Opportunity

Brunswick Group, a strategic advisory firm focused on critical issues, is seeking a Director in Chicago with expertise in counseling industrial and infrastructure companies and business leaders on a wide range of high-stakes issues to join its Industrials & Infrastructure (I&I) team. The diverse companies in this sector confront similar critical challenges—rising geopolitical tensions, inexorable technological disruption, evolving sustainability risk, and escalating stakeholder scrutiny, among many more. We advise our clients on how to navigate these shifting forces, bringing deep understanding of their subsectors and the nuanced expectations of what matters to investors, regulators, media, employees, and society. In addition to client-facing responsibilities, the I&I Director will play an important role in the development and internal leadership of the sector team. Directors along with Partners serve as firm leaders and play a critical role in driving client work and the overall success of the firm.

Brunswick is a widely recognized industry leader. For nearly four decades, Brunswick has consistently ranked at the top of our industry’s league tables for M&A communications on a country, regional, and global basis. Over the last five years, the firm has advised on more than 1,000 M&A transactions totaling $2 trillion in value. In 2024, Brunswick ranked the #1 global M&A communications advisor, advising on 295 transactions valued at $583B. We were also awarded the Band 1 ranking by Chambers and Partners for Crisis & Risk Management for four consecutive years – 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Our Chicago office is one of the fastest growing offices in our network. Founded in 2017, the office has grown from four to nearly 50 professionals and the home office for some of our highest profile client work in the region.

About the Role

Client Contribution & Handling

Deliver strategic advice to clients, drawing on specialist communications expertise and depth of professional advisory experience
Demonstrate deep knowledge of the clients’ business and strategic communications issues spanning financial situations, crisis, litigation, and/or transformation
Monitor level of account profitability and intervene as necessary

Communication Skills

Express a point of view in a thoughtful manner; analyze and distill complex information
Write thoughtful, well-structured content; consider audience in style and tone of communications
Exhibit and exercise sound judgement and discretion
Question and challenge in a constructive way; present unpopular ideas to senior executives with poise and confidence

Business Development

Source new business opportunities along with Partner, apply knowledge and experience to lead well-run pitch teams and drive the pitch preparation
Use deep knowledge of key sectors to promote new business approaches and ideas
Assist in pitches across regions and sectors
Identify new opportunities to deliver other Brunswick expertise to existing clients; actively pursue and secure extensions of client relationships
Build and maintain strong external networks to deliver valuable insight to clients and the firm

Teams

Actively and effectively manage account teams; drive the day-to-day
Keep the Partner and other team members informed of account and project status
Foster development of team members’ skills and client handling ability by identifying new challenges and encouraging team to stretch where appropriate

What We're Looking For

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

15+ years of experience in advising clients in the industrials sector, including c-suite stakeholders, on strategic communications for critical issues (i.e., Litigation, Financial Situations, Crisis)
Extensive expertise and focus on understanding key stakeholders and issues within consumer industries sub-sectors such as agriculture, chemicals, aviation/transportation, construction, manufacturing, etc.
Experience managing teams of five or more people
Proven ability to successfully interact with top-tier media in proactive and reactive situations