BD Specialist

Do you have excellent communication skills?

Are you a team player?

Do you have excellent organisational skills?

Our client is a leading global law firm operating in over thirty countries. Our client strives by their company values by innovating fresh new approaches to deliver their services and maintain their reputation of excellent service, in all that they do. By doing so this has expanded their team and progress with their Belfast Office base, resulting in numerous key awards.

Department purpose

The Projects, Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure (PENRI) BD Specialist (the Specialist) provides day-to-day BD support to the Firm’s U.S. practice which comprises partners and associates based in New York, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. The Specialist works with BD teams around the globe to help support these groups.

Role purpose

This is a fantastic opportunity to gain global experience working for one of the largest, and most advanced global law firms in a business-critical business development (BD) and marketing role. The U.S. team works cooperatively with our colleagues across 44 offices in 31 countries as one integrated team.

This role is embedded within the PENRI practice and plays a key role in driving the PENRI business forward. The successful individual will contribute to our practice’s continued differentiation in the market by providing creative opportunities to interface with and generate business leads from key existing and prospective clients.

This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced BD / marketing professional who is comfortable operating in an autonomous role, while also collaborating with a fun group of people, in a busy law firm environment. We are looking for an unflappable individual with a sense of humour who is proactive, persistent, and committed to “getting the job done.”

Role and responsibilities

• Pitches, Proposals and Credentials: Working directly with the attorneys to project manage, draft and edit multiple, time sensitive, must-win ITT, RFP and RFI responses, panel bids, matter pitches, credential statements, and other pitches and presentations both locally and internationally.
• Client Relationship Management: Using CRM methodology to manage relationships with significant PENRI clients.
• Sponsorships: Coordinating PENRI event sponsorships of conferences (e.g., targeting speaker opportunities, coordinating materials and speakers, conducting event follow-up, etc.).
• Deal Lists: Maintaining an up to date “master” list of transactions / matters and ensuring that information about these deals is appropriately disseminated to other internal groups and to externally managed databases and league tables.
• Market Research: Conducting market research on existing and prospective clients and market issues which may impact clients’ businesses and providing advice on effective BD and marketing strategies to address these issues.
• Directories: Managing the submission process for the major legal directories and award submissions for the PENRI practice.
• Client Events: Planning and running client events and seminars (e.g., choosing or helping to identify appropriate venues, compiling invitee lists, designing invites, managing budgets, etc.).
• Marketing discussion & review: Arranging meetings with the practice group to review progress on marketing projects and key client targeting; ensuring relevant information from these meetings is circulated to other relevant internal groups.
• Cross-practice & cross-office integration: Using an understanding of the firm’s international partner and BD network (and the varied range of working practices/styles) to coordinate existing projects and develop new opportunities. Sharing ideas with colleagues in order to enhance quality and efficiency of work and developing best practices for the practice groups and the BD team as a whole.
• Marketing processes management: Developing and maintaining effective marketing processes for assigned groups (e.g., up-to-date CVs of attorneys in assigned groups, fresh content for the external website, and social media, etc).

Key requirements

• A business knowledge and understanding of the PENRI industry, including financial institutions, energy, infrastructure and natural resources, with a strong ability to work effectively with colleagues from other countries on cross-border activities.
• Minimum of three years in a law firm or professional services environment with experience working in a high- profile, fast-paced environment.
• Experience of, and ability to deliver in, a large, complex, matrixed organization.

Next Steps:
Please submit your application or speak to a specialist consultant from the Abacus team on 0044 (0) 28 9031 3157 for a confidential discussion. We aim to respond to all inquiries within 4 business hours.
The team at Abacus manages a range of permanent and contract positions throughout Northern Ireland, the UK and the Republic of Ireland. If you are experienced and/or professionally qualified we can support your job search.
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