Department purpose and structure

Our coordinated business development, marketing and communication teams contribute to the setting and achievement of the firm’s business objectives, which includes improving our client relationships, increasing the visibility of the firm globally, and supporting our partners and associates in their pursuit of becoming our clients’ trusted advisers.

Role purpose

The Business Development Coordinator is an integral role to the Middle East business development team, based in Abu Dhabi, providing support to partners and legal team members through:

Efficient and effective preparation of proposal/bid/pitch materials in response to client requests, in consultation with partners, fee-earners (lawyers) and legal PAs
Research and analysis of clients, targets, and competitors to tailor marketing and client relationship activities and support client account planning
Creation, updating and management of relevant and current marketing communications collateral, including thought leadership, tailored meeting packs, e-marketing campaigns, website content, and marketing brochures
Preparation of awards and directory submissions, from producing initial drafts to procuring partner sign off, ensuring deadlines are met and maximising positive recognition for the firm,
Assist with event coordination as/when required
Development of own knowledge of various industry sectors to effectively support Banking and Finance, Project Finance, Energy and Infrastructure practices.


Key relationships
Middle East Business Development team
Office managing partner, Middle East partners and fee earners – with a focus on Banking and Finance practice area
Middle East Finance team, Creative Services and Know-How teams
Peers across the global business development, marketing and communications teams


Responsibilities
As the Business Development Coordinator, your key responsibilities will include:

Drafting of proposal and presentation materials to address client needs and requests, posing questions to partners and fee-earners to help differentiate the firm from competitors,
Ensuring all reporting of proposal statistics (e.g. win, loss, pending), trends and updates in EPiC CRM database are completed in a timely manner
Assist with executing actions arising and collating info gleaned from post-decision reviews with clients (i.e. client feedback) and attending Proposal Team debriefs on significant proposals
Liaising with the Finance team to provide pricing information to proposal teams in order to facilitate effective pricing decisions
Working with Partners and fee-earners – plus Business Development team colleagues - to ensure all standard text (boiler plate), CVs (partners and legal team members), value-added insights (sales messages), deal descriptions and any other core proposal inclusions are regularly updated and readily available in EPIC CRM database
Suggesting areas for improvement in the proposal preparation process, working with the Head of Business Development to implement improvements in conjunction with partners, fee-earners, and Legal PAs
Supporting the Business Development Manager at proposal preparation awareness / knowledge-sharing seminars to upskill and continuously improve the proposal preparation and pitching capabilities in Legal PAs and fee-earners, using post-decision review feedback and other statistics
Contributing to regular proposal reporting for the Head of Business Development and firm leadership
Drafting and editing submissions for awards and directories – with a focus on Banking and Finance, Project Finance, Energy and Infrastructure practice areas
Updating data for project finance and corporate lending deals and leagues tables and preparing league table submissions
Creating content for external communications – social media, media releases, website content etc - to highlight transaction, awards and other successes in order to profile the firm in the market
Supporting partners and fee-earners on client engagement and relationship management activities, such as researching clients, targets, and competitors to design marketing and client relationship activities and support client account planning workshops
Assisting with Middle East event coordination (internal and external), as requested by the Head of Business Development (e.g. annual Alumni event, Middle East Academy, other client events)
Developing own knowledge of various industry sectors, economic trends/drivers and clients associated with Banking and Finance, Project Finance, Energy and Infrastructure practice areas.
Proactively developing relationships with partners, fee-earners and Legal PAs across the Middle East practice and liaising with international colleagues across the globe.
The Person

Critical attributes and skills
Three to five years’ experience in proposal preparation and/or business development in a professional services, banking and financial services, consulting services or law firm environment.
Ability to meet deadlines, manage multiple projects and deliver under pressure.
Excellent communication – both written and oral - and inter-personal skills, in order to manage expectations of various stakeholders including partners, legal team members, Business Development etc.
A proactive, client-centric approach, balancing creativity, tenacity and attention to detail.