Business Development Manager/Senior Executive - 12 Months FTC

About The Role

We are looking for a commercially minded Business Development Manager or Senior BD Executive with a genuine passion for agriculture, rural affairs and the wider food and agri sector to lead and drive business development activity for our Agriculture sector and associated legal teams. This is a high-profile role, working closely with the Agriculture Sector Head, senior fee earners and colleagues across the firm to support sustainable growth, strengthen our market position and help the firm become a leading choice for agriculture, rural affairs, food and agri-related clients.

The role reports into the Senior Business Development Manager for the Private Client Division and combines strategic thinking with practical delivery. You will help turn sector priorities into focused plans, support partners to deepen client and referrer relationships, identify new opportunities and ensure our activity is targeted, measurable and commercially effective.

Day to day, you’ll be successful in this role by:

Leading sector business development

• Work with the Agriculture Sector Head, core sector team and BD&M leadership to shape, deliver and track the sector business development plan.
• Translate strategic priorities into clear, practical activity that supports growth in priority markets, client groups and geographies.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the agriculture, rural affairs, food production, food tech and sustainability landscape, identifying trends, risks and opportunities.
• Support the development of clear propositions for traditional agriculture clients, landed estates, food and agri businesses, sustainability and net zero opportunities.

Growing clients, referrers and intermediaries

• Work with fee earners to build, manage and progress plans for priority clients, target clients and key opportunities.
• Help strengthen relationships with existing referrers and intermediaries, including land agents, advisers, agricultural organisations and other sector influencers.
• Build their own external network across the agriculture and rural affairs market, including referrers, intermediaries, land agents, advisers, agricultural organisations such as the NFU and other sector influencers, where there is a clear commercial opportunity and alignment with the sector strategy.
• Identify cross-selling opportunities across the wider firm, particularly where agriculture clients have broader private wealth, property, corporate, regulatory, employment or disputes needs.

Building profile and market presence

• Work with Marketing/Digital colleagues to develop campaigns, website content, digital journeys and profile-raising activities that position the firm strongly in the agriculture and food sectors.
• Coordinate thought leadership, directory submissions, awards, press opportunities, sponsorships and speaking opportunities.
• Develop and deliver a focused events, webinar and hospitality programme that supports relationship-building and lead generation.
• Ensure activity is purposeful, joined-up and measured against clear objectives and return on investment.

Using data to drive better decisions

• Review and interpret client, billing, referrer, pipeline, new matter and new client data to identify trends, opportunities and challenges.
• Use insight to inform sector planning, targeting, campaign activity and partner conversations.
• Produce clear reporting for sector meetings and help drive a consistent approach to recording and tracking business development activity.

Working collaboratively across the firm

• Build trusted relationships with partners, fee earners and colleagues across BD&M and the ops teams.
• Support internal sector meetings, planning sessions and management reporting.
• Contribute to/lead on wider BD&M team projects and best practice initiatives as requested by the Director of BD&M.
• Where relevant, support and develop others through supervision, delegation, coaching or line management.

The role is right for you if:

BD experience:

A proven track record in business development, marketing or sales, ideally within legal, professional services, agriculture, food or another sector-led environment.

Agriculture and rural market understanding:

Good knowledge and experience of working within or working in an area related to the agriculture, rural affairs or food and agri landscape, with the credibility to engage with clients, referrers and sector organisations.

Referrer and intermediary focus:

Experience of supporting and building relationships with intermediaries, advisers, land agents, agricultural organisations and end clients, including the confidence to develop a personal network.

Strategic and commercial:

Able to turn sector priorities, client insight and market trends into focused plans that support sustainable growth and revenue opportunities.

Confident with senior stakeholders:

Comfortable working with partners and senior fee earners, influencing constructively and helping to keep plans moving.

Hands-on and proactive:

A self-starter who can shape the plan, deliver the activity, open doors and maintain momentum.

Organised and collaborative:

Strong communication, project management and relationship skills.

Events and sector engagement:

Experience of planning and delivering events, webinars, hospitality and external sector activity that supports relationship-building, profile raising and lead generation.

Line management or supervision:

Experience of managing, supervising or delegating to others, with the ability to coach, support and create development opportunities for direct reports or junior colleagues.

About Us

Who we are

You’ll be joining a national law firm that enjoys a strong reputation, made possible by our exceptional people – each chosen for their industry knowledge and passion for their field. We want to help you to reach your full potential, love the work you do and deliver the best results for your clients. It’s our goal to make you feel great about working with us, and we work hard to cultivate a culture that makes it easy for you to stay with us for many years.

We work flexibly and you’ll be empowered to work where you do your best work, balancing your individual needs with the need for us to engage as teams and deliver excellent client service.

What we can offer you

A career at Clarke Willmott will feel different to other law firms. We thrive on our individual differences and diversity because as a team, we are united by our shared values and mutual respect. Working with us you will feel empowered, valued and free to be yourself in a safe and supportive environment.

Our mission is to help you realise your full potential whilst maintaining a positive work-life balance. We provide a comprehensive learning and development programme and a range of wellbeing initiatives to support your career journey.

There’s no doubt we expect the best from our people and even the occasional extra mile. In return, your dedication and commitment to the continued success of the firm will be rewarded with a comprehensive range of flexible benefits.