Senior Business Development Manager (Disputes and Investigations)

ROLE OVERVIEW //The Disputes and Investigations team has grown strongly over the past few years and has a top tier practice which is renowned for working on complex and market-leading matters, and attracting talent along the way. It’s impressive credentials and clients list includes Aston Martin, BAT, Danske Bank, JP Morgan Chase, Rolls Royce, Virgin Group and Vodafone, to name a few.The team has acted in many of the most significant disputes and investigations in the London market in recent years, including: acting for BHP in the "largest case in English legal history" concerning a dam collapse in Brazil; acting for Credit Suisse in $2bn litigation concerning disputed state guaranteed financing transactions, and; advising Shell and its Board of Directors in respect of minority shareholder ClientEarth's threatened derivative claim concerning climate change planning.Despite its success, the team is not complacent and seeks to consolidate its leading position and grow further with senior BD support. Therefore, we are recruiting a Senior Business Development Manager to help drive this growth and support the ambitious, busy, and dynamic practice.We are looking for an energetic, proactive and dynamic individual who has experience working within a busy group, who is interested in building strong relationships and who can adapt their style to get the best out of key stakeholders.This role will work closely with the DI partners but sit within the wider Global Client Development (GCD) team. The GCD team forms part of the Commercial team which sits within the wider Business Services function. The role reports to the Head of BD.KEY RESPONSIBILITIES //The Senior Business Development Manager, working with the partners and others in DI, will help shape and refine, and take ownership of the delivery of the DI BD strategy: agreeing priorities, developing campaigns, setting objectives and driving forward BD initiatives and activity.The key responsibilities of this role will include some or all of the following. You may be required on occasion to work outside our normal working hours of 9:30am to 5:30pm.Practice development and business planningWork with the partners to drive the development and implementation of the BD strategy.Work with partners to complete the practice review: reviewing the practice’s performance against objectives and setting new objectives.Proactively look for opportunities to grow and diversify the DI practice offering.Being a vocal and active member of the GCD team, staying connected with activity across the firm and sharing best practice, bringing it into the DI stream.Liaise with other members of the practice to share knowledge and promote a coordinated and efficient approach to BD activity.Project manage and work closely with the DI BD Executive to oversee the directory submission process working closely with the partners, associates and PSLs.Client programmes, targeting and developmentIdentify opportunities to cross-sell DI to existing clients of the firm and drive forward participation and engagement in the firms’ Client Relationship Management Programme.Provide focus to new client acquisition initiatives including the identification of appropriate targets and the go-to-market strategy.Working closely with regional specialists, identifying priority market segments/jurisdictions to focus on, as part of growing the international aspects of the DI stream.Pitching and opportunitiesAdvise and assist partners in determining how best to respond to any given opportunity. Where appropriate liaising with the central pitch team and providing strategic assistance to them as required.Develop and maintain credentials and other client-facing materials for pitch use.Campaigns and content Work with the partners, the wider DI practice support team and other content ‘owners’ to identify possible content of interest to clients and targets and to ensure that the content produced is timely and pitched appropriately for the target audience.Bring a campaign approach to the content the DI stream produces whilst identifying the most appropriate distribution channel(s) for content and to advise on strategies to ensure that the maximum possible R.O.I is achieved.Work with the partners and the Communications team to identify relevant awards, sponsorship and other speaking opportunities in support of the BD plans.CANDIDATE PROFILE //Candidates for this position must have:Strong BD and Marketing experience, most recently at a manager or senior manager level in legal or professional services.Experience working in practice areas covering Disputes, Litigation, Investigations or Arbitration will be advantageous.Degree-educated or equivalent industry experience.Ability to communicate effectively with senior stakeholders.Proven ability to manage multiple deliverables within a tight timeframe and deliver high quality work.Demonstrable confidence to develop strong working relationships with the partners, associates, PSLs and all members of the BD team.Ability to manage and analyse large amounts of data and identify BD opportunities within it.Ability to be proactive, entrepreneurial and self-motivated.Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written, spoken and presentational).Excellent attention to detail and good use of grammar.Proactive approach to defining needs and delivering solutions.Ability to build strong business relationships with internal and external clients and the resilience to deal with demanding individuals.Willingness to foster an inclusive team culture.High level of professionalism and integrity; displays the highest standard of professional ethics.