Senior Business Development Manager - Digital, Data, IP & Technology

A&O Shearman; London; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading law firm is seeking a Senior Business Development Manager to enhance its global and local business development strategies. This strategic role involves collaborating with partners, overseeing client relationships, and leading initiatives to elevate the firm's presence in the technology and data sectors. The successful candidate will have extensive experience in business development within a professional services environment and a proven ability to drive growth and innovation.

Benefits

Occupational pension scheme

Private medical insurance

Lifestyle management services

Parental and special leave

Health and wellbeing services

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in business development within a professional services firm.
• Strong commercial understanding and client focus.
• Ability to influence and motivate teams across regions.

Responsibilities

• Lead on preparing proposals and pitch presentations for business development opportunities.
• Develop and manage business strategies and budgets in collaboration with partners.
• Coordinate client-facing events and marketing communications.

Skills

Business Development

Strategic Planning

Client Management

Communication

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Job description

We are recruiting a Senior Business Development Manager to support the global and London Digital,Data,IPand Technology (DDIT) group.

Department purpose

Our Marketing, Business Development and Communications (MBD&C) team contributes to the setting and achievement of the firm's business objectives, which include supporting our partners and associates in their pursuit of becoming our clients' trusted advisers, building and maintaining long-lasting, deep institutional client relationships, winning new clients, increasing the visibility of the firm globally, and positioning the firm as the thought leader among the global elite law firms. The function works as one team across the globe with very close collaboration between the central groups and professionals supporting offices, practice groups, sectors, and clients.

Role purpose

DDIT advises on a broad range of complex commercial contracts, particularlyIP, technology anddatarich deals, and is one of the most dynamic and fast-growing parts of the firm’s business. This role is responsible for providing strategic support and direction to the global group, in addition to servicing the day-to-day business development needs of the London practice. We have a clear long-term vision for the practice and the successful candidate will play a leading role in helping us to achieve our objectives. As competition for this sort of work intensifies, this role offers an opportunity for the successful candidate to enhance the sophistication and impact of business development within the practice at both a global and local level. You will work closely with senior members of our practice, sector BD teams and the leadership of the DDIT practice to ensure the successful delivery of the marketing and BD plans, improve collaboration, and drive the client strategy.

Role and Responsibilities:

Business development

• Lead on preparing proposals, pitch presentations, and credentials statements for London and global DDIT opportunities.
• Create and embed a global process and infrastructure for managing lower-value and/or regional/local pitches and credentials, including a self-service model for fee earners and training and guidance for regional teams for consistency of brand and content.
• Lead on relevant legal directory and award submissions.
• Use an understanding of the firm’s international partner and BD network to develop new opportunities and leverage innovative ideas across practice groups and sectors.
• Share ideas with colleagues in order to enhance quality of work and develop best practice for BD as a whole.
• Coordinate cross-practice, multi-jurisdictional client-facing events (face-to-face and virtual), and other ad-hoc events.

Strategic business planning and advice

• Work directly with the partners to define and drive a cohesive BD strategy with a focus on increasing collaboration and driving engagement with our priority clients at a global, regional and local level.
• Develop and manage global and regional budget(s) that are agreed with central management annually, monitoring spend, making decisions on allocation, measuring and reporting on ROI.
• Work proactively with the partners and actively contribute to their business plans.
• Act as an internal consultant and coach partners/lawyers on BD.
• Facilitate the integration and on-boarding of any partner lateral hires or partner promotions.

Client relationship management

• Work with partners to develop an international co-ordinated client targeting / cross-selling / CRM programme for the DDIT group.
• Use market research and intelligence to identify new client or market targeting opportunities, recommend new business development ideas and actions and work with the relevant partners and BD / CRM colleagues to execute them.
• Track and monitor the work we do with our clients, spotting opportunities and developing strategies to target additional work and connecting with relevant stakeholders across the firm.
• Devise and implement a programme for client listening, pitch debriefs and matter reviews.

