Senior Client Relationship Executive

The opportunity

We are looking for a Senior Client Relationship Executive to join our Global Client Service & Insight team. The successful candidate will manage a portfolio of our key clients, deliver exceptional service and drive growth across practices and countries. They will champion best practices to strengthen our Client Programme, foster innovation, and identify new business opportunities. Additionally, they will support senior managers on strategic projects within our One Firm Strategic Client Programme, helping to elevate client experiences and expand our impact.

The firm

Bird & Bird opens up a world of possible for lawyers and professionals everywhere. Here you can advise major enterprises and high-growth businesses on matters that are often transformative in nature, and alongside people who are truly collegiate in the way they work with everyone at Bird & Bird. We are one international firm, where over 70% of our work involves teams from across our firm. And that is only going to increase. It is this common purpose and shared approach that makes for a more productive, and collaborative place to work.

The team

Bird & Bird's Marketing & Business Development (MBD) team's mission is to build the firm's profile, win new work and strengthen and deepen client relationships. Based across our 32 offices worldwide, the team comprises of specialists in marketing communications, business development and client service, all working closely together as a tight-knit international network of MBD colleagues. Whether it's driving a new content strategy, pitching for cutting-edge work, building our brand or contributing to the development of our client relationships, we're committed to providing exceptional service to the firm and are known for leading the way when it comes to new technology and solutions. Energetic, creative and global in our approach, we're looking for people who have a passion for MBD and are keen to take a fresh approach.

What you'll do

The main duties and responsibilities for the role are as follows:

Account strategy and relationship mapping

• Work with client managers, client relationship partners and the accounts team to design and implement an effective account strategy including an account plan, budget and relationship map.
• Support the facilitation of annual client relationship reviews with the account team to evaluate the success of the account plan
• Implement and manage client relationship maps (undertake a six-monthly audit), using CRM tools to monitor relationship capital and develop action plans to ensure target activity levels are achieved.
• With the Client Listening team, help facilitate, implement and manage systematic client feedback processes to evaluate client engagement and satisfaction and to identify new business opportunities.

Global account team co-ordination & communication

• Manage and execute global account team co-ordination and communications to drive account activity including organising and preparing agendas for meetings, sharing internal and external meeting notes and driving actions.
• Continuously monitor key industry and client issues by reviewing press releases, setting up news alerts and using research tools (e.g., Dun & Bradstreet, Introhive, and LinkedIn) and share these insights with the account team.
• Ensure all partners and associates have a good working knowledge of the client by onboarding them to the account.
• Work with the account team to establish consistent global service standards and a One firm approach.
• Manage new matter opening alerts to ensure partners and associates comply with the client’s contracting & billing processes in coordination with the relevant finance team.
• Use CRM intelligence and insights to provide dynamic reporting. Introduce dashboards to monitor account performance (fees, opportunities, matters, activities, client engagement). Use Introhive to review new contacts at the client (and at Bird & Bird) and make account team aware.

Opportunity identification & management

• Create and manage a pipeline and ensure opportunities are properly recorded and updated in CRM
• Through client intelligence gathering and discussions with the account team, identify new business opportunities and connect Bird & Bird teams to pursue these opportunities.
• Help prepare partners prior to client meetings including supporting the production of tailored materials
• Support the proposals process (working alongside the central pitch team where appropriate) on major RFPs and tenders, including the co-ordination of client pitch materials in collaboration with the International Pitch team. Ensure proposal teams understand the client culture, buying criteria and structure.

Relationship Management

• Work closely with Client Relationship Managers, and MBD colleagues to ensure that campaigns (including events and publications) are targeted and tailored to the relevant client contacts in order to develop key relationships
• Work with Learning & Development to deliver relevant training offerings (soft skills and CPD)
• Build direct relationships with client contacts (in particular within the Legal Operations, procurement teams) to understand their issues and tailor our value-added services and Client Solutions to meet their needs
• Identify personal targets beyond Legal Operations and procurement with a view to broadening understanding of the client’s key pain points.
• Introduce relevant Bird & Bird Subject Matter Experts (directly or indirectly) to the client and attend client meetings in person

Commercial management

• Work with the firm’s Commercial Accountants and Billing team to improve profitability & pricing including coordinating and streamlining firmwide billing and invoicing process
• Undertake legal spend analysis and additional reporting to keep the client abreast of significant or high value matters
• Work with the client to clarify their operational / systems processes, to ensure our coordination of billing meets their needs
• Ensure client service requests are satisfied, including all service commitments and reporting are agreed with the client
• Communicate operational improvements and value adds to the client and promote internally
• Produce an annual value statement in coordination with Commercial Accountants team.

About you

The successful candidate will be proactive and self-motivated with excellent communication and project management skills. They will have experience in account relationship management and demonstrable experience building strategic business relationships and pursuing new business. This role requires a proven track record for standards of excellence and the successful candidate needs to be able to gain swift credibility with stakeholders in order to influence behaviours.

Additionally, the successful candidate will possess the following:

• Demonstrable experience and achievement in account management or related BD role(s).
• Proficiency in CRM systems and data analysis
• Be able to demonstrate good commercial and financial acumen.
• Be a collaborative team player who works well across levels and promotes a ‘one team’ approach
• Demonstratable integrity and professionalism.
• The ability to assess and understand the wider impact of actions.
• Proven track record in delivering excellent client service in direct client facing role(s).
• Ability to and experience of forging excellent relationships with partners and clients.
• Take a professional yet robust approach to challenging conversations.
• Understand clients’ priorities and objectives and provide proactive solutions and manage expectations in line with these.
• Fluency in another language is helpful but not essential

The main responsibilities of this role are outlined above; however, this description is not exhaustive, and the job holder may be required to undertake additional duties from time to time to ensure the smooth running of the department. The role may require some working outside our normal working hours of 9:30am- 5:30pm.