Business Development Manager

Successful businesses rely on a unique set of ideas and people. We help our clients protect and develop those vital assets, unlocking possibilities for future success.

From iconic brands and leading multinationals to pioneering start-ups, we are proud to work with a huge range of inspiring clients, helping them to turn their ideas into reality and get the best from - and for - their people.

Our people are not only exceptional at what they do, they also enjoy doing it and consistently give their best to a firm they’re proud to be part of. This stems from our firm culture and our ethos of bravery and kindness. That ethos runs through everything we do, from our approach to recruitment, business practices, and DEI activities to the day-to-day environment in our office and our relationships with clients.

With an internationally minded team of more than 700 working across key areas of law – plus strategic partnerships around the world – we’ve got both the combination and calibre of legal experts it takes to enable our clients’ businesses to thrive. Whether it is providing global employment law advice, managing a global IP portfolio or piecing together a multijurisdictional corporate transaction, we are able to have the right people, in the right place, at the right time.

The Business Development & Marketing team is comprised of two teams – Business Development (Sectors and Practices) and Marketing Communications.

The Marketing Communications team delivers a range of core firm wide services including digital marketing and brand management, design, marketing tech, events management, marketing data/reporting, internal and external communications.

The Business Development teams provide a broad range of strategic and day to day marketing and business development support as well as managing a range of cross-practice and firm-wide initiatives.

The Business Development Manager will work collaboratively with the Chief Marketing Officer as well as other key stakeholders and colleagues across the firm to grow existing clients and develop new relationships.

The role offers a balance of project ownership/autonomy with the opportunity to get involved in team initiatives. The role requires significant interaction with partners, lawyers and other business services teams and the Manager will be expected to develop a trusted advisor relationship with key stakeholders at all levels.

This is an 18 month Fixed Term Contract, for the first few months, this role will be a maternity cover for our DCC team and advertising and marketing teams. The successful applicant will then transition into a broader role helping with business development initiatives across the firm.

Key Responsibilities

• BDM point of contact for our Digital, Commerce and Creative (DCC) LPG, as well as our Advertising and Marketing sector group.
• Strategy and planning – work with key groups and stakeholders to devise and execute BD and marketing plans in line with the firmwide strategy and objectives of the department.
• Client development - work with individual partners and teams to manage prospective client targeting and client development –provide analysis on client trends, fees, cross-selling opportunities etc.
• Tenders and pitches – deliver winning pitches and responses to RFPs: assessing pitch opportunities and making recommendations on approach; helping the team to define and articulate their offering; drafting of the tender document; coaching pitch/tender teams; post-pitch debrief and analysis (both internal and external) and feeding learnings into the process.
• Marketing communications – at Lewis Silkin our BD team operates with a campaign mindset. As BD Manager you will be responsible for managing the campaign-focussed marketing communications ‘mix’, working closely with specialist colleagues to cover public relations, event management as well as internal communications to continually raise the profile of the groups you look after.
• Return on investment - work with the team and the fee earners to identify efficiencies in processes and ways of working and improve ROI.
• ‘Champion’ firm wide initiatives - ensure buy-in to firm-wide programmes such as effective use of CRM system (Engage – Microsoft Dynamics); web and digital presence and development; business development and marketing training and coaching.
• Market analysis and research - identify opportunities arising from new legislation and developments in our practice areas, trends in the market and changes in our clients’ businesses; industry sector research; supporting the CMO’s Development with growth/ marketing plans for the division.

You will have a professional manner, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and have previous experience working within an office. You’ll have a flexible nature and will enjoy working within a fast-paced team, and will be highly organised. You’ll also possess strong numeracy and attention to detail skills, which will be key within this role. We are looking for someone who is passionate about being a team player, who is keen to support others.

• Educated to degree level or equivalent and/or Chartered Institute of Marketing.
• The successful candidate will ideally have three- five years’ Business Development experience, preferably in a professional services environment (required), or law firm (desired), with experience operating at Manager level.
• Broad experience of managing and implementing a diverse set of marketing and business development programmes.
• Able to influence and persuade through demonstration of experience and knowledge.
• Ability to work to deadlines, juggle multiple projects and deliver under pressure.
• Self-starter who can show initiative and get on with tasks without the need for significant supervision and direction.
• High attention to detail and strong client focus.
• Able to communicate with a broad population of contacts - both written and oral.
• Professional, proactive, creative, good humoured and enthusiastic approach to all work and interactions.
• Strong team player.
• Advanced Skills in MS Office packages (required), Adobe InDesign (desired) and experience of database management, preferably knowledge of Interaction (desired).

At Lewis Silkin our ethos is simple. We strive to do the best for our clients, our people and the communities in which we operate. We recognise that an inclusive workplace allows for all kinds of ideas and thoughts, a variety of points of view that can trigger discussions or deliver innovative results, and a wide range of versatile skills and expertise. We are proud of the diversity within Lewis Silkin and of our culture that allows people to be themselves at work, ensuring we provide the best possible service to our clients. We are committed to supporting candidates throughout the recruitment process by supporting anyone who requires adjustments, in order to ensure they have the opportunity to perform at their best. All applicants will be considered equally and fairly. If you’d like to request any adjustments throughout the recruitment process, or would like to discuss flexible working patterns, please email the recruitment team in confidence (recruitment@lewissilkin.com).