Manager, Business Development, Corporate/M&A in London

Are you ready to make your mark as part of our Business Development team? At White & Case, we support you, give you responsibility and welcome you as an integral member of our global team from day one. The Marketing and Business Development (BD) function at White & Case is a global team of professionals dedicated to supporting the firm’s growth and reputation. Organised by practice, industry, and strategic client BD, the team covers all aspects of marketing and business development, including marketing communications, events, creative services, press relations, marketing technology, and a centralised team of coordinators and pitch specialists. We work collaboratively across the firm to deliver effective campaigns, build client relationships, and support our lawyers in winning new business.

White & Case’s global M&A practice is recognised for advising on complex, high-profile transactions across markets and industries worldwide. The London team is one of the firm’s most active groups, with partners who strongly support innovative marketing and business development. Leveraging our global platform, the team guides clients through the full M&A lifecycle, including public and private M&A, joint ventures and corporate restructurings. With a strong presence in key financial centres, we combine deep local knowledge with international experience to deliver commercially focused solutions for corporates, financial institutions, and private equity clients. Our lawyers are trusted advisers on cross-border deals, helping clients navigate legal, regulatory, and commercial challenges in a dynamic global market.

The BD Manager will coordinate and supervise departmental activities at an operational level, contribute to and support strategic decision-making, set team priorities by leveraging and influencing colleagues, consistently share knowledge and best practices, and add value by thinking creatively while actively engaging and advising client groups.

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced, partner-facing Business Development Manager to support the London Corporate/M&A team. This is a strategically focused BD role that acts as a trusted adviser to partners, leads the team’s profile-raising and market-positioning agenda, and delivers hands-on campaign execution across digital, events, awards and client engagement. The post-holder will work closely with partners and the wider BD, marketing and events teams to drive London-originated strategy and win work for the practice.

You will be embedded in the London M&A practice and expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy, while also working closely with the London M&A Pitch Manager and being supported by the London M&A Specialist. The role requires deep partner engagement, commercial judgement, excellent stakeholder management and strong delivery skills across multi-channel campaigns — from the conception of strategy to measurable market outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Partner Advisory
  • Act as a trusted, day-to-day strategic advisor to London M&A partners, influencing practice priorities, go-to-market strategy and client engagement plans.
  • Lead and maintain the London M&A strategy document (annual + rolling updates), turning market intelligence and competitor insight into clear priorities and action plans.
  • Provide proactive advice on growth areas including Public M&A, Shareholder Activism, and India-related M&A.
• Profile-raising & market positioning
  • Own London M&A’s profile-raising agenda: design and deliver integrated campaigns that position partners and the practice as market leaders.
  • Lead development of video content, social carousels and digital assets that showcase public M&A expertise and deal credentials.
  • Work with our PR and Comms teams to draft press releases and identify and secure high value speaking, media and sponsorship opportunities for partners.
• GC2GC network & multi-channel campaign leadership
  • Lead the firm’s GC2GC network and campaign for London M&A — managing email programmes, events, social media, paid advertising, 1:1 outreach and cross-office promotion.
  • Utilise the existing infrastructure to create campaign frameworks, content calendars, measurement frameworks and post-campaign insights to demonstrate impact.
• Client targeting & business conversion
  • Lead client and target account mapping for London-originated opportunities; work with partners to develop tailored engagement plans and convert relationships into instructions.
• Awards, submissions & market validation
  • Draft and lead award submissions and firm recognition entries that translate deal work and practice innovation into market recognition (track record of shortlisted/winning submissions advantageous).
  • Curate and package deal narratives and supporting materials to maximise external recognition.
• Events & stakeholder engagement
  • Work closely with the events team to design and deliver partner-led client programmes (roundtables, GC2GC events, evening briefings) with strong pre-event targeting and measurable follow-up.
  • Provide partners with briefing packs, attendee lists and post-event client outreach plans.
• Cross-practice collaboration & reporting
  • Coordinate with BD colleagues across London, New York, Dubai and other offices to ensure alignment and amplify London-originated campaigns.
  • Track and report campaign performance, client engagement metrics and BD activity to partners and practice leadership.
• Proposals and Pitch Excellence
  • Work closely with the London Corporate Pitch Manager, ensuring accuracy of deal lists, leading pitch writing, tailoring proposals with market research, gathering stakeholder input, aligning submissions with firm strategy, and analysing pitch feedback.

Qualification and Skills

• At least seven years’ experience in a professional services environment, with exposure to Corporate M&A considered a distinct advantage.
• Strong academic background, intellectual curiosity, and commercial awareness, demonstrating strategic thinking and sound judgement.
• Excellent communication, influencing, and negotiation skills, with a professional presence and client service focus.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines under pressure, working autonomously and engaging confidently with senior stakeholders.
• Team player with a proactive, resourceful approach and keen attention to detail.
• Advanced proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and CRM systems.
• International experience is advantageous.

What We Offer

When you join us, you’ll be working directly with partners, business leaders and many other inspiring colleagues across our global network of offices. We live by our values—to be pioneering, united and human—and we believe that you’ll experience them from your first day. We will give you the support and development opportunities that will help you achieve your potential. We believe that consistent high performance merits reward and support. Our compensation package reflects your calibre as a Business Development professional, and our benefits are designed to support your changing needs and priorities across different life stages.

About White & Case

We are a global law firm with longstanding offices in the markets that matter today. Our on-the-ground experience, our cross-border integration, and our depth of local, US and English-qualified lawyers help our clients work with confidence in any one market or across many.

Location and Reporting

This role is based in London, and reports into the Senior Manager, Corporate/M&A. Our standard office hours are 09:30-18:00, with a current requirement for 3 days in the office per week.

Firm Benefits

We offer a flexible range of benefits, services and programmes designed to help support your lifestyle requirements. Some of the benefits currently available include:

• Private medical insurance
• Pension plan with matched employer contribution up to 7.5%
• Yearly wellbeing fund
• Income protection
• Life insurance
• Critical Illness insurance
• Private GP services
• Travel insurance
• Dental coverage
• Cycle to work
• Holiday purchase (available during annual enrolment)

Equal Opportunity Statement

White & Case is committed to creating a fair workplace. It is our Firm’s policy to recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, religion, creed, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other category protected by applicable law.

If you require assistance and/or adjustment to participate in our application and/or interview process, please email us. We will be happy to work with you.

Note to recruitment agencies: Our internal Recruitment team is responsible for all end-to-end lateral recruitment processes. All agencies must sign White & Case terms of business, which are office specific. Candidates submitted by an agency without terms of business agreed with the appropriate office, and/or outside of our online application tracking system, will not be considered a formal introduction. Any applications and CVs sent directly to White & Case Partners and employees will not be accepted as formal introductions. If you have any questions, please contact the London Recruitment team. When engaging with agencies, we are supported by our preferred suppliers.

The firm may modify and amend this job description at any time in its sole discretion. Nothing herein creates a contract of employment or modifies the at-will nature of employment. The above is only a general description of the essential duties associated with this position and does not represent an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all duties.