Business Development Manager (Corporate & Commercial) – 12-months fixed term
REPORTING TO
Senior Business Development Manager
JOB PURPOSE
Providing day-to-day strategic and practical business development support, market research and advice to groups within Corporate & Commercial practices, as well as the Energy sector, with the aim of building and sustaining existing client relationships and profitably through exploiting new business opportunities.
Corporate & Commercial has 33 partners and 133 colleagues, based in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and London. The practice is top ranked by independent legal directories with 48 team members also individually ranked. The practice benefits from national and international reach and are regularly instructed in complex, high value transactions or advice which can have cross-border and international aspects. This position will require someone who is driven and has the energy to lead successful teams.
The role holder will work closely with the other business development professionals to ensure business planning, new client targeting, client care programmes, and market visibility are successfully co-ordinated. The successful candidate will be based in either Edinburgh or Glasgow but expected to travel to all other offices as required.
A key member of the business development team, reporting to the Senior Business Development Manager, the role holder will work closely with our partners across the firm and other business development professionals in the Business Development & Marketing practice area.
The role holder will be instrumental in ensuring that business development is regarded by business teams as a key part of their role and an important tool in maintaining and increasing Brodies' profitability.
CORE TASKS
- Strategic management – challenging the underlying strategic issues, questioning the rationale behind existing concepts and ideas from a strategic perspective; persuading and influencing others on implementation of new strategic ideas; playing a key influencing role in partner meetings regarding business development issues and projects.
- Business planning – drafting and reporting on the business development plan; creating the budget for and then management of business development and marketing costs for the group; and ultimately providing input on the strategic business plan for the group. Should have the ability to assess new projects against the impact of cost and profit and adapt business plans in response to changing market requirements.
- Client care – development, maintenance and reporting on a focused client care programme for banking and corporate clients. Work with partners to develop a co-ordinated client targeting / client care programme. Using market research and intelligence to identify new client or market targeting opportunities, recommend new business development ideas and suitable actions, and work with the partners responsible to make them happen.
- Pitching – play a lead advisory and hands on role in the pitching process for this practice area. This will include deciding whether to pitch or not, research, drafting and co-ordinating. It will also include preparing presentations and coaching for beauty parades and “softer” pitch and credentials documents.
- Internal communications – building and maintaining a flow of market intelligence (e.g. major players, market shares, key client contact moves) to partners and associates; providing regular communication within the group about planned marketing activity; work with BD & Marketing managers responsible for related areas to co-ordinate client targeting activity.
- Cross practice integration – using an understanding of Brodies’ partner and business development network to develop new opportunities and leverage innovative ideas from own practice area to others. Sharing ideas with colleagues in order to enhance quality of work and developing best practice for business development as a whole. This involves strong stakeholder management with partners, senior lawyers, marketing colleagues and wider business services teams, as well as external stakeholders such as vendors and membership organisations.
- Profile/PR – working with the Comms function to maintain effective press coverage on major matters and market developments, drafting entries to legal directories and thought-leadership. Work with the practice area on the creation of regular market facing content and its promotion.
- Marketing literature and events – devising approaches to generate new marketing communications initiatives. Overseeing the organisation of events (e.g. round tables, webinars, hospitality) and production of regular comms and literature for a practice area.
- Business Development training – providing a structured and tailored programme of training on business development techniques and to associates, assistants and secretarial staff within the group. Playing a role in the training of business development staff across the team. This includes encouraging and monitoring the use of the firm’s CRM system by your teams.
- BD team – manage junior members of the BD team including supporting them with their development, appraisals and profile within the firm. Lead team meetings and ensure the team is cohesive, consistent in approach, motivated and happy.
- Technology - embrace technological advances and develop structure, tools and new approaches to enhance client experience, create efficiencies, create consistencies in content development delivery, increase market share, boost profile, and engage with clients, contacts and colleagues.
- Be aware of Brodies’ information security policies, and protect information assets from unauthorised access, disclosure, modification, destruction or interference at all times.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
- Graduate (plus commitment to, or existing additional professional marketing/business qualifications).
- Enthusiasm to develop an in-depth understanding of legal market in the UK and across Europe (in terms of the market, the deals, the key players, the competition, and the actual financial/commercial approaches involved in this area).
- Experience within a law firm or wider professional services environment would be beneficial, but not essential.
- Experience of working in the Energy sector would be beneficial, but not essential.
- Strong understanding of marketing and communications and how to apply that to the day-to-day.
- A proactive approach, creativity, tenacity and energy.
- High attention to detail and strong client (commercial) focus.
- Professional in outlook, attitude and appearance.
- Politically astute – can make tough decisions and follow through; anticipates future areas of risk for the practice and takes appropriate action to address these.
- Proven track record of achieving strategic business objectives and using this experience to assess people and financial resources required for specific projects.
- Proven ability to plan and manage budgets, monitor ROI, and provide regular reporting on KPIs to internal stakeholders.
- Ability to work autonomously, find solutions and action ideas.
- A qualification in marketing, business, or a related field is beneficial, but not essential.
SKILLS
- Excellent communication skills - both written and oral.
- Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills - with partners, key associates, and business development & marketing colleagues, clients and suppliers.
- Ability to motivate, develop and inspire both team and lawyers to deliver business goals and change behaviour where required. Draws on experience to manage 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, balances conflicting priorities and does not over-commit team and themselves – always manages expectations.
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Life insurance
- Sick pay
Application question(s):
- What are your salary expectations for the role?
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Edinburgh EH3
