Business Development Director – Specialty… at Bakertilly · Irvine

Business Development Director – Specialty Finance + FinTech Location: USA CA Los Angeles 11150 Santa Monica Blvd Overview Baker Tilly is a leading advisory, tax and assurance firm, providing clients with a genuine coast-to-coast and global advantage in major regions of the U.S. and in many of the world’s leading financial centers – New York, London, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston. Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP and Baker Tilly US, LLP (Baker Tilly) provide professional services through an alternative practice structure in accordance with the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and applicable laws, regulations and professional standards. Baker Tilly US, LLP is a licensed independent CPA firm that provides attest services to its clients. Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP and its subsidiary entities provide tax and business advisory services to their clients. Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP and its subsidiary entities are not licensed CPA firms. Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP and Baker Tilly US, LLP, trading as Baker Tilly, are independent members of Baker Tilly International, a worldwide network of independent accounting and business advisory firms in 141 territories, with 43,000 professionals and a combined worldwide revenue of $5.2 billion. Visit bakertilly.com or join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. Please discuss the work location status with your Baker Tilly talent acquisition professional to understand the requirements for an opportunity you are exploring. Baker Tilly is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected basis, in accordance with applicable federal, state or local law. Any unsolicited resumes submitted through our website or to Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP, employee e-mail accounts are considered property of Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP, and are not subject to payment of agency fees. In order to be an authorized recruitment agency ("search firm") for Baker Tilly Advisory Group, LP, there must be a formal written agreement in place and the agency must be invited, by Baker Tilly's Talent Attraction team, to submit candidates for review via our applicant tracking system. Job Description: The Business Development Director at Baker Tilly is a senior-level, strategic role focused on accelerating growth across the firm’s Tax, Assurance, and Consulting practices. This leader is directly responsible for identifying and developing new business opportunities within the Specialty Finance & FinTech sectors in an assigned territory, while building, managing, and expanding existing client relationships. The Director serves as a key member of the Specialty Finance & FinTech Industry Practice leadership team, partnering with practice leaders to shape and execute go-to-market strategies and drive industry-focused growth initiatives. The Fintech & Specialty Finance sector includes innovative and non-traditional financial services that operate outside or alongside the regulated banking system. This sector covers payment processors, digital banking platforms, and tech-enabled lenders offering consumer lending, mortgage and non-mortgage loans, and asset-backed financing. It also includes specialty finance providers involved in factoring, equipment leasing, letters of credit, and structured products such as collateralized mortgage obligations. Emerging financial technologies—including cryptocurrency, AI, and blockchain-based solutions—are part of this sector, reflecting its focus on alternative credit, payment systems, and financial infrastructure and compliance. This role requires a strong understanding of lending models, payment ecosystems, capital structures, venture capital, regulatory considerations, and emerging financial technologies (technology evolution - startup to maturity), and is critical to enhancing Baker Tilly’s market position and delivering differentiated value to clients. You will have the opportunity to: Generate and manage a client facing pipeline- lead//own/participate in client pursuits (i.e. client discovery, proposal (pursuit) strategy, proposal development). Represent the firm’s full suite of services across the Specialty Finance & FinTech ecosystem, including lenders, payment platforms, financial intermediaries, and technology-enabled financial service providers Demonstrate an understanding of emerging financial technologies (e.g., payments infrastructure, digital banking, automation, AI, blockchain and Banking as a Service (BaaS)) and their application within Specialty Finance to enhance client solutions and drive growth Develop a strong understanding of lending models, payment flows, capital structures, and financial product offerings to effectively align firm services with client needs Co-Develop a sales plan for the assigned territory and report weekly on progress against that plan to senior management. Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders across the Specialty Finance & FinTech ecosystem, including lenders, payment providers, fintech operators, investors, and strategic partners Demonstrated ability to craft clear, concise, and compelling value propositions for services and solutions, tailored for both internal alignment and external positioning. Lead the deployment of sales techniques and strategies to integrate services and resources across all lines of services and geographies. Maintain deep knowledge of core service offerings and effectively position their application within target markets to influence decision-makers Create, sustain, and grow relationships with new and existing clients through regular, open communication; ensure performance standards and client satisfaction are consistently met, and proactively communicate and troubleshoot issues as they arise Account Ownership; Strategic Account Management Support the deployment and drive the use of industry-specific systems, technology development, and lead overall sales strategy for the industry Innovate and grow the Specialty Finance & FinTech industry practice through collaboration, integrated solutions, and market differentiation Monitor and communicate emerging trends in financial technology, alternative lending, payments, and digital financial infrastructure to identify and develop new business opportunities Have conversational knowledge of other major service offerings outside of your team(s) with intersection into your target market(s); to leverage Firm strategy of providing or enhancing value for an integrated-reinforcing marketplace. Maintain strict compliance with CRM (Salesforce) requirements by consistently documenting opportunity notes and all related activities, and keeping an accurate, up-to-date pipeline of qualified opportunities in accordance with firm protocols. Attain closed business deal ($) goals associated with both new accounts and existing client accounts (as appropriate), to ensure a profitable return to Firm each fiscal year Perform regular, aggressive and prompt follow up on all Firm-generated leads assigned from campaigns, or ad hoc requests from practice leadership Collaborate with other Firm Industry, Service & Geography BD leaders and practice leaders for an integrated Go-to-Market (GTM) approach Perform account planning and key account research to optimize BD efforts and account penetration Make primary out-reach efforts, coordinated with marketing personnel on campaigns including prospect calls, emails and other mechanisms to secure appointments with COI individuals Coach, develop and lead sales professionals (as well as industry resources) within the industry(s), and support other sales professionals with service or geographic alignment. Demonstrate strong problem-solving, critical thinking, and thought leadership skills. Qualifications: Bachelor's Degree required 15+ years of experience in Specialty Finance, FinTech, or related financial services industries, or in professional services supporting these sectors (e.g., accounting, law, management consulting, financial advisory), required Minimum of 10 years of experience selling or delivering tax, assurance, and/or consulting services within Specialty Finance or FinTech environments (e.g., lenders, payment processors, digital banking platforms, financial intermediaries), required Excellent sales skills and a proven track record of achieving KPI’s Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to build rapport with internal Partners, Senior Management and stakeholders of varying levels/experience Driven and ambitious individual with a strong desire to succeed Eligibility to work in the U.S. without sponsorship required Ability to travel up to 50% as needed The pay rate range for this job position is $156,000 to $268,320. Actual compensation is influenced by a variety of relevant factors including but not limited to applicant’s skills, prior experience, qualifications, degrees, professional certifications, work arrangements and geographic location. Other compensation for this role may include performance and sales-based commissions. Baker Tilly offers a comprehensive compensation and benefits package to eligible employees. Additional Locations: USA CA Irvine 2050 Main St