Regional BD Leader – Legal Services in Manchester

This is a Permanent, Full Time vacancy that will close in 8 days at 23:59 BST.

A newly created opportunity has arisen for an experienced Business Development Manager to join our growing Business Development team. This role can be based from either our Leeds or Manchester office. Working closely with our Business Development Director, you’ll have the opportunity to grow and develop your geographical region. You’ll focus on identifying and developing new business opportunities, strengthening client relationships, networking, and driving growth within your region. You’ll provide structured support to our Partners and fee earners that do not currently have access to a dedicated Business Development Manager, working on a project basis to deliver targeted activity where it will have the greatest commercial impact. It would be great if you have some previous experience within the Legal sector, however we’d be equally keen to hear from candidates with experience of selling within professional services who have an interest in working within a new domain.

What will I be doing

• Developing and implementing growth plans for your region.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders, including our Partners and fee earners, existing and prospective clients, intermediaries, and suppliers.
• Identifying market trends and opportunities to position Ward Hadaway as a leading legal provider within the sector.
• Collaborating with legal teams to develop tailored service offerings and proposals.
• Representing the firm at industry conferences, networking events, and sector‑specific forums.
• Driving lead generation and managing the business development pipeline effectively.

You’ll have

• A proven track record within business development.
• Experience working within a professional services environment.
• Great networking skills with demonstrable experience in growing and nurturing your network.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship‑building skills.
• A strategic mindset with the ability to identify and capitalise on growth opportunities.
• The ability to travel nationally and to other Ward Hadaway office locations when needed for client meetings, industry events, and collaborative activities.

About us

We’re proud to be an independent, full‑service law firm providing exceptional legal expertise to businesses, the built environment, healthcare, the public and third sectors, and private individuals. With several office locations around the UK we’re one of the UK's Top 100 law firms. When you join us you’ll be part of a team of over 500 passionate and talented individuals who take pride in offering an exciting and supportive environment allowing you to thrive. We’re passionate about promoting wellbeing and equality, diversity and inclusion, with dedicated committees to support ongoing efforts. We recognise that a healthy and thriving Firm filled with individuality and differences strengthen our teams, our clients and our communities.

What we can offer you

We’re committed to being a firm focused on support, development, wellbeing and inclusion and we’re always striving to improve. Our commitment to this has been recognised by our achievement of our Gold Investors in People award and by our Hive HR Employee Voice certification. We reward our people with a whole range of benefits, some core and some flexible, designed to shape a reward package that’s right for you – now and in the future. Our core benefits include:

• An enhanced pension scheme with employer matched contributions of up to 6%.
• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays (increasing to 28 days with length of service). There is also the option to purchase up to 5 additional days.
• Life assurance cover of 4 times basic salary, with the option to purchase additional cover.
• A range of health and wellbeing benefits.
• Hybrid working with a minimum requirement of 2 days per week working from one of our office locations.
• We also have a flexible benefits programme where you can purchase a wide range of additional benefits.

If you would like to request further information or to discuss the role, please contact people@wardhadaway.com quoting vacancy reference NTX1205161. If you require any adjustments to be made to our recruitment process, please request a call back via the above email address. Agencies – please note that we are not currently instructing agents to support with this role. Please do not send speculative CVs.

The Company

Ward Hadaway is a full‑service, UK Top 100 law firm providing exceptional legal expertise to businesses, public and third sectors, and individuals. From our offices in Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Teesside, we combine regional strength with national influence to deliver high‑quality, tailored solutions that drive success for our clients. We remove ambiguity and provide a clear direction and certainty. We build trust with each other and our clients through honest, transparent interactions.

Respectful

We succeed together. We build and maintain an inclusive firm in which difference is recognised, valued and harnessed.

Ambitious

We constantly strive and innovate to be the best we can be for ourselves, our teams and the firm.

The Benefits

The important bits We offer a competitive salary, discretionary bonuses, and a range of benefits to suit your lifestyle. With flexibility and work‑life balance in mind, we offer flexible working options where roles allow such as hybrid working, part‑time working and job‑sharing. We want you to feel your best every day and, as well as providing a supportive and inclusive environment, we provide a range of health and wellbeing benefits to help you achieve this.

The fun stuff We have an active social calendar with plenty of opportunities to get together with your team, wider departments, and cross‑office.