Business Development Manager in Leeds

Location: Birmingham, Exeter, Leeds, London, Manchester, Winchester

Hybrid Working

The Division

The Business Development & Marketing team works with lawyers and business services colleagues to strengthen client relationships, win new work, raise the firm’s profile and support delivery of its strategic ambitions.

The Role

The Business Development Manager (Local Government) is the senior business development lead for one of the firm’s fastest-growing and most strategically important sectors. Working closely with the Head of Local Government, divisional sector leads, Framework Leads and Client Account Leads, the role shapes and delivers the sector growth strategy, drives client development, strengthens market position and generates sustainable revenue growth. The role combines strategic advice with hands‑on delivery. As a trusted adviser to senior stakeholders, the postholder will support planning, oversee major client initiatives, lead market‑facing campaigns and help Local Government maintain its position as a core growth sector.

Key Responsibilities

Sector strategy and commercial planning

• Support development and delivery of the Local Government business development and marketing strategy and annual plan, aligned with firmwide priorities, growth ambitions and investment objectives. Develop distinctive propositions, positioning and messages informed by market trends, client priorities, competitor activity and emerging opportunities.
• Advise on budgets, pipeline, revenue and return on investment, and provide commercial recommendations to sector and business development leaders. Support monthly sector meetings with performance analysis, opportunity updates, client intelligence and clear actions.

Client growth, account management and work winning

• Shape the approach for priority clients, strategic targets and growth opportunities, and drive the Top Client Programme across the sector. Develop account, relationship and growth plans with Client Account Leads to deepen relationships, increase market share and support retention.
• Partner with lawyers, the Bids team and Framework Manager on strategic opportunities, procurements, frameworks, panels and major proposals, including bid and stakeholder engagement plans.
• Support mobilisation and onboarding of major client wins and identify further opportunities.

Marketing, campaigns and market positioning

• Lead integrated campaigns, thought leadership, content, events, roundtables, webinars and strategic engagement aligned with sector priorities and client needs.
• Work with Communications and Marketing colleagues to promote the sector, its lawyers and client successes, and coach senior lawyers on visibility and personal brand.
• Coordinate sector submissions to legal directories, awards and other external recognition.
• Build relationships with Local Government bodies, membership organisations, influencers and stakeholders, and ensure Capsticks’ social value credentials and wider proposition are represented consistently.

CRM, insight and performance management

• Lead sector use of OnePlace and client intelligence systems, improving CRM adoption, data quality and accountability for client and opportunity information.
• Produce dashboards and management information, analyse client, campaign, pipeline and sector data, and identify opportunities, risks and interventions.
• Promote data‑led commercial decision‑making and support pipeline forecasting and business planning.

Stakeholder leadership and collaboration

• Act as principal business development adviser to the Head of Local Government and sector leadership, building trusted relationships with partners and senior stakeholders.
• Challenge and influence decisions constructively, focus activity on the greatest strategic and commercial impact, and drive accountability for agreed plans. Coach lawyers in client development, relationship management, networking and market engagement; identify cross‑selling opportunities; contribute to firmwide initiatives; and share best practice.

Team leadership and contribution

• Lead, mentor and delegate effectively to junior Business Development & Marketing colleagues, ensuring consistently high‑quality delivery.
• Strengthen team capabilities, tools and processes, share knowledge and promote innovation and continuous improvement across the function.

Experience and Knowledge

• Significant business development and marketing experience in a legal, professional services or consultancy environment, with a strong record of developing and delivering growth strategies for a sector, practice group or client‑facing business.
• Proven success in account management, client development and strategic relationship management is essential, together with experience leading business development input into complex bids, frameworks, panels and major opportunities.
• Candidates must demonstrate strong commercial acumen, including analysis of financial performance, pipeline and growth opportunities, and experience managing budgets, business plans and performance reporting.
• A broad understanding of business development and marketing disciplines, CRM systems, client intelligence tools and management information is required.
• Knowledge of Local Government, public sector organisations or regulated markets would be advantageous.

Skills and Behaviours

• A strategic thinker with sound commercial judgement, excellent stakeholder management and strong relationship‑building capability.
• Credible, confident and influential with senior stakeholders, with the leadership presence to challenge constructively and maintain focus on agreed priorities.
• Excellent communication, presentation and facilitation skills are required, alongside strong project and programme management capability.
• The successful candidate will be analytical, insight‑driven, innovative and opportunity‑focused; highly organised and able to manage competing priorities; collaborative and team‑oriented; resilient in a fast‑paced environment; and committed to client service, growth and continuous improvement.

Additional Requirements

• Flexibility to travel between offices, client locations and industry events, with occasional early‑morning or evening attendance.
• Commitment to Capsticks’ values and strategic ambitions, and willingness to act as an ambassador for the Local Government sector and the wider firm.

Capsticks is an inclusive employer

At Capsticks we value diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive working environment where everyone is able to be themselves and reach their full potential. Capsticks is committed to providing equal opportunities for all and therefore we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your education, background, culture, ethnicity, race, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, neurodiversity, religion and beliefs. We will make reasonable adjustments to our application and interview process to ensure that you have the best chance of success. We understand that there's not a "one size fits all" approach to adjustments so our team will work with you individually to understand more about your requirements. If you have any questions please contact our Recruitment team on: (Careers@capsticks.com).

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