About Ashurst:

Ashurst is a leading progressive global law firm with a rich history spanning more than 200 years. We are proud of our history and are future-focused, having expanded into new technologies through our NewLaw division, Ashurst Advance, and our consulting arm. Our in-depth understanding of our clients and commitment to providing excellent standards of service have seen us become a trusted adviser to local and global corporates, financial institutions and governments in all areas of commercial law. To find out more please visit www.ashurst.com

Department/Role overview:

Clients, Industries and Markets (CIM) team plays an integral part of the Firm's growth strategy driving the development and performance of the Priority Clients Program, Insights and Industry programs. A newer pillar within Business Development and Marketing, this department represents a true focus on transformation to support the future needs of the Firm.

The team are undergoing a recalibration of their purpose and deliverables and have identified the need to recruit an executive within the Industry team to support the Banks industry program globally.

The role of the Clients and Industry Senior BD Executive is an important role supporting the development and execution of the client and market engagement for our banks industry group. The industry teams are primarily responsible for proactively driving purposeful, impactful internal collaboration and market facing activity that leads to increased profile and deeper industry connections for the Firm

Main responsibilities:

Internal Coordination

This role will support the Industry Chairs (ICs), who are partners with the responsibility for driving the industry program, for the Banks team. They will work directly with the ICs on the internal coordination of activity in support of the broader industry team objectives.

• Ongoing coordination and communication with Client Relationship Partners of individual banking clients regarding engagement in the industry program of activity.
• Support coordinating internal reports on the Banks industry program success (financial and activity based).
• Internal coordination of the relevant sub-groups including setting regular meetings for Commercial Bank and Investment Bank Clusters.
• Support ICs in drafting and updating the Industry group plan.
• Management of the budget allocation and reporting for the Banks industry group.
• Coordination of the 'In-House Academy' client training program, working with the events team and CRPs to ensure high quality client engagement and feedback.
• Produce client specific collateral that includes writing content and liaising with the design and editing team as required, and exploring the full use of social media networks (LinkedIn, Blogs).
• Support the design, content and themes to produce affective regular internal communications on clients, successes, achievements and wider worthwhile news.

Client and Opportunity Administration

This role will be responsible for coordinating a range of client specific activity for Banks clients, with a focus on non-priority client support.

• Support to CRPs on non-priority client account management where required, including activity management and reporting.
• Support the implementation and delivery of non-priority Client account plans and relationship agreement commitments.
• Coordination with Ashurst Service Central to support all material and reporting requirements.
• Compile client facing relationship reports and firm, financial and market data for client and internal meetings.
• Work with external and internal research, business analysis and competitor intelligence to support opportunity identification and communication.
• Assist the business on pitch opportunities, working with the bids team to provide background research, collating information on the firm's experience and producing focused business proposals

Industry Engagement and thought leadership

A key aspect to the Clients and Industries Senior BD Executive role will drive industry engagement alongside the ICs, leveraging firm-wide thought leadership relevant to the Banks industry.

• Coordination of the Banks Industry input into the Megatrends and associated marketing campaigns.
• Coordinate ad hoc thought leadership - collection and dissemination (internally and directly with clients and industry bodies).
• Coordinate the reporting on all Banks industry thought leadership statistics (readership, enquiries, resulting revenue).
• Proactively tracking client and industry news and trends, supporting the identification of revenue generation opportunities.
• Risk and Control: Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with our regulatory requirements and internal policies. Support the delivery of the Bank Industry go-to-market plan. This includes our approach to industry publications/briefings, thought leadership, alignment with industry bodies, prioritisation and organisation of industry conferences, and profile-raising initiatives across the industry.
• Work with the events team to plan and manage events of all descriptions, from hospitality events to seminars from inception to completion, to ensure maximum impact and ROI.

Marketing Activity Support

• Responsible for the coordination of the Bank Industry monthly subscription newsletter including some initial research and drafting.
• Support the Brand, Marketing and Communications (BMC) team with the Banks industry PR engagement initiative (managed by the PR team).
• Work with the BMC and Ashurst Service Central teams on the development of Banks industry specific marketing material and related tools.
• Contribute to central marketing and business development initiatives, as required.

Attributes

• Power of collaboration - know the firm, including broad understanding of the practice areas, ID&B and Ashurst Advance, to bring the best of the firm to the client
• Client empathy - think about things from the client's perspective. Empathy is one of the strongest ways to build a relationship
• Be authentic - take a genuine interest in your clients on a human level. Maya Angelou: 'People will forget what you said, what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'
• Share - make the best of the firm by sharing knowledge of a client and introducing contacts to others in the team. Think internationally and use the best of each industry, practice area and jurisdiction.
• Be curious - understand the wider world and be curious and interested in understanding the business priorities of the client.

Essential skills and experience:

• Demonstrated experience in managing multiple priorities with proven results
• Client/account management or similar relevant BD experience, ideally gained within law or another professional services environment
• Previous experience in a client facing capacity including client listening experience advantageous
• Strategic thinker but also willing to roll up the sleeves to get the job done
• Strong interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to build trusting relationships with the partnership and business services
• Comfort and proficiency in effectively influencing partners and stakeholders
• Familiarity with trends and issues that create opportunities to add value to the client's business
• Ability to make clients and their needs a primary focus; initiates, builds and sustains productive client relationships resulting in quality service and client satisfaction
• Creates a good first impression, shows an air of confidence, and deals comfortably with clients and colleagues, interacts appropriately and strategically with clients and stakeholders
• Inherent drive to succeed, and proven ability to develop and execute solutions to short term barriers and setbacks
• Flexibility and willingness to go the extra mile

Background checks:

In order to comply with regulatory and client requirements, Ashurst will undertake appropriate vetting of staff. When applicants accept a job offer, Ashurst, alongside a specialist provider, will undertake professional verification and background checks. These checks are only undertaken with consent, and in accordance with our legal and regulatory obligations.