DVDLDo you excel in written and verbal expression and storytelling – with a distinct ability to enlighten, persuade, and pass on essential information? Can you easily move between a business audience, a proposal, a compelling social post, a formal RFP application or conversations with civic institutions about culture and public space of the future? Do you think strategically about opportunities, connections, people, and networks, and enjoy making strategies to drive business forward?
If this sounds like you, we are currently hiring a highly motivated Associate, Business Development & Communications to thrive in and grow this role at DVDL. Working in close collaboration with the Principal and Managing Principal, and our internal team, this person will drive business development as well as communications and marketing content for our agency.
As an agency of innovators and strategists, DVDL works at the intersection of cultural analysis and human behavior. We believe all organizations should, at their core, be about people first. We use our expertise to develop strategies, models, and concepts that bring the future of communities, cities, corporations, or cultural institutions into focus by helping our clients guide their work towards people and the issues they hold dear. We keep our ears to the ground so that our clients understand current trends as they develop, rather than play the game of perpetual catch-up. Whether that is for a museum, architect, brand, neighborhood, or public space: we help advance and innovate.
Responsibilities
- Develop and execute a business development strategy for different professional fields, client types and geographic markets.
- Identify new business opportunities (government, organizations, and individuals), and business growth strategies.
- With the Principal and team members, represent the agency with potential and existing clients.
- Develop proposals for new and existing clients.
- Research, coordinate and produce highly tailored RFP and RFQ responses, presentations, portfolios, and brochures.
- Research, coordinate and produce competition responses and related materials.
- Research and advise on market opportunities such as competitions, RFPs, and other developments.
- Maintain relationships with architects, cultural institutions, and adjacent expertise, including strategizing on and supporting putting together teams for proposals, competitions, and other responses.
- Research and develop ideas on other business models, fee structures and new approaches for the business.
- Write and edit fact sheets, firm and staff bios and project descriptions for firm’s brochures, proposals, press, social media, and all publications.
- Maintain digital image library and other collateral marketing assets
- Research, write and produce blog/newsletter in collaboration with identified writers and researchers.
- Drive content and messaging strategy in a variety of mediums including e-blast campaigns, social media, print, video, etc.
- Conduct performance analyses of social media and marketing efforts
- Lead the firm’s marketing objectives and educate, inform, and motivate clients, potential clients, and general audience.
- Oversee maintenance of DVDL’s contact database and maintenance of CRM, along with strategize on, set up, prepare for, and attend meetings as needed to develop and maintain the firm’s network and increase its visibility.
- Organize speakers and writer’s bureau, recruitment of new voices, education and training of people speaking and writing on behalf of our agency.
- In collaboration with DVDL’s project teams, develop statements on where the future is headed and provide recommendations for clients.
- Identify opportunities for networking at events and programs, including at conferences, and support with arranging meetings, travel, presentations, and panels.
- Develop and maintain relationships with reporters (local and national) who focus on issues related to our work.
Qualifications
Required:
- Bachelor degree in architecture, architectural history, urban design, art history, visual studies, English, communications, journalism or related field
- 3 years+ relevant experience, preferably with architecture firms, museums, art spaces, exhibition design or other cultural institutions
- Experience writing and producing successful RFPs and RFQs (and responses to both of these)
- Effective verbal and written communicator
- Ambitious self-starter who takes initiative, is comfortable multi-tasking and easily navigating in a fast-paced environment managing simultaneous deadlines, and collaborates effectively in a team environment
- Strong attention to detail – visual and written accuracy and precision required
- Independent, strategic, self-directed, and resourceful in creative capacities
- Highly collaborative and experience working with a diverse range of people and clients
- Demonstrates a high degree of professionalism and flexibility
- Excellent graphic design skills – particularly InDesign as well as the full Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator)
- Proficient using MailChimp, Word Press, and HTML and social media platforms
- Proficient in Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as Google Workspace
Preferred:
- Experience in, or knowledge of, fields of placemaking, public space, real estate development and cultural institutions
- Experience with public presentations such as boards and client groups
- Art/Architecture writing background
Interested applicants should email a cover letter, resume or CV, and three business development writing samples (three different types), along with the names and contacts for three references, in a single PDF file to danielle@lebontempsllc.com with the subject line “Associate, Business Development & Communications”.
