Senior business development manager

We are recruiting a senior business development manager to join our marketing and business development department. The successful candidate will work in close collaboration with the corporate and M&A practice, as well as providing support for firmwide business development and marketing projects.

This role will report to the Head of Business Development and be part of a senior BD leadership team that helps to guide and shape the activities of the BD team and the strategic direction of business development within the firm.

The role presents an opportunity to:

• be part of a high performing, friendly, ambitious marketing and business development team;
• work with partners who value and respect the combination and expertise of the team; and
• help the corporate and M&A team move team forward with their marketing and BD efforts, a pivotal time for the team in this respect.

About Macfarlanes

We are a distinctive London-based law firm with a unique combination of services built and shaped around the needs of our clients. Our unrivalled blend of expertise, agility and culture means we have the flexibility to meet their most challenging demands and adapt to the changing world around us. While many of our services can be found at other firms, the mix cannot.

We find, recruit and train talented people from all backgrounds, building careers for the long term, to one day shape and lead the firm. We know each other personally which means we work together with more cohesion, and less formality. Our culture is thoughtful, challenging and supportive, and we are a place where everyone, at whatever level, can thrive. We remain focused on equal treatment in recruitment, retention and promotion.

Role overview

The individual will drive the practice area marketing and business development initiatives for corporate and M&A. They must have a proactive approach to their work and have strong influencing skills to advise effectively at partner level. This role provides the opportunity to cover a wide range of business development and marketing disciplines.

The role has support from:

• a business development executive, who will be line managed by the successful candidate;
• the central pitch team (2 people, a manager and an assistant) whilst a firmwide resource they view corporate and M&A as one of their main areas; and
• the PA hub within corporate and M&A.

The role

Duties will include:

Business development

• work with the partners on the creation of the practice area plan, the supporting marketing plans and the practice area BD and marketing budget;
• work with partners and other fee earners to provide strong project management in the implementation of the plans;
• proactively identify new BD and marketing opportunities for the practice that aligns with their plans;
• ensure the group is plugged into and maximising opportunities coming from the firmwide private capital initiative;
• develop action plans for existing clients, targets and intermediaries;
• keep up-to-date on competitors and developments in the legal market that impact the practice;
• encourage associates to get involved in business development activities that support the practice area plan and support with BD training for associates;
• with the support of the internal comms team ensure that the group’s messages and activities are appropriately communicated internally to facilitate cross-selling opportunities;
• ensure the practice is represented in firmwide business development activities, acting as the “eyes and ears” for cross-selling and cross-practice initiatives;
• work alongside the pitch team to provide strategic support for pitch activity, including analysing the opportunity as well as carrying out pitch debriefs internally; and
• act as the business development lead on strategic campaigns and events.

Marketing communications

• develop and deliver profile raising plans (including press releases) for the practice, sub-areas and individuals with the support of the central marketing and PR team;
• alongside the knowledge lawyers, keep abreast of trends in the market in order to identify potential hot topics and ideas for content;
• work with the Head of Brand and Marketing to deliver marketing campaigns;
• effectively leverage thought leadership produced by the fee earners, including working with fee earners to develop their LinkedIn profiles;
• work with fee-earners on the development and production of all practice area materials, both on- and off-line, in line with the brand and tone of voice guidelines;
• oversee the preparation of directory and award submissions;
• oversee the production of eCommunications (using Vuture and Passle), helping partners to pull together targeted lists (using our CRM system InterAction), monitoring reader statistics and alerting partners to any client feedback; and
• proof read documents to ensure they are aligned to house style.

This job description encompasses the main duties of the role and is by no means exhaustive.

Duties may vary from time to time according to the needs of the department.

The candidate

The successful candidate will ideally meet the following requirements:

Experience and qualifications

• relevant professional services experience required, minimum of 8 years of within professional services;
• experience of dealing with partners at a senior level; and
• proven experience of corporate and M&A is preferred.

Required skills

• proactive and tenacious, capable of identifying, developing and gaining support for marketing and business development initiatives;
• excellent influencing skills with the ability to establish credibility quickly at senior levels;
• effective oral and written communication skills including the ability to challenge ideas and convention at all levels;
• excellent attention to detail;
• ability to prioritise and manage workload;
• a growth mindset with excellent strategic thinking and problem-solving skills whilst also being happy to get involved in the day-to-day;
• good team working skills – committed to continuous development of self and others; and
• strong project management skills.

Application screening

Any offer of employment with us is subject to our pre-employment checks which are conducted by a third-party screening provider. These may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, any criminal records and employment references. These checks will be initiated with your consent and your offer will be subject to the successful completion of these checks.

Our commitment to inclusion

We are committed to increasing the diversity of our employees and partners. Improving diversity is one of our key priorities and it is a goal we are actively working towards. We believe that an inclusive, forward-thinking culture is intrinsically important and enables us to provide innovative solutions to our clients.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, bringing different perspectives and experiences, making Macfarlanes an exciting and stimulating place to work. We seek to recruit the best candidates, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, social or economic background, religion, disability, sexual orientation or any other characteristic.

As part of this commitment, we will ask you certain diversity questions. We would really appreciate you and/or your recruiter completing these questions when submitting an application to Macfarlanes as this data enables us to measure our progress towards improving the diversity of our applicants, and ultimately, our hires. This data is anonymised to maintain the privacy of applicants. If you have any questions relating to how this data is used, please contact a member of the recruitment team.

Should you require any adjustments during the application and/or interview process, please do not hesitate to inform your recruiter or a member of the recruitment team. Please note, the job description is available in other accessible formats (for example, large print).

We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who best meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme, please email the recruitment team at recruitment@macfarlanes.com.