Senior BD & Marketing Manager - Disputes and Business...

Wedlake Bell’s BD & Marketing team are undergoing a serious upgrade, and are recruiting a Senior BD & Marketing Manager to lead efforts for our Disputes and Business Services sector practices.

The Senior Business Development & Marketing Manager will be a key member of the BD & Marketing team. The role will be critical in both supporting and driving BD and marketing across the firm’s core practices and sectors, with the goal of both profile raising and contributing to the firm’s revenue generation objectives.

You will provide support that is targeted and focused on growing the business’ reputation within both the Disputes and Business Services practices, comprising corporate, commercial, M&A, employment, R&I pensions / employee benefits, intellectual property, projects & infrastructure and disputes (in all its guises), leading on business development and marketing strategy, aligning business growth plans alongside tactical business development and marketing delivery.

The Business Development & Marketing team is poised to play a crucial part in shaping the Firm’s future. Our role is to build the firm’s reputation among all stakeholders, help develop deeper and broader relationships and to both drive and support revenue growth.

Key role duties:

• Lead the BD & Marketing function for the Disputes and Business Services practices, acting as a strategic advisor to key stakeholders and the wider partnership
• Work with Partners and other key stakeholders to create and execute strategic BD & Marketing plans
• Develop BD & Marketing strategies aligned to the direction of the practices and Firm - driving top line growth
• Lead the development of new product offerings, collaborating with Partners and the wider marketing and BD teams to define the benefits of the new products and the most effective routes to market (i.e., via sector marketing campaigns and client development activities).
• Act as a conduit across the business, helping Partners to leverage the strengths and capabilities of other areas of the business
• Develop, manage, monitor, sign-off and report on practice group and sub-group budgets
• Work with individual Partners to develop and execute their own, personal BD & Marketing plans
• Work with stakeholders to identify the key issues and topics, or areas of specialist knowledge, we should be promoting and the best approach to marketing
• Work with other members of the team to ensure materials and public information is up-to-date and accurate
• Lead on relevant pitch opportunities from start to finish, including on the ’go/no go’ decision and pre-presentation coaching
• Work with the BD & Marketing Director, and other members of the team / firm, to deliver firmwide projects and initiatives
• Deploy appropriate and effective BD & Marketing tools and tactics to execute business objectives
• Actively develop and manage the opportunity pipeline
• Lead selected firmwide sector teams (as the initiative is established and develops) delivering strategic, targeted and well executed campaigns
• Manage key client accounts as developed
• Work with the Partners, Head of PR & Communications and / or external PR agency, to identify and deliver appropriate PR and Comms opportunities (internally and externally)
• Work with Partners, Professional Support Lawyers (PSLs) and other fee earners, to develop and deliver relevant email alerts to specific clients/targets
• Measure, report on and change approach (as necessary) to BD & Marketing depending on results and ROI
• Scope legal directory submissions with Partners and help them prepare for interviews with researchers
• Champion best practice and the use of relevant technology / tools (InterAction, Objective Manager, Passle etc)
• Provide effective leadership and direction for the Senior BD Executives and other members of the team, using coaching, mentoring and other development initiatives
• Delegate tasks at the appropriate level and provide both positive and constructive feedback on a rolling basis
• Proactively identify and tackle underperformance using the appropriate methods and channels

Attributes:

• Has a strong understanding of business services and disputes within a law firm and client context, from both an external market / sector and internal operational perspective
• A driven individual with the ability to build credible relationships with Partners and the ability to influence accordingly
• A strong network of industry contacts including advisers to the sector, intermediaries and referrers
• Recognises the differences between a sector or practiced based go-to-market approach
• Articulate and confident with the ability to alter approach depending on the situation and characters involved
• Has proven experience of managing and developing key clients focused on revenue generation opportunities
• Interacts confidently and effectively with key clients and stakeholders
• Self-starter who recognises the challenges and benefits of playing a senior role in an evolving team
• Experience of handling a large workload and capable of identifying priorities in terms of what’s important versus what’s deemed urgent
• Strong presentation skills
• Effective coach of all levels of experience from junior team members to Partners
• Exemplary communication skills in both team and individual settings
• Professional services (Partnership) experience and understanding, with a proven track record of leading BD & marketing at a senior level
• International experience an advantage but not critical.