The Client Development Specialist (CDS) is a sustainability consulting and account-development professional who directly supports 10-15 assigned Account Managers. The CDS helps sustain and grow existing accounts and develop new accounts by coordinating activity, maintaining account and opportunity visibility, and connecting needs with the right BranchPattern people and resources.
The CDS builds a broad working knowledge of BranchPattern's services and value so they can represent the firm confidently, ask thoughtful discovery questions, and engage the right technical experts. Account Managers retain ownership of client relationships, account strategy, and key pursuit decisions; the CDS creates leverage through reliable preparation, coordination, follow-through, and CRM discipline.
Key Responsibilities
Account Manager & Client Support
- Build trusted working relationships with 10-15 assigned Account Managers and understand their portfolios, priorities, opportunities, communication preferences, and support needs.
- Prepare for and support account and client touchpoints with research, agendas, relationship history, talking points, materials, and timely follow-up.
- Capture stakeholder intelligence, commitments, risks, and next steps; maintain action lists and help advance account plans.
- Represent BranchPattern professionally in introductory conversations, account meetings, networking settings, and conferences; connect client needs to the right services and technical leaders.
- Help identify retention, expansion, cross-service, and new-account opportunities while escalating technical, contractual, or relationship concerns to the appropriate leader.
Pursuit, Growth & Market Support
- Source, qualify, and route leads; coordinate early pursuit activities, internal alignment, schedules, files, milestones, and due dates.
- Work with capture, proposal, marketing, and technical teams to assemble qualifications, collateral, presentations, resumes, and proposal responses.
- Research clients, prospects, stakeholders, competitors, sectors, and potential partners; translate insights into practical account, pursuit, and campaign actions.
- Monitor inputs and deadlines, surface gaps, coordinate post-meeting and post-submission follow-up, and record outcomes and lessons learned.
CRM, Visibility & Team Coordination
- Maintain current account, contact, lead, opportunity, milestone, stage, and next-action records in the firm's CRM as the authoritative source.
- Monitor stale or missing information and overdue actions, prompt responsible owners, and prepare practical views of account health, pipeline, and follow-through.
- Coordinate clear ownership, handoffs, and deadlines across Client Development, Marketing, Finance, Operations, and technical teams.
- Use available reporting, collaboration, and AI-enabled tools to improve research, preparation, information organization, and workflow efficiency with appropriate human review.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in sustainability, environmental science, business, marketing, communications, engineering, architecture, construction management, or a related field; or equivalent relevant experience.
- 0-4 years of experience in consulting, client development, business development, account support, sustainability, professional services, or a related field. Relevant internships and project experience count.
- Demonstrated interest in sustainability, the built environment, and helping clients improve outcomes for people, planet, and performance.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, professional presence, and the ability to learn and explain multidisciplinary services while knowing when to involve a technical expert or leader.
- Strong organization, follow-through, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple Account Managers, accounts, deadlines, and priorities.
- A relationship-oriented, service-minded working style with the ability to listen, ask good questions, build trust, and collaborate across levels and disciplines.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and collaboration tools; willingness to learn CRM, project-information, workflow, and AI-enabled tools.
Preferred
- Experience or coursework related to sustainability consulting, architecture, engineering, construction, real estate, energy, building science, or professional services.
- Experience with CRM or business-development systems such as Deltek Vantagepoint, OpenAsset, Salesforce, or comparable platforms.
- Experience supporting account plans, proposals, qualifications, presentations, campaigns, conferences, client meetings, market research, or dashboards.
What Success Looks Like
- Assigned Account Managers experience the CDS as a reliable, informed, and responsive partner who reduces friction and increases their capacity for client and account leadership.
- Account intelligence, commitments, opportunities, and next actions remain visible and current; leads are routed appropriately, opportunities keep moving, and follow-up closes the loop.
- The CDS can accurately explain BranchPattern's core capabilities, connect client needs to the right expertise, and demonstrate growing consulting judgment, client presence, and independence during the first year.
BranchPattern Is a Great Place to Work!
Named a ‘Best Places to Work’ in 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, BranchPattern is an award-winning firm built by engineers and building scientists who genuinely care about improving people's lives. We are advocates for a Better Built Environment and stronger communities. Our employees are progressive, passionate, and innovative change agents who strive to deliver high-quality projects and meaningful solutions for our clients. If you are ready to grow your communication and pursuit expertise, collaborate with technical professionals and help bring meaningful solutions to market, we want to hear from you.
- Flexible work hours that allow you to balance work and life.
- Casual work environment where you can dress for your day.
- Employee ownership and the freedom to be an entrepreneur.
- Paid volunteer time and parental leave so you can care for others.
- Paid birthday holidays and wellness initiatives so you can care for yourself.
- Genuine and progressive leadership who put people first.
- Clear career paths and mentors who want you to excel.
- Paid certifications and memberships to build your leadership in the industry.
- Fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees.
- Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) shares and profit sharing.
- 401(k) with company contributions.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or any other status protected by applicable law.
