About Gowling WLG

We have more than 1,400 legal professionals working around the world. Our offices span across 19 cities in Canada, the UK, Continental Europe, Asia and the Middle East. There's strength in our global presence – we embrace our differing cultures and work together as one team. We also understand the importance of investing in relationships that build knowledge and trust, while we provide legal advice that's tailored to our clients' world.

'Our people and distinct culture are what makes us different. We know this through client and employee feedback and this drives everything we do'' Chris Oglethorpe, HR Director.

There are great opportunities for all our people to flourish. Through training and personal development they can grow in their role. Our people are the cornerstone of our success, across legal, business support and early talent. We care about their happiness and believe in the power of teamwork. We want them to feel empowered and recognise that by supporting, respecting and embracing everyone's different contributions we achieve more.

Working flexibly, working fairly

Agile working offers people more freedom and flexibility in where, when, and how they work. As technology advances and our workforce becomes more diverse – and with clients often working to a 24/7 rhythm – having extra flexibility is key to helping us balance work and other commitments sensibly and productively.

By supporting people to choose where and when they get their work done, we help them to make a full and fair contribution to their team – while maintaining that all important work-life balance.

Where possible and depending on business needs, we will consider all flexible working options such as part-time working, job sharing, working from home and staggered hours. If in considering a role with Gowling WLG you favour flexibility in your working arrangements, please discuss this with the recruitment team in the early stages of the application process.

Main Purpose of the Job

To drive winning, compliant, profitable work for  Gowling WLG through the sales and tender process.

To add value on bid strategy and pricing and to share knowledge and best practice from the teams experience of putting together successful tender responses, across all areas of the firm.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Responsible and accountable for the compliant delivery of tender responses in all formats in a timely manner to the client.

• Advise the partners and fee earners on bid strategy, sales approach and win themes.

• Prepare and co-ordinate the pricing aspects of the bid, ensuring compliance and addressing the potential client's needs, with the firms commercial strategy.

• Write/author bid content and produce creative high quality documentation within required timeframes, drafting 80-90% of the tender response for the partners to review.

• Manage and organise virtual bid teams across the UK and our international offices through project management and using the bidding governance model.

• Liaise and collaborate with other departmental managers and stakeholders on behalf of the partner leading the tender on areas such as compliance.

• Monitor and communicate progress with the partner(s) throughout a tender process at regular, agreed milestones that link back to the original go/no-go process.

• Coach the partners and fee earners for presentations and interviews with potential clients.

• Risk tracking and management throughout the bid process, using the operational review process to ensure risk mitigation to the business when work is won.

• Share examples of best practice, competitor information and add value to tenders wherever possible.

• Input into the on-going development of the content library and harvesting relevant text for use in bids.

• Initiate post bid reviews with clients, record lessons-learned, analyse and report key findings on formal bids; instigating improvements as required.

• Support the Head of Bids or BD Director on special team ad-hoc projects.

Qualifications

Key skills and experience

• Robust industry accepted project management skills (PRINCE2).

• Excellent writing skills (Shipley).

• A degree or equivalent qualification.

• The ability to influence and communicate at senior levels.

• Significant experience of managing large tender teams, across multiple locations and jurisdictions.

• Strong time and people management skills.

• Understanding of the professional services environment.

• Adobe InDesign and MSOffice.

• The ability to build relationships quickly and to challenge and motivate bid teams.

Equal Opportunities

Gowling WLG is committed both to promoting equality and diversity in the firm and to Equal Opportunities in employment.  The firm believes in equality of opportunity regardless of race or racial group (including colour, nationality, ethnicity, national origins), religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, sex, gender re-assignment and gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy, maternity and paternity.  This also includes any incidents of perceptive or associative discrimination and harassment.

At Gowling WLG we seek to attract and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures, to create an exciting and rewarding place to work. Our aim is to fulfil everyone's potential and together to achieve personal and business goals.