetings, and roundtables.
Bring market trends and emerging client needs back into service development.
Help Harbor colleagues understand the offerings and recognize opportunities for Knowledge & Research Services.

Desired Qualifications

A master's degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS), a JD, or another relevant advanced degree is preferred.
Experience with Salesforce or a similar customer relationship management platform is preferred.

Harbor is seeking a Director, Client Engagement & Market Development (Knowledge and Research Services) to help grow our Knowledge & Research Services practice by creating and shaping new client engagements. This role builds relationships across the legal market, turns client needs into well-scoped engagements, and stays connected through delivery so that each engagement is set up to succeed. The Director will also oversee our market-facing programs, including BLISS and LINKS, and lead the practice’s thought leadership.

This role works closely with Harbor’s Client Engagement team and partners with Knowledge & Research Services delivery leaders from first conversation through to successful completion.

This is a fully remote role that can be worked from anywhere in the United States, United Kingdom, or Canada, with an expectation of approximately 20-30% travel.

Responsibilities:

New Engagement Development

Build a pipeline of new Knowledge & Research Services engagements through market relationships, existing clients, and referrals
Lead discovery conversations to understand client priorities, challenges, and desired outcomes
Shape client needs into practical engagement approaches, bringing in subject matter and delivery experts as needed
Partner with Client Engagement on opportunities and identify ways to extend existing client relationships

Scoping, Proposals & Commercial Support

Develop scope, assumptions, and resourcing for proposals and Statements of Work in partnership with delivery leaders
Contribute to pricing and commercial models that support margin objectives
Maintain consistent, high-quality proposal and scoping materials
Track opportunities and contribute to pipeline reviews and forecasting

Interim Research

Own growth, performance, and P&L for Interim Research services
Oversee delivery quality and placement success across engagements
Define strategy for improving utilization, margins, and scalability
Position Interim Research as a strategic entry point for broader services

Delivery Alignment

Lead the handover from engagement development to delivery, making sure scope, assumptions, and client expectations are clearly understood
Stay connected to engagements through delivery to support client communication and resolve scope questions
Identify follow-on opportunities as engagements progress
Apply lessons learned from delivery to improve future scoping and positioning

BLISS, LINKS & Thought Leadership

Oversee the planning and delivery of BLISS and LINKS
Use insights from BLISS and LINKS to inform the practice’s point of view and open new client conversations
Lead the Knowledge & Research Services thought leadership agenda, including content, presentations, and webinars
Partner with Marketing to align messaging with our service offerings

Market Engagement

Build relationships with library, research, knowledge, and innovation leaders across the legal market
Represent Harbor at industry events, client meetings, and roundtables
Bring market trends and emerging client needs back into service development
Help Harbor colleagues understand our offerings and recognize opportunities for Knowledge & Research Services

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS), JD, or other relevant advanced degree preferred
Significant experience in knowledge, research, or information services within a law firm, professional services, or consulting environment
Proven experience developing client relationships and shaping new engagements, ideally in advisory or managed services
Experience developing proposals, Statements of Work, and scoping or pricing inputs
Strong understanding of the priorities of law firm library, research, and knowledge functions
Experience with thought leadership, events, or market-facing programmes
Excellent communication, facilitation, and presentation skills, with the ability to engage credibly with senior stakeholders
Strong commercial judgement and a collaborative approach to working with delivery teams
Experience with Salesforce or similar CRM platforms preferred
Reliable internet connection for virtual working

About Harbor:

Harbor is the leading provider of professional and technology services to the legal industry, encompassing strategy, technology, operations, and intelligence. With a global team of nearly 1,000 professionals, Harbor works with more than 80% of Global 200 law firms and close to 600 corporate law departments to optimize performance and enable business and digital transformation. Headquartered in Chicago, the company has offices in London, Belfast, Moncton, and Sydney.

Harbor, a BayPine LP portfolio company, is advancing its next phase of growth by broadening its technology, data, and managed services capabilities across the legal sector. For more information, visit www.harborglobal.com.

Harbor is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, civil union status, national origin, ancestry, age, parental status, disabled status, veteran status, or any other legally protected classification, in accordance with applicable law.

About the Company

Harbor

Strategy, legal tech, operations, intelligence consulting

Harbor provides expert services across strategy, legal technology, operations, and intelligence for law firms, corporations, and their law departments. A global team of about 900 strategists, technologists, and specialists works with clients to deliver strategic guidance, technology-enabled legal solutions, and research-driven insights that support decision-making and performance. Unlike many single-focus providers, Harbor combines multi-disciplinary expertise, deep industry knowledge, long-standing relationships, and a collaborative approach to create tailored resources and insights within its client ecosystem. The company's goal is to shape the future of the legal industry while building enduring partnerships inside its community and network.

Company size: 1,001-5,000
Company stage: Not listed
Total funding: Not listed
Headquarters: Chicago, IL
Founded: 1986

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