BD Manager-Technology

Menlo Park, CA or San Francisco, CA

Summary

This BD Manager will be one of a team of BD Managers dedicated to supporting the firm’s industry program, a key strategic priority, on a global basis.  The incumbent will work alongside Technology Industry Leads and Relationship Coordinators for the firm’s Technology industry group to provide high quality, proactive business development support to construct and implement an industry strategy-including sub-industry sector strategies-as well as strategies for key clients within the industry group.  Additionally, this BD Manager will support and work closely with partners to develop and implement the business development and marketing strategies for the firm’s Bay Area offices. This role will require frequent collaboration with our core services group and other practice groups in the US and internationally, as well as close cooperation and teamwork with other members of the global Marketing and Business Development team.

The main duties and responsibilities are outlined below:

Global Industry Oversight and Strategic Planning

• Understand the vision for the Technology group and overall business development objectives of Bay Area partners.
• Work closely with respective partners, Industry Leads and Relationship Coordinators to define, develop and deliver the business development strategy to support the vision for the Technology group as well as other practices and initiatives as needed in the Bay area.
• Project manage global industry plan and client business plans including monitoring and reporting progress, identifying and resolving risks.
• Analyse and report on competitive market position by industry e.g. firm’s market share; ‘share of spend’ with key clients, panel position, client segmentation, etc.
• Research, analyse and report on high level global economic, geopolitical and social trends that impact the Technology sector.
• Facilitate regular industry and client team calls with a focus on the identification of hot topics and associated opportunities for the firm, profile raising and client targeting activities and follow-up to ensure agreed upon actions are completed.
• Work with partners and others to drive issues based marketing campaigns targeted and tailored for the industry groups and clients within.
• Drive profile raising activities of the industry group and Bay Area by identifying appropriate industry events conferences (attendance, sponsorship etc.), pro bono and community service initiatives, and ensuring opportunities to raise the profile of the firm are maximized and results are measured and reported.
• Ensure all relevant marketing collateral fully aligns with our industry and firm business development strategy and plans.
• Ensure industry and Bay Area website pages are up-to-date and effectively showcase our full proposition.
• Work with the Industry Leads to monitor progress against the industry plans and report semi-annually to the firm’s Executive Group on progress and results.

Client Relationship Management

• Work closely with key Client Relationship Coordinators to facilitate Client Relationship Management (CRM) for a select number of key clients.
• Formalize key client relationship mapping.
• Ensure development, implementation and delivery of global client business development plans.
• Proactively monitor client and industry news and trends for revenue generation opportunities and, help drive work origination opportunities with current and prospective clients.
• Analyse existing client relationships using gap analysis to identify and integrate cross selling opportunities across practice groups and other industries.
• Develop and manage industry specific client feedback program including delivery of feedback to the Industry Leaders on results, trends and follow-up actions.
• Work closely with the key client relationship partners to devise client strategies for each client and synthesising into brief and workable client plans – which include financial targets, short term and longer term objectives, relationship mapping and actions.
• Proactively drive the implementation of client plans for the industry group’s priority clients
• Organize and facilitate regular client team meetings and ensure agendas are action oriented, focused on the client’s business issues and what the firm can offer, as well as follow-up on action items.
• Develop and maintain an in-depth knowledge of clients’ businesses through research, media monitoring and on-going dialogue with the client teams.
• Brief and maintain regular contacts with secondees at priority clients, as well as debriefing them on their return from secondment.
• Act as an advocate of best practice on how to manage and develop clients, as well as maximising our chances of success on specific client related opportunities. This will include training and coaching fee earners on best practice.
• Produce concise client progress reports (semi-annually) for review the firm’s Executive Group.
• Attend internal and external client progress review meetings with the Client Relationship Partner.

Opportunity Management and Pitches

• Project manage panel pitches and other strategically important industry and other pitches.
• Support and coach industry client teams on ‘beauty parade’ rehearsals, collaborating with central pitch team on tactics and strategy.
• Provide industry and/or client related input, as needed, on practice-specific pitches across the platform.
• Support and adhere to systems and procedures designed to capture pitch metrics, pitch win/loss ratios, and reasons for success or otherwise across the industry.
• Ensure that post matter feedback debriefs are completed in a timely manner for relevant pitches and relevant lessons learned are shared as appropriate.
• Introduce and manage opportunity pipeline for key clients, driving all BD activity in order to identify, develop and maintain sustainable revenues across practices and geographies.
• Work with relevant practice area BD professionals to ensure all pitches to clients are appropriately tailored to the client’s business and preferences.

Other

• Work with Knowledge Management to capture relevant practice group and industry data.
• Deliver regular industry and other client specific internal financial reporting.
• May assist with industry-specific and/or Bay Area marketing budgets.
• Work with the Marketing Communications team to maximize press coverage and any profile raising opportunities arising from key deals and cases with our priority clients.
• Track and analyse relevant market trends including regular review of relevant league table results / any other competitive data available.
• Ensure priority client matters and achievements are fed into relevant awards and directory processes (legal directories, industry related publications etc.).
• May be responsible for direct management of others.
• Other projects and duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Attributes

• Advanced knowledge of MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, CRM; familiarity in working with any desktop publishing software would be a plus.
• Confident, flexible and resilient team player. Adapts style to build relationships across all levels.
• Strong business acumen and organizational awareness.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills. Communicates complex ideas effectively.
• Strong attention to detail and excellent organisational skills. Prioritizes work effectively.
• Strong negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
• Works effectively under the pressure of deadlines.
• Flexible in regard to work hours as needed.

Education & Experience

• Minimum of 10 years of frontline work experience in industry specific business development and marketing preferably in an international law firm or professional services environment.  Must have recent familiarity with the Bay Area market.
• Must have client relationship management experience in a global context.
• Equivalent of 4 year college degree required.
• Relevant graduate degree a plus.
• Experience with client feedback reviews preferred.
• Past success in managing the delivery of quality commercial thought leadership pieces from sector, practice or geographic perspective.
• Experience with planning and preparing pitches, presentations and other marketing materials required.
• Experience working across variety of office locations, cultures and time zones. 

Physical Activity/Other Miscellaneous

• Flexibility to work outside of standard business hours including morning, evening and weekend hours as needed
• Ability to lift and carry up to 15 pounds.