About this role
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.
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Job Description:
Position Overview
The Director of Client Strategy & Growth serves as a strategic partner to the Practice Leader, with a dedicated focus on expanding market opportunities, strengthening client relationships, developing new business opportunities, and identifying what clients will need next across the mortgage industry.
This individual will combine deep mortgage industry expertise, an established network of industry relationships, strong client relationship skills, and a strategic growth mindset to help expand Baker Tilly's Mortgage Risk Advisory Practice across Mortgage Quality Control, Compliance, Servicing Quality Control, and related advisory services.
The Director will work closely with the Practice Leader to enhance the practice's ability to pursue new opportunities, deepen existing client relationships, increase market visibility, and proactively identify solutions to emerging client needs.
This role is intentionally different from a traditional Business Development position. The individual will collaborate with Baker Tilly's Business Development professionals while bringing the mortgage industry knowledge, executive relationships, client insight, and subject matter credibility necessary to develop opportunities and advance strategic client conversations.
The role is also designed to complement and enhance the Practice Leader's responsibilities. Overall practice strategy, operations, financial performance, service delivery, quality, client accountability, and people leadership remain the responsibility of the Practice Leader.
Primary Responsibilities
Strategic Growth & Market Development
- Partner with the Practice Leader to identify, develop, and advance growth opportunities across the mortgage industry.
- Leverage established industry relationships to create introductions and new opportunities with mortgage lenders, servicers, investors, and other market participants.
- Identify prospective organizations and decision-makers that align with the practice's capabilities and strategic growth objectives.
- Develop relationships with executive-level decision-makers and influencers throughout the mortgage industry.
- Support the development of strategic pursuits from initial relationship development through solution discussions, proposals, and presentations.
- Bring mortgage subject matter expertise and industry credibility into prospective client conversations.
- Identify opportunities to expand the practice into new segments, relationships, and areas of the mortgage lifecycle.
- Partner with the Practice Leader on targeted market strategies based on industry developments, client needs, and emerging opportunities.
- Collaborate with Baker Tilly Business Development professionals to complement firmwide sales efforts with mortgage-specific relationships, market intelligence, and subject matter expertise.
Client Relationship Expansion & Client Success
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders across existing clients.
- Enhance the Practice Leader's ability to maintain proactive executive engagement across a growing client portfolio.
- Develop a deep understanding of each client's business model, strategic priorities, challenges, and future objectives.
- Identify opportunities to expand existing relationships through additional Mortgage Risk Advisory services.
- Proactively identify additional ways Baker Tilly can provide value beyond the client's current scope of services.
- Support strategic client discussions and executive business reviews focused on future needs, industry developments, and opportunities.
- Gather client feedback and market intelligence that can help strengthen relationships and identify future opportunities.
- Help ensure clients continue to view Baker Tilly as a trusted advisor and strategic partner rather than solely a service provider.
- Support client retention through proactive relationship development, responsiveness, industry insight, and continued value creation.
Strategic Client Insights & Growth Opportunities
- Leverage client discussions, industry trends, engagement results, and market intelligence to identify opportunities for deeper client engagement and practice growth.
- Partner with the Practice Leader to identify emerging client needs and determine where additional services, solutions, or advisory support may create value.
- Recognize trends across the client base that may signal broader market opportunities or the need for new or expanded service offerings.
- Use knowledge of a client's business, strategic priorities, and challenges to proactively bring forward ideas and opportunities beyond the current engagement.
- Help develop executive-level conversations that shift relationships from individual services to broader strategic discussions around risk, compliance, quality, servicing, technology, and business priorities.
- Identify opportunities to connect clients with additional capabilities across the Mortgage Risk Advisory Practice and broader Baker Tilly organization.
- Gather market and client intelligence that helps the Practice Leader determine where the practice should focus future growth efforts.
- Identify recurring client challenges that could be developed into scalable service offerings, advisory solutions, or targeted market initiatives.
- Help turn successful client solutions and outcomes into relevant market stories, thought leadership, and conversations with prospective clients.
