Business Development Manager (Sustainability & Africa)

JR United Kingdom; London; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading legal firm in London is seeking a motivated Business Development Manager to enhance their Sustainability and Africa practice groups. The role involves strategic BD planning, relationship management, and collaborative initiatives aimed at promoting the firm's expertise. The successful candidate will thrive in a dynamic environment and possess strong interpersonal skills.

Qualifications

• Degree-educated or equivalent industry experience required.
• Strong BD experience required, ideally in legal or professional services.

Responsibilities

• Build relationships across practice streams and jurisdictions.
• Work on BD strategy and initiatives for Sustainability and Africa practices.
• Conduct market research and analysis.

Skills

BD experience in Sustainability

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Ability to manage data

Education

Degree or equivalent industry experience

Job description

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Business Development Manager (Sustainability & Africa), london

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Client:

Slaughter and May

Location:

london, United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

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EU work permit required:

Yes

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Job Views:

1

Posted:

31.05.2025

Expiry Date:

15.07.2025

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Job Description:

Role overview //

We are recruiting a Business Development (BD) Manager to focus on our Sustainability and Africa practice groups.

Our Sustainability practice has grown significantly over the past few years and the Sustainability group now consists of a Head of Sustainability, multiple cross-practice partners, two senior counsel, two senior knowledge lawyers and associates. Our Africa practice group is a cross-stream practice which is well regarded in the market. We were recently recognised as M&A Team of the Year and for M&A deal of the year at the IFLR Africa Awards in 2025. It is envisaged that the role will be split 80:20 across the Sustainability and Africa groups.

The BD Manager will sit within the wider Global Client Development (GCD) team, supporting practice partners on their strategic BD planning and initiatives, including issues-led campaigns, relationship mapping, pitches, international trips, events and sectoral/regional market research and analysis. The GCD team forms part of the Commercial team which sits within the wider Business Services function.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Head of Sustainability (who is also the Chair of the Africa Practice Group) and other team members. They will work collaboratively to drive forward client cross-selling and targeting initiatives, deepen client and referral partner (law firm) relationships and deliver innovative content and event campaigns designed to bolster our profile and promote the depth of our expertise in the relevant areas.

Key responsibilities //

The key responsibilities of the Sustainability and Africa BD Manager are set out below (albeit there may be others which arise from time to time, as the role evolves, which are not listed).

This is a hybrid role where it will be important to be present and visible to stakeholders in both practices and as such there is an expectation to be in the office at least three days a week (with a requirement for at least four days a week during the probationary period).

The successful candidate may be required to work outside our normal working pattern of 9:30am to 5:30pm each week-day, in particular when responding to overseas lawyer referral requests and working on time critical pitches.

The BD Manager will be responsible for building relationships across practice streams and jurisdictions, working closely with partners and the knowledge team to advance their BD initiatives, campaigns and projects for the firm in relation to our Sustainability and Africa practice groups.

The role would suit a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual with a robust, professional personality, high levels of attention to detail and an interest in international matters. The candidate will need to be versatile and have the ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines and relationships at one time.

Working across multiple practice streams and jurisdictions, the key responsibilities of this role will include some or all of the following:

Sustainability

• Work closely with the Head of Sustainability and the wider Sustainability group on the formation and implementation of BD strategy, campaigns and initiatives (plus day-to-day BD requirements) in respect of the firm’s Sustainability practice.
• Work closely with the Head of Sustainability and the wider team to identify key sustainability issues impacting our clients.
• Understand and help implement a plan to monetise further our practice with clients.
• Provide focus to new client acquisition initiatives including the identification of key sustainability issues, appropriate targets and the appropriate routes to market.
• “Joining the dots” across the firm to ensure that ESG initiatives are well communicated, coordinated and targeted.
• Ensure ESG initiatives and campaigns have a multi-practice and global approach (where applicable).
• Work with partners and other content owners to identify possible ESG content of interest to clients and targets and to ensure production is timely and pitched appropriately for the target audience.
• Work with the Knowledge Lawyers to proactively manage our Sustainability blog to ensure that we are creating regular and topical content.
• Work with partners to design and shape appropriate events and roundtable forums to ensure these are targeted and BD focussed, including our flagship Sustainability Exchange.

Africa

• Work closely with the Chair of the Africa Practice Group, and the wider Africa Practice Group, on the formation and implementation of BD strategy, campaigns and initiatives (plus day-to-day BD requirements) in respect of the firm’s Africa practice, including:
• Working with partners to design and shape events and roundtable forums to ensure they meet the strategic BD objectives of the Africa practice, including our flagship Africa initiative, PLEASe. This includes involvement in the programme content, event design and may involve travel.
• Supporting on, and finding ways to maximise the value of, BD trips undertaken by partners – from scoping, research, material creation etc through to tracking and well-executed follow-up.
• Assisting with hosting relationship law firm meetings in London - setting the agenda, producing background materials and supporting with actions and follow-up.
• Researching and responding to Africa referral requests (and supporting the team on referral requests related to other parts of the world (e.g. Middle East), as required, when broader team support is required).

Across Sustainability and Africa

• Assist fee earners in determining how best to respond to any given opportunity, including client and profile-raising opportunities.
• Help with the preparation of credentials and other client-facing materials as well as assisting on pitches and client BD meetings in liaison with the Pitch and other teams.
• Assist with the firm’s Client Relationship Management (CRM) Programme and other client initiatives in identifying opportunities specific to these practice groups.
• Manage external sector relationships with industry bodies ensuring opportunities are identified and maximised.
• Ensure relationship contact data is maintained in the CRM system, gathering and recording relevant data.
• Review client and relationship law firm mailing lists and develop targeted mailing lists to support BD campaigns and initiatives.
• Support BD-wide priority initiatives, including working with practice BD colleagues and central marketing teams.
• Work alongside other members of the GCD team to support the wider BD strategy.
• Work across the GCD team to respond to ad hoc requests.

Candidate profile //

Candidates for this position must have/be:

• BD experience in the Sustainability area.
• An international outlook with a keen interest in BD opportunities linked to Africa.
• Degree-educated or have equivalent industry experience.
• Strong BD experience, most recently at a senior BD executive or junior BD manager level in legal or professional services.
• Ability and willingness to take the initiative and challenge the status quo.
• Proven ability to manage multiple deliverables within a tight timeframe and deliver high quality work, both individually and as a member of a multi-disciplinary team.
• A self-starter with a proactive approach to identifying opportunities, solving problems, and driving BD initiatives to achieve tangible outcomes.
• Demonstrable confidence to develop strong working relationships with partners, associates, knowledge lawyers and all members of the BD and wider Business Services teams.
• Ability to actively collaborate with colleagues on projects, ensuring timely completion of assigned tasks while maintaining high quality standards and open communication.
• Ability to manage and analyse large amounts of data and identify BD opportunities within it.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to confidently engage with senior stakeholders and deliver high-quality reports, pitches, presentations, and proposals.
• Resilience when operating in a high demand environment.
• Ability to build strong business relationships with external clients and broader relationship contacts.
• Excellent attention to detail and good use of grammar.
• Willingness to foster an inclusive team culture.
• High level of professionalism and integrity; displays the highest standard of professional ethics.

You will also be expected to display the attributes set out under the firm’s Key Behaviours for Business Services staff for this level of role. Below are the most relevant for this role: