Business Development Manager

Main information* Term type: Permanent

• Department: Private Equity Transactions
• Location: London

The firm Ropes & Gray is a global law firm that operates across 17 time zones and has more than 1,400 lawyers based in the United States, Europe and Asia who collaborate seamlessly to provide clients with high-quality representation in innovative industries that shape the global economy. Our clients include private equity firms, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, financial institutions, mutual funds, hospital systems, and more. Client by client, we’ve built a reputation for first-class work, a pragmatic approach, and impeccable standards of service and ethics. We count many of the world’s most respected companies and institutions as longtime clients, and serve organizations at all stages of development. Clients trust us with their most important matters because they know we understand their businesses and deliver the results they need.

Our deeply rooted culture of teamwork means that our lawyers work closely with colleagues around the world to provide support to clients. This collaborative approach encourages our lawyers to work alongside partners and clients on sophisticated matters. We work as a team to support a range of leading legal practices, including private equity, M&A, capital markets, finance, asset management, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, data, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring.

Ropes & Gray London is one of the largest offices in the Ropes & Gray network, and the hub of the firm’s EMEA network and set up in London in 2010. While we are now an established presence in the UK, we’ve retained all the buzz of our start-up years. It makes us a little bit different: it means we have the stature and resources of a major international law firm combined with the pace, inclusivity and career progression of a specialist firm. Our clients like to work with us. We are, of course, always professional, but we are personal, and personable with it. As a group, we’re international, diverse and our team is always professional, but uniquely personable. With around 26 partners, 110+ Lawyers and a trainee intake of 15, everybody in the office knows everyone else. That means that every hire we make is an important investment for the firm, because each team member has a distinct role to play in delivering excellent service to our clients.

The role* Collaborate with practice group partners and global teams to develop and implement business and client development plans for target clients, including budget planning, expense monitoring, and identifying joint initiatives to grow revenue and relationships.

• Establish and maintain effective internal reporting and communication frameworks to track progress, share outcomes, and support management reporting across practice groups and affiliated teams.
• Manage and drive the development of existing client relationships and pursuit of new engagements in collaboration with other relevant business support colleagues including the following:
• Organizing, participating in, and maintaining internal business development meetings – be responsible for all aspects of client and target development efforts, including creating agendas, capturing and circulating action steps, and proactively driving follow-up and making connections to other global business development and practice development colleagues.
• Develop expertise by commissioning and conducting business research to keep abreast of industry/market intelligence and to support the BD strategy.
• Project manage the delivery of client, market and competitor research, and tailor the data for partner or client consumption and share insights from other offices for collaborative initiatives.
• Monitor and identify market opportunities and themes for client engagement.
• Drive pitching and new business generation by:
• Project managing and executing large pitches, proposals, and RFPs, including leading a team to develop a winning strategy, identifying ways to differentiate from the competition, and helping to write aspects of the pitch.
• Working with practice groups to develop compelling fee arrangements.
• Maintaining accountability for the timely and accurate completion and submission of the RFPs or pitches, ensure proper document storage and tracking, and establish and execute appropriate follow-up action steps post-submission.
• Maintaining up-to-date pitch content, practice materials, client information and experience tracking.
• Promoting best practices and knowledge sharing across global business development and marketing teams.
• Acting as trusted advisor to lawyer teams to scope, prepare for both in-person meetings and pitches, and provide post pitch client and target feedback.
• Building a strong working knowledge of practice and industry group services and a clear understanding of relevant group's strategy, priorities, and clients.
• Work with the marketing team and business support colleagues to deliver knowledge marketing, assess and advise on market conference opportunities, and coordinate submissions to league tables and awards panels, ensuring alignment with overall branding and business development strategies.
• Conduct strategic reviews and recommend industry conferences, partner speaking engagements, sponsorship opportunities, and related activities. Plan and implement targeted client and industry events, sponsorships, and training programs.
• Work closely with lead partners, other lawyers, and business support colleagues to oversee, execute and support complex projects, ensuring effective collaboration, communication and coordination across the London office, multiple regions and global support teams.
• Work with local and global marketing and communications teams to enhance market visibility and brand recognition for the London office, ensuring alignment with global practice plans and integrated branding campaigns, and supporting client initiatives for London office’s practice group.
• Support the development of lawyer-facing BD training.
• Manage and develop junior members of the business development team, fostering a culture of teamwork, accountability, continuous improvement, professionalism, and integrity. Qualifications and Skills* Bachelor's degree.
• Professional experience, including management of direct reports.
• Minimum of eight years of experience in business development within a professional services firm or corporate environment.
• Superior client service skills.
• Quickly able to establish credibility with lead partners and key stakeholders by balancing a confident, measured, and persistent approach.
• Work effectively and efficiently as a team player with an enthusiasm for developing relationships. Able to engage with and support colleagues and stakeholders across all aspects of the business.
• A confident leader and self-starter, when required, in a dynamic environment.
• Commercially minded and solutions orientated.
• Excellent organization, communication, and project management skills.
• Attention to detail and accuracy in all aspects of role and responsibilities.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with all levels of lawyers and business professionals.
• Experience writing in a professional services environment.
• Able to set clear goals and priorities, multi-task and meet multiple deadlines.
• Creative and flexible when managing individual as well as team’s workload and priorities, taking colleagues’ time into account, to respond quickly and positively to shifting demands and opportunities.
• Able to demonstrate creativity and initiative by continuously looking for areas to improve and ways to implement positive change to all aspects of role and responsibilities.
• Ability to thrive in a challenging and dynamic environment.