Vice President of Business Development

Vice President, Business Development – Midwest Region Chicago, IL | Onsite with Regional Travel | $250,000–$400,000 Total Annual Compensation

Vannin Chief of Staff has been retained by a highly regarded merchant bank headquartered in Chicago, IL, to identify a Vice President, Business Development for their Midwest Region.

Our client is a fully integrated advisory and investment platform serving closely held business owners, family offices, and long-term strategic investors. With a strong and longstanding presence in the Midwest, the firm advises and invests alongside some of the most significant family-owned and founder-led businesses in the country.

This role is designed for a commercially sharp, deeply collaborative operator who thrives at the intersection of strategy and execution and is energized by working alongside world-class senior leaders to build something enduring at a highly respected firm.

The Role

Reporting to the Co-Heads of the Midwest Region, the Vice President, Business Development will partner closely with regional leadership and coverage professionals to shape relationship strategy, strengthen high-touch client engagement, and promote cross-firm collaboration. The role blends big-picture strategic thinking with hands-on execution in a long-term, relationship-oriented organization.

This position offers a rare opportunity to help activate an established regional foundation, working across multiple senior relationship owners to unlock the full potential of the firm's Midwest network. The VP will serve as the connective tissue across commercial and functional teams, contributing to a regional engagement strategy ranging from one-on-one client meetings to curated small-group gatherings.

This is a full-time, exempt position based onsite in Chicago, IL, with periodic travel throughout the Midwest region.

Key Responsibilities

Regional Relationship Strategy & Partnership

• Coordinate and drive the implementation of the Midwest regional commercial strategy in partnership with Regional Leadership
• Partner with coverage professionals to optimize the firm's integrated relationship coverage model, clarifying coverage priorities and next steps across shared clients and prospects
• Identify and support the execution of high-value engagement opportunities with the client base, coordinating across coverage professionals to deliver the full platform
• Proactively identify challenges and opportunities, anticipating issues before they arise
• Collaborate with peers in other regions to share best practices and enhance overall regional development

Firm Operations

• Develop actionable relationship and business development plans with clear metrics and KPIs, in partnership with regional leadership, for use in regional and firm-level reporting
• Manage the firm's Midwest region CRM system, ensuring accurate relationship mapping, pipeline tracking, and reporting
• Support coverage professionals' business development efforts across client management and internal operations to ensure seamless execution

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Client Engagement

• Serve as a central connector across the business, translating vision into coordinated action across commercial and functional teams
• Draft bespoke client communications and craft presentations for meetings with target companies, founders, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals
• Coordinate with professionals across the firm to ensure regional clients benefit from the full suite of capabilities
• Plan and prepare to maximize the effectiveness of Partners and coverage professionals across Midwest geographies

Minimum Qualifications

• 7 to 9 years of experience in financial services or management consulting
• 5+ years of project and change management expertise with at least 3+ years of client relationship management or leadership experience
• Proven experience in a strategic or business operations leadership role at a fast-moving organization
• Strong commercial acumen and the ability to simplify complex concepts for a wide range of audiences
• Exceptional analytical and strategic thinking skills with the ability to break down complex problems into actionable frameworks
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with strong attention to detail
• Advanced proficiency in G Suite and Microsoft Office Suite
• Comfort and curiosity with AI tools; experience using AI-powered platforms to enhance research, communications, or workflow efficiency is a plus
• Discretion and maturity to handle sensitive information with strict confidentiality

Preferred Skills & Attributes

• Intellectually curious with strong pattern recognition skills; thrives in managing diverse priorities across multiple industries and clients simultaneously
• Proven ability to develop strategy and act as a proxy on behalf of Partners and senior leaders with clients and internal stakeholders
• Brings a listen-first framework with the judgment to know when to drive something independently and when to escalate
• High-utility team player energized by relationship-driven work in a high-performance, collaborative environment
• Embodies the firm's guiding principles: client-first, confidentiality, integrity, excellence, teamwork, honesty, and passion

Compensation & Benefits

Total annual compensation of $250,000 to $400,000 (salary plus bonus), commensurate with experience, along with comprehensive health and wellness benefits. This is a rare opportunity to grow alongside an established and expanding regional practice within one of the most respected platforms in finance, defined by deep client trust, a long-term orientation, and a genuine commitment to the success of those it serves.

Our Selection Process

1. Vannin Chief of Staff Predictive Index Assessment: https://assessment.predictiveindex.com/bo/0FJ3/vcos_pi_candidate_ChicagoVPRegDev
2. Vannin Chief of Staff Screening: 15-minute phone interview and 30-minute video interview
3. First Conversation: Firm Introduction with Client Talent Partner
4. Second and Third Conversations: Meetings with Co-Heads of the Midwest Region
5. Take-Home Case Study
6. Case Study Presentation
7. In-Person Super Day: Chicago office with Partners, coverage professionals, and senior stakeholders
8. Final Conversations: CHRO and additional firm leaders as appropriate

Our client is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees can thrive and be themselves. They welcome all persons into their community and embrace diversity of gender, gender identity or expression, race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, physical and mental disabilities, medical condition, genetic characteristics, sexual orientation, marital status, family care or medical leave status, military or veteran status, or perceived membership in any of these groups.