- Proactively identify "what's next" for key clients—what challenges they are likely to face, what support they may need, and where Baker Tilly can engage before a formal need or opportunity is identified.
Mortgage Industry & Market Strategy
- Maintain a comprehensive understanding of developments across the mortgage lifecycle and the challenges affecting lenders, servicers, investors, and other industry participants.
- Monitor regulatory, agency, economic, technology, and market developments that could create new client needs or business opportunities.
- Translate industry developments into potential client conversations and market opportunities.
- Identify emerging areas where the practice can develop or expand capabilities to address changing client needs.
- Maintain awareness of competitor capabilities, market positioning, and service offerings to help identify opportunities for differentiation.
- Bring forward ideas regarding AI, automation, analytics, technology, and other emerging capabilities when they can create client value, support strategic growth, or create new service opportunities.
- Help the Practice Leader continuously evaluate where the mortgage market is heading and how the practice can remain ahead of changing client needs.
Industry Presence & Strategic Relationship Development
- Maintain and expand a strong network of relationships throughout the mortgage industry.
- Represent the Mortgage Risk Advisory Practice at relevant conferences, associations, industry events, and client meetings.
- Build relationships with mortgage executives, technology providers, industry organizations, investors, and other strategic market participants.
- Identify opportunities for strategic introductions, partnerships, and industry collaboration.
- Support thought leadership, webinars, industry discussions, and other opportunities that increase visibility for the Mortgage Risk Advisory Practice.
- Identify opportunities for the Practice Leader and other Baker Tilly leaders to engage with key industry decision-makers.
- Use industry relationships and market knowledge to identify prospective clients and emerging opportunities before they become formal pursuits.
Critical Skill Set
The ideal candidate will possess a unique combination of deep mortgage industry expertise, established relationships, strategic growth capabilities, client relationship skills, executive presence, and market awareness.
Deep Mortgage Lifecycle Expertise
The individual must possess comprehensive knowledge of the end-to-end mortgage lifecycle, including:
- Mortgage origination and loan manufacturing
- Processing and underwriting
- Closing and post-closing
- Mortgage Quality Control
- Regulatory compliance
- Operational and credit risk
- Servicing
- Default servicing and loss mitigation
- Investor and agency requirements
- Vendor oversight
- Mortgage technology and operational workflows
The individual should understand how these areas intersect and be able to recognize client challenges and opportunities across the mortgage lifecycle rather than having expertise limited to a single function.
Established Mortgage Industry Relationships
Deep, current industry relationships are a critical requirement for this position.
The ideal candidate will have:
- An established network of executive-level relationships throughout the mortgage industry.
- Current relationships with mortgage lenders, servicers, investors, technology providers, industry organizations, and other key market participants.
- Relationships with senior decision-makers and influencers responsible for mortgage operations, quality control, compliance, risk, servicing, technology, and related functions.
- A strong professional reputation and demonstrated credibility within the mortgage industry.
- The ability to leverage trusted relationships to create introductions, open doors, initiate strategic conversations, and identify opportunities for Baker Tilly.
- Active involvement and continued visibility within the mortgage industry rather than relying solely on historical relationships.
- The ability to build new relationships while maintaining and expanding an existing industry network.
Strategic Growth & Opportunity Development
- Demonstrated ability to identify and develop business opportunities through relationships, industry knowledge, and consultative engagement.
- Ability to recognize opportunities before a formal RFP or buying process begins.
- Strong understanding of how to move an opportunity from an industry or client conversation into a meaningful strategic pursuit.
- Ability to identify opportunities within both existing and prospective client relationships.
- Consultative approach focused on understanding business challenges and developing solutions rather than transactional selling.
- Ability to connect client needs with capabilities across Mortgage Risk Advisory and the broader Baker Tilly organization.
- Strong market awareness and ability to recognize where industry changes may create future demand.
Client Success & Executive Relationship Management
- Demonstrated ability to develop trusted, long-term relationships with executive-level clients.
- Strong understanding of client success and proactive relationship management.
