Associate Director - Business Development, Infrastructure

Our Business Development & Marketing team plays a critical role in enhancing the Firm’s reputation, expanding its client base and driving revenue growth. This team develops and implements strategic marketing plans to promote the Firm’s legal services, leveraging digital and traditional marketing channels to reach target audiences. They conduct market research to identify industry trends and client needs, positioning the Firm competitively within the legal marketplace. The team also manages client relationships, orchestrates business development initiatives, and seeks opportunities for partnerships and networking. Through compelling content creation, event planning and public relations efforts, they ensure that the Firm maintains a strong market presence and continues to attract and retain clients.

Position Summary

The Associate Director, Business Development, Industry Group – Infrastructure is a strategic leader and trusted advisor responsible for driving the Firm's industry-led growth agenda in infrastructure.

The role is suited to a commercially minded professional who brings strong external market insight into the infrastructure sector, understands how clients in this industry operate and buy legal services, and can translate that into clear, profitable growth strategies.

Working closely with the Global Infrastructure Industry Group Leaders, this person will shape and execute the group’s strategy, thought leadership, business development and marketing activities, including mapping market trends and the competitive landscape and determining how to differentiate the Firm’s infrastructure offering.

The role requires strong judgment in spotting and prioritizing opportunities and the ability to influence across a global matrix of partners, practices and regions.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and market insight

• Lead and drive the Infrastructure Industry Group business development strategy with the Global Infrastructure Industry Group leadership, bringing a clear external view of market trends, competitors and client demand.

• Identify and prioritize infrastructure trends, issues and sub-sectors where the Firm is best placed to win, and design focused industry plans including client targeting, strategic investments and clear measures of success.

• Provide strategic, commercially grounded advice to partners on infrastructure industry developments, client needs and growth opportunities, and convert these into targeted initiatives that drive profitable revenue.

Client cultivation

• Align Infrastructure Industry Group initiatives with Global Strategic Client strategies and Practice Group priorities to create a coherent, sector-led approach to key clients and prospects.

• Lead the development and execution of client plans for infrastructure clients the industry group prioritize, working with Client Relationship Managers where relevant on Strategic Clients, and focusing on understanding client organisations, decision-makers and pipelines to position the Firm to win work.

• Oversee day-to-day business development activity for the group, applying a commercial lens to prioritise proposals, campaigns and events with the greatest revenue and relationship impact.

Market positioning and brand building

• Shape and own the Firm’s external positioning and narrative for the Infrastructure Industry Group to reflect our strongest capabilities and clearly differentiate us in the market.

• Working with partners and Marketing & Communications, develop and implement an infrastructure thought leadership strategy that addresses client-critical issues and supports targeting and origination.

• Oversee major infrastructure campaigns, profile-raising initiatives, flagship events and strategic pitches and proposals, ensuring a client-centric, commercially astute approach to messaging, pricing and team composition.

• Act as a senior point of contact for infrastructure-related rankings, media and other profile-building activity.

Cross-practice and stakeholder collaboration

• Champion an industry-led mindset for infrastructure across practices and regions, helping partners navigate the Firm’s matrix to assemble and position the right cross-border teams.

• Coordinate with industry, strategic client and practice-based business development colleagues on shared targets, sector trends and opportunity identification, avoiding duplication and maximizing impact.

• Lead Infrastructure Industry Group governance, communications and planning, supporting the Global Infrastructure Industry Group Leader in reporting to Firm leadership and engaging the wider group.

• Strengthen the Firm's business development capability by setting standards, sharing best practice and developing team capability, including contributing to and maintaining an industry-focused knowledge hub and infrastructure that provides easily accessible internal and external industry information to the wider Infrastructure Industry Group.

Leadership & team development

• Lead, manage and develop members of the Infrastructure Industry Group BD team, setting clear priorities and fostering a high-performing, collaborative culture suited to a complex, global matrix.

• Be accountable for the impact of Infrastructure Industry Group BD initiatives on client growth and market position, using client, market and financial data to refine strategy and improve outcomes.

• Be responsible for internal coordination of best practice across relevant business services teams to ensure consistency and quality when pitching and maintaining a current, centralized repository of best in class infrastructure credentials drawn from across all practice areas.

Performance and reporting

• Be accountable for the impact of Infrastructure Industry Group business development initiatives on client growth and market position.

• Review performance data and client, market and financial information to refine strategy and improve outcomes for the Infrastructure Industry Group.

• Ensure governance, consistency and continuous improvement across Infrastructure Industry Group activity.

Qualifications and skills 

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience; advanced or professional qualifications a plus.

• At least 10 years of business development experience in a large international law firm, professional services firm or infrastructure-focused research or advisory organisation; a law degree is an advantage.

• Demonstrated experience in the infrastructure sector with strong understanding of market trends, key players and client buying behaviour, and the ability to bring external market knowledge into the Firm.

• Significant experience in business development or related commercial roles, with a track record of identifying, prioritising and converting high-value opportunities, and of positioning a firm effectively in a competitive market.

• Proven ability to operate strategically and influence senior stakeholders in a matrix organisation, building alignment across partners, practices and regions.

• Excellent presentation, influencing, negotiating and coaching skills, with the confidence to challenge and guide partners toward commercially sound decisions.

• Collaborative, self-confident and assertive style, with the ability to motivate partners, associates and staff at all levels and to secure buy-in for agreed priorities.

• Comfortable working across multiple cultures and time zones, with strong leadership, judgment and communication skills.

• High degree of attention to detail and strong systems and database skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and CRM applications.

• Strong team player with a client mindset and a keen interest in how infrastructure clients operate and how White & Case can best support them and win work from them.

What We Offer 

When you join us, you’ll be working directly with partners, business leaders and many other inspiring colleagues across our global network of offices. We live by our values—to be pioneering, united and human—and we believe that you’ll experience them from your first day. We will give you the support and development opportunities that will help you achieve your potential. 

We believe that consistent high performance merits reward and support. Our compensation package reflects your calibre as a business development professional, and our benefits are designed to support your changing needs and priorities across different life stages. 

Location, Hours and Compensation

• We are seeking for this individual to be located in either London or New York.
• This is a full time role with a current requirement for 4 days in office per week.
• New York Compensation Range: $204,000.00-$310,000.00

This role reports to

Director, Business Development - Strategic Clients & Industry Groups

Equal Opportunities

White & Case is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and is committed to creating a fair workplace. It is our Firm’s policy to recruit, employ, train, compensate and promote without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable law.

Applicants who are interested in applying for a position and require an accommodation during the process should contact [email protected].

Benefits at White & Case

White & Case LLP offers a comprehensive suite of benefit programs to all eligible employees, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability coverage, 401(k) retirement savings, vacation time, and leave programs (including parental leave). Exempt roles are also performance bonus eligible.

The Firm may modify and amend any job description at any time in its sole discretion. Nothing herein creates a contract of employment or otherwise modifies the at-will nature of employment.

The above is only a general description of the essential duties associated with this position and does not represent an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all duties.

Note to Recruitment Agencies

Our internal Recruitment team manages all aspects of lateral hiring. All agencies must have signed terms of business—specific to the relevant office—before submitting any candidates. CVs or applications sent directly to White & Case partners or employees will also not be considered formal introductions. If you have questions, please contact the relevant Recruitment team. We work with our preferred suppliers when engaging agencies.