Analyst, Business Development

About the Role

Spencer Stuart is seeking an Analyst, Business Development to collaborate closely with a senior Partner and their core team. This role offers an early-career opportunity to apprentice with a trusted advisor to CEOs and boards, focusing on building an AI-enabled platform for research, content, and executive relationships. The Analyst will gain insight into critical CEO, board director, and investor issues while developing a platform that connects leaders and creates meaningful interactions. The work encompasses research, writing, executive briefings, content development, relationship strategy, business development, and AI experimentation. The Analyst will identify emerging themes, develop points of view, and create systems to translate insights into substantive content and opportunities. This role is unique, operating at the intersection of executive relationships, artificial intelligence, research, writing, media, and business development, rather than a traditional marketing or sales position. The successful candidate will be granted creative ownership and permission to experiment with emerging technology, building transferable skills and an exceptional professional network.

Location: Seattle or San Francisco strongly preferred; exceptional candidates in other U.S. locations, ideally in the Pacific time zone, may be considered.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct rigorous research on topics such as leadership, governance, organizational performance, technology, and private equity, synthesizing executive conversations, academic research, company information, datasets, and market signals into clear hypotheses and distinctive points of view.
• Develop and manage a pipeline of content, including articles, social content, presentations, executive surveys, podcasts, and videos, ensuring each piece offers a valuable idea.
• Research and prioritize relevant leaders and connectors (CEOs, board directors, investors, founders, academics, authors, journalists), identifying timely engagement opportunities and preparing concise executive briefings.
• Support business development initiatives by integrating Firm experience, market intelligence, relationship context, and relevant points of view, capturing insights and next steps from conversations.
• Utilize generative AI and automation for research, synthesis, idea capture, meeting preparation, content development, relationship intelligence, and knowledge management, adhering to Spencer Stuart’s confidentiality and data-security standards.
• Build repeatable systems to connect research, ideas, content, audiences, relationships, conversations, and opportunities, coordinating priorities and production timelines.
• Maintain accurate records of priority relationships, conversations, commitments, intellectual capital, and next steps within approved Firm systems, tracking indicators of audience quality, relationship development, and opportunity creation.

Ideal Experience

The ideal candidate is intellectually curious, self-directed, and energized by turning ambiguity into action and ideas into tangible outcomes. The focus is on trajectory, initiative, judgment, and quality of thinking, rather than a specific major or conventional background. The candidate should read broadly, challenge conventional interpretations, test evidence, and leverage AI to sharpen their thinking. The role requires fluid movement between research, writing, executive briefings, engagement analysis, and high-value meetings.

Specific Experience

• Recent college graduate or up to three years of relevant professional experience.
• Exceptional research, writing, synthesis, and analytical skills, with the ability to process qualitative and quantitative information and clarify complex ideas.
• Excellent project management, organization, attention to detail, and follow-through across multiple priorities.
• Demonstrated curiosity about people, companies, leadership, technology, and organizational decision-making.
• Practical fluency with generative AI tools (e.g., Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude), combined with an understanding of LinkedIn and professional social media.
• Professional judgment, discretion, and credibility when working with senior executives and confidential information.
• Permanent U.S. work authorization.

Helpful but not required: Experience with CRM or relationship-management systems, podcast production, student journalism, long-form writing, or structured academic research.

Critical Capabilities for Success

• Project Management: Plan, manage, and drive personal efforts, handle multiple projects with competing deadlines, adapt to different working styles, and consistently deliver finished work. Take ownership from idea to completion, anticipate next steps, act independently, build repeatable workflows, and reassess priorities as conditions change.
• Problem Solving: Synthesize research and data to form succinct, accurate, and useful points of view. Identify underlying issues, connect ideas across various domains, listen carefully, and ask incisive questions. Subject facts to analysis, make responsible inferential leaps, use strong writing to produce clear and credible work for senior audiences, and verify claims against authoritative sources.
• Impact and Effectiveness: Contribute to team efficiency and quality, and strengthen external relationships. Communicate effectively with executives, colleagues, and external partners, adapting style and format to the audience. Prioritize relationships, remain poised under pressure, and use professional social media thoughtfully. Exercise discretion with confidential information.
• Industry and Functional Knowledge: Develop informed perspectives on leadership, governance, organizational performance, technology, private equity, and media. Know how to find and evaluate information, build awareness of key leaders and market developments, and connect research and content to audiences, relationships, and opportunities.
• Developing Self and Others: Seek and apply feedback, demonstrate self-awareness and learning agility, and commit to continuous development. Reflect on experiments and outcomes, share knowledge, and adjust working style for team benefit.
• Firm Values: Champion Firm values, culture, and Code of Conduct. Build trust through curiosity, initiative, judgment, humility, and discretion. Embrace diverse opinions, promote inclusivity, participate in internal activities, and represent Spencer Stuart professionally.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Compensation: $80,000.00 per year. Actual compensation will depend on skills, experience, and qualifications.
• Eligible to participate in an annual discretionary bonus program.
• Competitive benefits package includes:
• Retirement savings plan with discretionary profit sharing contribution and employer match.
• PTO (minimum 15 days/year), paid sick time (10 days/year), company holidays (12 days/year), and paid leaves of absence.
• Comprehensive health benefits: medical, dental, and vision insurance, and healthcare flexible spending account.
• Life Insurance, and short-term and long-term disability insurance.
• Wellness benefits: employee assistance program, virtual mental health program, and mindfulness program.
• Voluntary benefit options: supplemental life insurance, identity theft protection, and whole life insurance with long-term care and critical illness coverage.