- Ability to understand a client's broader organization, priorities, challenges, and future direction.
- Ability to recognize opportunities beyond the current scope of an engagement.
- Strong listening and consultative problem-solving skills.
- Ability to navigate complex or sensitive client discussions while maintaining strong relationships.
- Strong executive presence and credibility with senior mortgage industry leaders.
Strategic & Commercial Acumen
- Ability to understand the business drivers of mortgage lenders and servicers and how market conditions affect their priorities.
- Strong understanding of how client challenges translate into advisory opportunities.
- Ability to evaluate the potential value and strategic fit of new opportunities.
- Ability to identify patterns across clients and the market that could lead to scalable service offerings.
- Strong understanding of competitive positioning and differentiation.
- Ability to balance client needs, market opportunities, and Baker Tilly capabilities when developing potential solutions.
Technology, AI & Emerging Market Awareness
While this is not an innovation or technology leadership position, the individual should maintain awareness of technologies changing the mortgage industry.
The ideal candidate should have:
- Working knowledge of AI, automation, analytics, and emerging mortgage technologies.
- Understanding of how technology is changing mortgage origination, servicing, compliance, quality control, and risk management.
- Ability to recognize practical opportunities where technology may address client challenges or create new advisory opportunities.
- Ability to engage internal Baker Tilly resources when specialized technology or AI expertise is needed.
- Curiosity and a forward-looking mindset regarding how the mortgage industry will continue to evolve.
Executive Communication & Influence
- Exceptional executive communication and presentation skills.
- Ability to lead strategic conversations with senior mortgage executives.
- Ability to translate complex mortgage issues into clear business discussions.
- Strong relationship-building and influencing capabilities.
- Ability to represent Baker Tilly professionally at conferences, client meetings, and industry events.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with Practice Leadership, Principals, Business Development professionals, delivery leaders, and other Baker Tilly service lines.
- Ability to influence and advance initiatives without direct operational authority.
Desired Experience & Qualifications
- 15+ years of progressive experience within the mortgage industry.
- Significant experience across multiple areas of the mortgage lifecycle rather than expertise limited to one function.
- Deep knowledge of Mortgage Quality Control, Compliance, Servicing Quality Control, Risk, and related mortgage functions.
- Established and current executive-level network within the mortgage industry.
- Demonstrated success developing and expanding strategic client relationships.
- Demonstrated ability to create business opportunities through industry relationships, market knowledge, and consultative engagement.
- Experience working with mortgage lenders, servicers, investors, mortgage technology providers, consulting organizations, or other organizations supporting the mortgage industry.
- Experience interacting with senior and executive leadership within mortgage organizations.
- Understanding of mortgage technology platforms, analytics, automation, and emerging AI capabilities.
- Demonstrated industry presence through mortgage associations, conferences, committees, advisory groups, speaking engagements, webinars, thought leadership, or other industry involvement.
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant professional experience.
What Success Looks Like
The Director of Client Strategy & Growth will enhance the Practice Leader's ability to expand and strengthen the Mortgage Risk Advisory Practice by:
- Creating new relationships and developing qualified client opportunities.
- Leveraging existing industry relationships to expand Baker Tilly's reach within the mortgage market.
- Increasing opportunities within existing client relationships.
- Strengthening executive relationships and contributing to long-term client retention.
- Identifying changing client needs and helping determine where Baker Tilly can provide additional value.
- Bringing market intelligence and client insights to the Practice Leader that inform growth priorities.
- Identifying new or expanded service opportunities based on recurring client and industry needs.
- Increasing the practice's visibility and strategic relationships throughout the mortgage industry.
- Working effectively with Baker Tilly Business Development professionals to advance opportunities without duplicating their role.
- Serving as a trusted strategic partner to the Practice Leader and increasing the Practice Leader's capacity to execute growth and client strategies while the Practice Leader retains overall responsibility and accountability for the strategy, leadership, operations, financial performance, delivery, quality, clients, and people of the Mortgage Risk Advisory Practice.