Job Description
About Us Vannin Chief of Staff has been retained by BDT & MSD Partners, a distinguished merchant bank headquartered in Chicago, IL, to identify a Vice President, Business Development - Midwest Region. BDT & MSD Partners is a merchant bank with an advisory and investment platform built to serve the distinct needs of business owners and strategic, long-term investors. The firm is distinguished by its decades of experience advising at the intersection of founders, families, and businesses, as well as by its differentiated capital base and culture of aligned investing. Its funds are managed by its affiliated investment advisors, BDT Capital Partners and MSD Partners. For more information, visit www.bdtmsd.com . Vice President, Business Development - Midwest Region BDT & MSD Partners maintains a deep, long-standing presence and trusted relationships across the Midwest, anchored in Chicago. The firm is seeking a dynamic and highly collaborative Vice President, Business Development to strategically support and advance these relationship-building efforts across a broad regional footprint that includes some of the most significant family-owned and founder-led businesses in the country. Reporting to the Co-Heads of the Midwest Region, this person partners 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. It 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 meaningful in one of the most distinctive platforms in finance. This position offers an opportunity to help activate an established regional foundation by working across multiple senior relationship owners, helping unlock the full potential of BDT & MSD’s Midwest network. The VP will serve as the connective tissue across commercial and functional teams, contributing to regional engagement strategy ranging from one-on-one client meetings to curated small-group gatherings. Success in this role requires a strong commercial mindset, high emotional intelligence, exceptional judgment, and the ability to serve as a proxy for senior leaders with clients and internal stakeholders alike. This is a full-time, exempt position based onsite in Chicago, IL, with periodic travel throughout the Midwest region. 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 and regional leadership to optimize the firm’s integrated relationship coverage model, clarifying coverage, priorities, and next steps across shared clients and prospects. Develop a holistic understanding of the firm’s relationships in the region and identify opportunities for cross-platform collaboration and partnership. Strategize and support the execution of high-value engagement opportunities with the client base, coordinating between coverage professionals and strategies to deliver the full platform. Proactively identify challenges and opportunities, looking around corners to anticipate issues before they arise. Collaborate with peers in other regions to share best practices, connect insights, and enhance overall regional development. Firm Operations: Support coverage professionals’ business development efforts across client management and internal operations to ensure seamless execution. In partnership with regional leadership, develop actionable relationship and business development plans with clear metrics and KPIs to evaluate success; utilize this work for regional and firm-level reporting. Partner with coverage professionals to support and drive achievement of KPIs. Manage the firm’s Midwest region CRM system in partnership with coverage professionals and Business Development, ensuring accurate relationship mapping, pipeline tracking, and reporting. Leverage the firm’s CRM system and tools to ensure continued follow-up and touchpoints with priority relationships. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Client Engagement: Serve as a central connector across the business, helping translate vision into coordinated action across commercial and functional teams. Build and sustain strong, trust-based relationships across commercial, operational, and functional t