Description
APPLICATION REQUIREMENT: Please submit a cover letter and resume.
DOCUMENTS BEING UPLOADED MUST BE LESS THAN 5 MB
BWBR is a team of professionals specializing in commercial architecture, interior design, planning, and research who are committed to the optimal performance of people, spaces, and organizations. Since 1922, the firm has designed solutions to enhance how people live, work, heal, learn, pray, and play in engaging and empowering spaces nationwide. Leveraging the power of design, BWBR transforms lives through exceptional environments.
BWBR believes a healthy work culture is a culture that promotes health and wellness beyond your work. The diverse and dynamic interests of those who work here provide opportunities, both organized and impromptu, for individual pursuits and exploration.
BWBR is seeking an energizing, values-driven leader to help shape the firm’s next chapter of growth. As Market Strategy Business Unit Director (MSBUD), you will unite marketing, communications, and business development around a shared vision—amplifying BWBR’s voice, strengthening client and community connections, and advancing the strategic opportunities that move our firm forward. This is a high-impact opportunity for a collaborative, future-focused leader to inspire teams, elevate market strategy, and contribute to a culture where people, ideas, and meaningful work can thrive.
The MSBUD serves as both a strategic advisor and operational leader, aligning brand, visibility, business development, client engagement, and market strategy across the firm. Through collaboration, delegation, and strategic oversight, this individual leads integrated Marketing, Communications, and Business Development teams while providing guidance and support to the firm’s Market Practice Leaders (MPLs) to help expand networks externally and unify growth initiatives across sectors and regions.
This role requires a leader who can operate at both strategic and operational levels, guiding growth strategies while fostering collaboration, accountability, and implementation across a distributed and relationship-driven organization. The ideal candidate has experience influencing senior stakeholders’, strong business acumen, and the ability to connect strategy, storytelling, client experience, and market opportunity to help elevate BWBR’s visibility, differentiation, and long-term growth.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Firm Growth
- Serve as the senior leader overseeing BWBR’s integrated marketing, communications, and business development functions.
- Partner with firm leadership to help shape and implement firmwide growth strategy, market positioning, and business priorities.
- Lead development and execution of annual and long-range marketing and business development strategies aligned with BWBR’s strategic plan, market practice goals, regional growth priorities, and evolving market opportunities.
- Lead and support strategic firm initiatives, including annual strategy updates, mergers and acquisitions, integration efforts, and other growth or transition-related priorities.
- Help position BWBR as a nationally recognized design firm through intentional brand differentiation, visibility, thought leadership, and market-facing storytelling initiatives.
- Market Practice Leadership Integration
- Provide leadership, strategic guidance, and ongoing support to Market Practice Leaders (MPLs), strengthening alignment between market practice strategy, client development, marketing priorities, and business development efforts.
- Facilitate collaboration, annual planning, and strategy updates across market practices to identify growth opportunities, share market intelligence, and strengthen alignment between market practice priorities and firmwide direction.
- Support development and implementation of market practice plans, including strategic targeting, positioning, client engagement, and visibility priorities.
- Partner with MPLs to strengthen seller-doer engagement, cross-sector collaboration, and market-facing leadership across the firm.
Marketing, Communications & Brand Leadership
- Lead BWBR’s integrated marketing, communications, and brand strategy, ensuring alignment across all client, employee, digital, and market-facing touchpoints.
- Provide leadership, direction, and support to key managers within the Marketing and Communications teams, fostering collaboration, accountability, and professional growth across the business unit.
- Evaluate marketing and communications capabilities, structure, and resourcing needs to raise brand recognition for long-term growth.
- Guide BWBR’s brand positioning, messaging, and storytelling to strengthen differentiation, elevate visibility, and reinforce the firm’s strategic goals across priority markets and geographies.
- Serve as the firm’s senior communications and brand leader, leading external visibility initiatives including public relations, thought leadership, industry recognition, digital visibility, content strategy, and market-facing storytelling.
- Partner with firm leadership, MPLs, and design staff to elevate stories, messaging, and communications that reinforce BWBR’s expertise, culture, innovation, and strategic positioning across proposals, presentations, digital platforms, and firmwide communications.
- Guide communications and implement messaging related to strategic initiatives, growth priorities, market expansion efforts, mergers and acquisitions, and major firm announcements or transitions.
Business Development Leadership
- Provide leadership, direction, and support to the Business Development Key Manager and broader business development function, helping strengthen firmwide business development strategy and collaboration.
- Partner with firm leadership and Market Practice Leaders (MPLs) to advance client engagement strategies, strategic pursuit planning, and market development efforts.
- Guide development and continuous improvement of go/no-go processes, capture planning approaches, pursuit strategy frameworks, and client development tools.
- Support key client development, cross-sector collaboration, and strategic market expansion efforts while aligning marketing, communications, and visibility initiatives with business development priorities.
- In collaboration with firm leadership and MPLs, support the continued evolution of seller-doer development initiatives, including BWBR’s Next Generation program, to strengthen business development capabilities and future leadership growth across the firm.
Team Leadership & Organizational Development
- Lead, mentor, and support marketing, graphics, communications, and business development staff in a collaborative, high-performing, team-oriented environment.
- Foster accountability, innovation, professional growth, and a culture of continuous improvement across the business unit.
- Build strong cross-functional relationships throughout the firm, encouraging collaboration between technical teams, market leadership, and growth-focused initiatives.
- Guide staffing strategy, prioritization, resource allocation, and organizational development efforts to ensure teams are structured and supported to meet evolving business needs and long-term growth objectives.
Operations, Analytics & Performance
- Establish and monitor metrics, market intelligence, client insights, and performance data to evaluate effectiveness, inform strategic decisions, guide investment priorities, and measure overall return on investment.
- Lead development and management of the annual Market Strategy Business Unit budget, aligning staffing, marketing investments, visibility initiatives, sponsorships, and strategic resources with firm priorities and growth objectives.
- Partner with the CEO to establish annual sales projections, growth targets, and market priorities that inform firmwide revenue planning and strategic decision-making.
- Support continuous improvement of systems, processes, tools, emerging technologies, and reporting approaches that strengthen operational effectiveness, business insight, scalability, and innovation across the business unit.
EEO/W/M/Veteran/Disability
Requirements
Qualifications & Experience
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, Journalism, Public Relations, or related field.
- 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in marketing, communications, business development, or growth strategy roles within the A/E/C industry.
- Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Demonstrated success leading integrated marketing and business development initiatives in a collaborative, relationship-driven environment.
- Experience leading teams, mentoring staff, influencing senior leadership, and navigating complex organizational dynamics.
- Strong understanding of strategic planning, client development, pursuit strategy, and brand positioning.
- Exceptional communication, presentation, facilitation, and storytelling skills.
- Experience leading organizational change, integration efforts, or strategic transformation initiatives.
- Awareness of emerging marketing technologies, digital tools, and evolving industry practices impacting marketing, communications, and business development within the A/E/C industry.
- Familiarity with CRM systems (Deltek), marketing analytics, digital marketing platforms, and content management systems.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience supporting market-sector-based growth strategies within an architecture, engineering, or design firm.
- CPSM certification is highly preferred.
- Master’s degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or related field preferred.
Key Leadership Characteristics
- Strategic and future-focused leader.
- Collaborative and relationship-driven communicator.
- Curious with strong business and marketing acumen.
- Adaptable, emotionally intelligent, and solutions oriented.
- Capable of balancing vision, operational execution, and accountability.
- Trusted leader who handles confidential and sensitive information with professionalism and discretion.
