Senior Business Development Manager - M&A, PE and Healthcare in London

Build your big career with the firm that does Big Law, Better. McDermott Will & Schulte is a leading global law firm that brings together more than 1,700+ lawyers and 1400 business professionals. We celebrate excellence, collaboration, and community and have been recognized as a top workplace by USA Today, Fortune, The American Lawyer, Vault and others. We are also certified by Great Place to Work. At McDermott, we don’t just invest in your future, we accelerate your career – wherever it may lead.

With us, you’ll find:

• A firm where everyone belongs: Our award-winning culture prioritises warmth and authenticity — we encourage you to be yourself!
• Enthusiasm for all perspectives: We’re smarter and stronger when everyone has a voice and a seat at the table. We welcome unique viewpoints and ideas, and we make opportunities for you and your career to thrive.
• Support to feel your best and do your best: Wellness is integral to building a successful career and a rich life. That’s why our benefits program supports your physical, emotional, mental, and financial health, with an emphasis on work-life balance.
• Real rewards for real work: We offer generous compensation packages that recognise hard work and excellence.

Job Description:

Position Summary: The Senior Business Development Manager will be responsible for driving and implementing strategic, revenue-generating business development activities for the Corporate M&A, Private Equity and Healthcare & Life Sciences practices in London. They will create market leading initiatives aligned with firm global goals, to drive the business forward and will have credibility to advise fee earners at all levels as a trusted advisor. In addition, they will help drive collaboration across their practice areas between our London and European offices as well as with the US. They will also manage two direct reports.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Organise and drive client targeting programme for supported areas, including prompting and monitoring pursuit activities, and tracking and reporting on results.
• Lead and draft content for cross-practice RFPs and pitches, including coordination with colleagues.
• Lateral onboarding: guide lateral hires through the protocols of bringing in clients and integrating themselves into firm priorities - creating plans, tracking progress through Salesforce and supporting their wider integration into the firm.
• Identify and facilitate cross-selling opportunities for their practices across the firm, including crafting and executing a range of go-to-market strategies around these opportunities and collaborating with other practice areas and industry initiatives.
• Conduct strategic research on potential clients, competitors, and practice developments to identify business trends and opportunities and ensure optimal positioning to grow market share.
• Build effective agendas for meetings, prepare materials and speakers, and project manage actions coming from meetings and create and maintain materials to support pitches and proposals.
• Coordinate firm-hosted business development events, including receptions, client entertainment outings, substantive presentations, webinars, etc., working closely with participating lawyers and Marketing Department colleagues on invitation list development, event materials, participant tracking, engagement, on-site management, and targeted follow-up activities.
• Identify and facilitate participation in sponsorships, conferences, memberships and other key profile-building opportunities for the office and individual lawyers.
• Manage workflow and performance of two direct reports and the creation of relevant proposal collateral, and provide ongoing performance feedback.
• Manage, review and track the business development budget for the designated practice groups.

Job Specifications:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• At least ten (10) years of related work experience.
• Previous experience managing others.
• Excellent project management skills, with keen attention to detail and an ability to prioritise and execute multiple ongoing tasks often under tight deadlines.
• Superior presentation, writing, and verbal communication skills.
• Strong leadership skills.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word).
• Ability to handle and maintain confidential information.
• Ability to travel and work flexible and/or fluctuating work hours.

Job Posting Preferences:

• Flexible, forward thinking, proactive, energetic and detail-oriented team player.
• Professional, yet approachable, demeanor, with comfort and competence both in dealing with senior lawyers and working collaboratively with other lawyers and business services throughout the firm.
• An effective change management approach.
• “Team player” mentality with great collegiality and who responds well to an evolving environment and is willing to be flexible and lend support where needed.

Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by people within this classification. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees assigned to this job.