Senior business development manager - corporate

Job description

A&O Shearman is a new global industry-leading law firm, with nearly 50 offices in 29 countries worldwide.

Our fluency in English law, US law, and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets, enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future.

We offer exceptional opportunities for our people; opportunities to work for the world’s leading businesses; to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work, helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients.

Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth-running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development, we are committed to an inclusive environment, and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimise your wellbeing.

What truly defines a career with us? We recruit the best and ask for the best of you. And together, we will redefine success.

Department purpose and structure

The U.S. marketing and business development team (U.S. MKT team) is a sophisticated group of experienced professionals charged with guiding the firm’s fee earners to grow U.S. and global revenues, expand existing client relationships and strategically tackle new client pursuits.

This is a team that is all-in. As business professionals at one of the largest law firms in the world, the U.S. MKT team thrives on market challenges and outside-the-box thinking. It is a team where fresh ideas are not only entertained, they are encouraged.

Role purpose

The senior business development manager – corporate role is a fantastic opportunity to gain global experience working for one of the largest law firms in the world and to learn the unique approach that a truly global firm utilizes towards business development and marketing. Our U.S. team works cooperatively with our colleagues located in 50 offices throughout the world as one integrated team.

The senior business development manager will provide day-to-day business development providing support across the corporate practices, as well as related practices, including capital markets, public company, employment, pensions and governance, environmental and sanctions, tax, and other corporate practices as needed. This individual will work closely with business development teams across the firm to help support these groups worldwide.

Key relationships

• Director of business development - corporate and sectors (based in Boston)
• Chief marketing and business development officer (CMBDO) – Americas (based in New York)
• Partners and fee earners in the U.S. corporate group
• U.S. business development team.
• Peers across the wider business development, marketing and communications team

Context

The senior business development manager, corporate (“senior manager”) is responsible for supporting A&O Shearman’s U.S. corporate practice in developing, implementing, and promoting business development and marketing strategies. Working closely with the director of business development, the role will involve partnering with practice group leadership, individual partners, and the firm’s global business development, marketing & communications team to advance strategic business development planning and related initiatives, support pitches for new business, and enhance the external market profile of the firm’s corporate practice.

The senior manager will also collaborate closely with other business development professionals at the firm on cross-selling efforts and other firmwide revenue generation initiatives.

A successful senior manager will be a self-starter and proactive in identifying and supporting the pursuit of new business development opportunities, knowledgeable about the legal industry—and corporate practices in particular—and able to execute efficiently to achieve business development results. He or she must also be comfortable interfacing with partners, business development colleagues, and other business services professionals at all levels. Strong organization skills, a willingness to “roll up the sleeves,” and exceptional attention to detail and the ability to produce professional work product are also important attributes for this role.

Role and responsibilities

• Practice strategy, planning, and execution: Working closely with attorneys to develop and implement the business development strategy and plans for each partner and their practices, including global initiatives, development of target client lists, and ongoing practice and client development.
• Pitches, proposals, and credentials: working directly with attorneys to create competitive proposals, credentials, pitches, and presentations for work originating in the corporate practice and for work from the A&O Shearman network that involve corporate related areas.
• Cross-practice and cross-office integration: using an understanding of the firm’s international partner and business development network (and the varied range of working practices/styles across the firm), coordination of existing projects, and development of new opportunities. Sharing ideas with colleagues to enhance quality and efficiency of work and developing best practices in coordination with the U.S. business development team as a whole.
• Market research: conducting market research on existing and prospective clients and market issues which may impact clients’ businesses and providing advice on effective marketing strategies to address these issues.
• Marketing discussion and review: arranging and chairing meetings with the practice groups to review progress on marketing projects and key client targeting, ensuring relevant information from these meetings is circulated to other relevant internal groups, often with your own analysis provided.
• PR and communications: working with our PR and communications team to spot opportunities to profile the practice and its partners and maintain effective press coverage on major market developments.
• Rankings, awards, and directories: draft submissions and nominations that tell a story for legal and industry awards and directories based on high-profile matters and issues of the corporate practice.
• Sponsorships and client events: identify and coordinate firm sponsorships of conferences (e.g., targeting speaker opportunities, coordinating materials and speakers, conducting event follow-up, etc.) and, together with the U.S. events team, planning client events and seminars.
• Expertise database: maintain records of corporate proposals and matters and ensure that information about these matters is appropriately documented and disseminated to other relevant local and international internal groups.
• Management of memberships: oversee membership registration, organization, and maximization of activities and events related to the organization.
• Team management: mentor and collaborate with junior team members, ensuring appropriate work opportunities and allocation, and support of team members’ long-term goals and training. Managing performance appraisals and coordinate promotion discussions as appropriate.
• Undertake other projects as assigned.

Team

This position reports directly to the director of business development - corporate and sectors, but also works closely with other members of business teams, including but not limited to the wider BD team and corporate team members.

Key requirements

• Minimum of 8 years of professional services or sector experience working in a high-profile, fast-paced environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. High attention to detail and strong client focus.
• Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills—with partners, key associates, business development colleagues, clients, and suppliers, including selling concepts and presenting to senior management.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to prioritize effectively while working on multiple conflicting deadlines.
• Proven track record of achieving strategic business objectives and using this experience to designate people and financial resources required for specific projects.
• Experience with budgeting, including writing business cases, is a plus.
• Strong knowledge of MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced marketing and business development professional working closely with an energetic group of people in a busy law firm environment. We are looking for an individual who is proactive, persistent, and committed to “getting the job done,” and is a supportive colleague.

Equal employment opportunity, including Veterans and Disability

A&O Shearman is an equal opportunity employer, including veterans and disability. Every individual has the right to work in a professional environment that promotes equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination and harassment. This policy applies to all aspects of an individual’s relationship with A&O Shearman, including, without limitation, recruitment, hiring, training and development, promotion, compensation, discipline, termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.

If you are vision-impaired or have another disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law and wish to discuss accommodations related to applying for employment at A&O Shearman, please contact US HR Transactions at US-HRTransactions@aoshearman.com or call +1 212 610 6300 and ask for HR Transactions. This role is open to our New York, Houston, or Toronto office. For individuals assigned to or hired for this opportunity in New York, the estimated annualized base salary range for this position is $205,000-$264,000, for Houston $181,000 - $227,000, and for Toronto C$175,000 - C$222,000. The actual base salary offered will depend on the overall qualifications of the individual applicant for the position and other job-related factors permitted by law. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package which includes a discretionary bonus, paid leave, life, health, accident, and disability insurance; and a 401(k) plan.