Resource Manager

Our client is seeking an expereienced Resource Manager to join their Alternative Legal Services team. As a Resource Manager, you will play a crucial role in balancing the profitability of the business with the career development and well-being of our people. You will provide expert advice on work allocation, propose solutions to complex resource challenges, and anticipate potential business obstacles. Your responsibilities will also include developing an understanding of alternative talent pools, maintaining global awareness of supply and demand needs, and supporting the delivery of our work allocation “deal” as outlined in the firm’s employee value proposition.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide expert knowledge and advice on work allocation, considering both business profitability and the well-being of our employees.
• Propose solutions to complex work allocation problems and anticipate potential challenges, advising stakeholders on preventative measures.
• Develop a clear understanding of alternative talent pools, such as flexible resourcing solutions, to address resource shortfalls.
• Maintain a broad appreciation of supply and demand needs across the global firm, driving mobility and managing capacity effectively.
• Build relationships with the ALT team members to understand individual career objectives and address capacity and utilization concerns.
• Cultivate trusted relationships with partners and ALT senior leaders, alleviating their burden of resourcing and enabling them to focus on client work.
• Continuously monitor current and anticipated utilization levels and pipeline of work, optimizing the allocation of resources.
• Prepare and provide regular management information to partners and senior leaders, sharing insights on utilization levels, resourcing challenges, and well-being concerns.
• Collaborate with partners, senior leaders, and HR business partners to incorporate professional aspirations into resourcing decisions.
• Understand the KPIs driving matter and practice group profitability and utilize effective work allocation to influence business outcomes.
• Actively contribute to the Resource Management strategy, supporting the firm’s objectives of optimizing profitability and productivity.
• Drive the adoption of work allocation technology, tools, and processes, ensuring their accuracy and effectiveness.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Aim to smooth utilization rates across the Practice Group, promoting sustainable working practices.
• Efficiently resource matters and client secondments, considering talent fungibility and the desired skillset mix.
• Maintain high-level oversight of capacity and utilization levels globally, responding quickly to resource requests as part of a global Resource Management function.
• Propose engagement teams that enhance margin, facilitate career aspirations, and reflect the diversity of our clients.

Qualifications, Skills & Experience:   

• Demonstrate experience in building strategic relationships at all levels.
• Outstanding communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrate the ability to influence culture change.
• Ability to understand and analyse utilisation data and practice-specific work types to make resourcing decisions based on data and partner and staff preferences.
• Ability to act quickly under tight deadlines.
• Proactive and adaptable, able to demonstrate initiative.
• Strong commercial and client focus.
• Ability to understand key business drivers including the impact that utilisation and leverage has on profitability.
• Ability to present summaries of the benefits of the work allocation function and data tools to other parts of the business, including senior stakeholders.
• Prior experience in Resource Management, ideally within a large professional services or legal environment.
• Excellent IT skills/experience working with resource management software highly desirable.
• Experience working in the legal sector highly desirable but not essential.

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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