Job Description

Mills & Reeve have an outstanding opportunity for a Senior Business Development Manager with experience across the international market to join the team in Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, Manchester or Norwich.

The role

The role reports to the Head of Business Development and consists of the following core components:


Delivering outstanding internal client service and effective delivery of campaigns and projects to one of our sector groups / service lines and their home office along with supporting the business on firm-wide projects. Providing strategic-level support to those teams and ensuring any BD and marketing activities align with their 2025/30 business plans Shared management responsibility for the leadership and development of the BD team who are based across multiple offices. This includes recruitment, leading, coaching and motivating the team to provide the highest levels of service provision, with the primary aims focused on supporting partners and lawyers to retain and win business Working closely with other managers to ensure the BD team works and communicates effectively, is seen as experts in their field, is consistent and innovative in our approach and works effectively with other marketing functions and wider business services functions focused on delivering and supporting business growth

Main duties and responsibilities

Leadership

Supporting the Head of BD with the leadership of the BD team, including direct management of members of the team Working with other BD managers to ensure we have a consistent approach to line management and reviews and that the team's training and development is effectively co-ordinated. Facilitate coaching and mentoring across the team Working with other BD managers and head of BD to encourage the use of AI to support roles and activity across the team delivering efficiencies and creating best practice guidance Encouraging effective communication across the BD team and ensuring we have a team that feels supported and valued through use of meetings, internal communications and away days, etc... Working closely with the Head of BD on managing any recruitment for the team. Bringing in support from the wider BD team when relevant Ensure effective work allocation and delegation across the team and to the BD assistants Have a network of peers and colleagues across the firm to encourage collaboration and best practice sharing. Ensure the team is working effectively with all the other marketing, business services and ESS functions

Delivering outstanding BD support

Providing strategic BD support to one of our sector groups / service lines and their home office Ensuring the BD team provides a consistent level of outstanding service to our teams and that we use the same type of materials and approach, with the primary aims focused on supporting partners and lawyers to win and retain business. Encouraging the sharing of best practice across the team Be able to handle a substantial, complex and strategic workload Deliver outstanding client service consistently to generate internal client satisfaction, positive feedback and referrals Driving forward ongoing development and delivery of best practice and ensuring that appropriate systems and structures exist to ensure a consistently high quality approach to BD and sales Strong internal and external network maintained and used to bring in opportunities for increased profile, access to new leads, competitor and market best practice Deep understanding of the client base and prospects for the sectors/NSLs/markets and aware of the commercial issues they face Identify mentoring and coaching opportunities to support lawyers to develop their BD and marketing skills

Personal profile

Contribute to collaborative cross-firm culture for example participating in project teams, consultative groups, effective working initiatives, innovation events and able to influence others and gain support for views and initiatives Confident to communicate to all scales and types of audience across a variety of mediums e.g. presentations, project plans, emails, vlogs, etc... A keen interest in the future of legal BD Demonstrate use of strategies to deal with a range of people and situations, including influencing, persuading and challenging internal clients and external suppliers Keep up to date with general commercial issues from business updates, media and briefings

Technical excellence

Play a leading role in firm-wide projects that support the 2025/30 plan e.g. innovation projects, brand identity, thought leadership. Plan, prioritise and manage work activities for yourself and your team to ensure they are completed efficiently, on time and to an appropriate standard. Implement reviews of major initiatives against KPIs and share learning Act as a role model by using all available systems at the firm to be as effective as possible, for example InterAction, Objective Manager, PMS, social media and be aware of the other core systems used within the marketing team such as the websites CMSs and Vuture Seek out new ideas internally and externally to support continuous improvement and innovation Understand and utilise AI tools to enhance approach to role and help to develop a more efficient team Quickly implement new methods of working and share/communicate learning Management of budgets for your areas ensuring effective use of expenditure through best practice procurement, implementation of cost saving initiatives and assessment of spend against KPIs

The person

Proven BD experience within an international professional services firm A solid education background, ideally with relevant marketing qualification Good understanding of and ability to use AI tools to enhance approach to role A proven full mix of marketing and BD tools Proven leadership and people management experience Sound working knowledge, and understanding of the business market place Strong commercial acumen: understanding of our business and our clients and their requirements Strong advisory and influencing skills as well as tenacity

The benefits

As you'd expect, we offer a competitive salary and a wide range of benefits.

Pre employment screening

If we offer you a role, we will conduct comprehensive pre-employment screening. This screening will include, but is not limited to, a basic DBS, verification of your right to work, a three year employment history and a self-declaration to assess your character and suitability for the role. Full details of our pre-screening employment process are available upon request.

The firm

Mills & Reeve is centred on achieving more for clients, their businesses and the wider communities we serve. Our clients and their industries benefit from our knowledge and learning, and receive consistent experiences with no surprises. We tell them what they need to know when they need to know it.



We build personal relationships, with advice individually tailored to individual need. And if clients need things we don't offer, we draw on our network to give recommendations. Our 1,250 plus people and over 750 lawyers share one vision - achieving more for clients.



By joining Mills & Reeve, you'll have the chance to build your skills and experience within a firm that's not only ranked in the top 50 UK law firms, but also one that truly values their people. Our mantra is "Achieve more. Together.", which we feel embodies our purpose and is more than just a catchphrase! We're also ranked in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work list, and were recently awarded Platinum Investors in People.

and finally

Everyone at Mills & Reeve brings a unique perspective and ideas to the team and we do everything we can to help each person to thrive. We're committed to providing an inclusive and supportive working environment, are happy to consider flexible working arrangements, and want to achieve the right balance for both our people and the firm. We encourage everyone to ask if they feel they need any workplace adjustments, and will do our best to support with these.