Client communications, events and marketing

• Lead on the generation of innovative marketing communications for the group including (i) integrated, global thought leadership campaigns; (ii) client briefings; and (iii) content-led events such as conferences, seminars and client academies/universities.
• Advise on the relevant channels and tools (e.g. blogs, podcasts, social media) to raise the group’s profile with these communications.
• Lead on the organisation of marketing events, a programme of effective client hospitality (overseeing junior team members, the central events team and PAs on the execution) and the production of related literature using the creative services team.
• Oversee marketing processes (e.g. CVs, reporting on deals worldwide, effective use of CRM database, intranet and internet sites) with junior team members and departmental PAs.
• Work with the media relations team to maintain effective press coverage on major deal and market developments; coordinate deal updates as appropriate.
• Devise an appropriate strategy for the global group’s legal directory process and oversee delivery by junior / regional team members.

Market knowledge and training

• Work with knowledge and research teams to keep up to date with trends affecting the respective products and clients.
• Use market data and intelligence to identify business opportunities and/or inform our strategy for going to market.
• Provide a structured and tailored programme of training on business development techniques to associates.
• Play a role in the training of business development team members across the marketing department, specifically those with an DDIT remit, on the group’s strategy.

Key requirements:

• Can challenge underlying issues with current strategic vision and delivery, questioning the rationale behind existing concepts, plans and ideas, persuading and influencing senior stakeholders on implementation of new ideas, playing an influencing role in partner meetings regarding business development, cross-selling and projects.
• Significant relevant business development, marketing and/or CRM experience (ideally within a professional services organisation or where the individual frequently worked with senior management) at Manager or Senior Manager level.
• Can lead on communication, coordination and strategic oversight of the international DDIT BD community.
• Strong client focus and a commercial understanding and approach.
• Strong, demonstrated experience of managing and developing the careers of team members at Manager, Executive and Assistant level both in the local office and remotely across the global network.
• Demonstrated experience of influencing and overseeing support teams (i.e. creative services, events) and PAs to support on projects and initiatives.
• Ability to motivate, develop and inspire both the BD team and fee‐earners to deliver business goals and change behaviour where required.
• Excellent communication skills ‐ both written and oral.
• A proactive approach, creativity and tenacity.
• High attention to detail.
• Professional in outlook and attitude.
• Politically astute – can make tough decisions and follow through, can anticipate future areas of risk for the practice and takes appropriate action to address these. Understands the complexities of the partnership structure and can navigate them to achieve commercial objectives.
• Ability to manage, drive and implement change.
• Ability to work to deadlines, juggle multiple projects and deliver under pressure.
• Ability to plan ahead, anticipate workload of the team and manage others’ time efficiently, can assess and balance conflicting priorities and does not over‐commit themselves or the team – always manages expectations.

Should you require additional support at any stage of the recruitment process due to a disability or a health condition, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our recruitment team who will work with you to provide any adjustments as required.

We are an equal opportunities recruiter and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

We recognise that our people are our most valuable asset, which is reflected in the wide range of benefits that are available to our employees. Some of these benefits include: our occupational pension scheme, group income protection cover, private medical insurance, mental health resources and free apps, health and wellbeing services encompassing an onsite gym, wellbeing centre and GP service, emergency back-up care support, parental and special leave, holiday entitlement increasing with length of service, holiday trading, season ticket loans and online discounts and lifestyle management services.

Our approach to hybrid working seeks to combine and maximise the benefits of effective remote working with the benefits of being in the office. Our current hybrid working arrangements require office based working for a minimum of 60% of your time (i.e. three days per week for a full time role) in accordance with our hybrid working policy.

Additional information - External

A&O Shearman is a new global industry-leading law firm, with nearly 50 offices in 28 countries worldwide. Our fluency in English law, US law, and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets, enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future.

We offer exceptional opportunities for our people; opportunities to work for the world’s leading businesses; to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work, helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients.

Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth-running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development, we are committed to an inclusive environment, and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimise your wellbeing.

What truly defines a career with us? We recruit the best and ask for the best of you. And together, we will redefine success.