BD Manager - Asset Finance & Transportation

at  AO Shearman

We are recruiting for a BD Manager to join our Marketing in London to focus on the Asset Finance & Transportation industries.

Key requirements

• Professional services marketing and business development experience.
• Strong understanding of the asset finance practice and transportation sector, or a willingness to develop such understanding.
• CRM experience and client focus with the ability to cultivate direct client relationships.
• Self-motivated, proactive and tenacious; able to work under pressure.
• Commercial and creative thinker.
• Business analysis and desk research experience.
• Strong influencing skills coupled with the ability to challenge appropriately.
• Politically astute – can make tough decisions and follow through; anticipates future areas of risk for the practice and takes appropriate action to address these.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Proactive, creative, tenacious and resilient; adopts a growth mindset and encourages others to do the same.
• A team player and highly collaborative

This dual practice and industry-focused role involves supporting our market-leading London asset finance practice and driving forward our BD efforts for the global transportation sector group. The global transportation sector group is part of the newly formed Established Industries sector group (made up of five subsectors comprising of Chemicals, Consumer & Retail, Mining & Metals, Industrials and Transportation).
Our asset finance practice encompasses the aviation, shipping and container, rail, space, equipment, IT, and satellite industries. We advise a wide variety of clients around the world, including airlines, operating lessors, shipping companies, sponsors, commercial banks, investment banks, private equity funds, export credit agencies, insurance consortiums, manufacturers, and governmental agencies. The role involves working on key pitching opportunities; working with partners on their client development plans; providing practical marketing support for profile-raising activities, such as speaking at industry conferences, appropriate events, and hospitality; managing marketing campaigns and BD programs; and planning and coordinating client relationship management activities.

Our global transportation sector group supports our clients in navigating the regulatory, commercial, tax, and political risks involved in developing, financing, acquiring, restructuring, and divesting transportation assets. Our breadth of expertise gives us unique insights into key jurisdictional, legal, and commercial issues and enables us to provide practical and focused advice aligned with the latest global and local trends impacting the sector. The global transportation group has three key objectives:

• To develop and deliver a global marketing and business development strategy that improves business performance through an improved market profile and enhanced approaches to targeting and winning new business.
• To identify and oversee the firm’s relationships with a small number of high-potential clients that sit within the transportation sector.
• With the transportation partner leads, to develop a community of lawyers interested in these areas.

The role provides “expert” counsel to colleagues in the BD, marketing, and comms team on our positioning across the asset finance practice and transportation sector. From a sector perspective, critically, it also provides a bridge between our transactional, contentious, and advisory practices, making sure all marketing and business development activity is coordinated and aligned globally.
The ideal candidate will have performed a similar role previously, working within a BD/marketing function at a law firm or professional services firm. This is an opportune role for someone looking to excel in their BD/marketing career at a leading global law firm.

Role and responsibilities

• Business planning and advice – provide focus to the delivery and direction of BD activities. Play a key influencing role with asset finance and transportation sector partners on business development activities and projects, including client targeting and pipeline management.
• Proposals – lead in preparing proposals, pitch presentations, and credentials statements for London-based asset finance opportunities and multi-jurisdictional opportunities with a UK nexus.
• Client account management - assist partners, associates, and BD colleagues in the management of strategic client relationships across both asset finance practice and the transportation sector and coordinate client targeting efforts.
• Client listening – work on client listening programs as appropriate; carry out client listening sessions with key clients. Assimilate the feedback into reports for the relevant partners. Proactively work with the partners to ensure that the feedback in the report is actioned appropriately.
• Market and client research – undertaking research to support business planning activities and key proposals.
• Events and seminars – coordinate cross-practice, multi-jurisdictional client-facing events (face-to-face and virtual), deal updates, and ad-hoc events.
• Internal communications – oversee the maintenance of a flow of market/client intelligence (e.g. pipeline deals, major players, market shares, key client contact moves, and developments) to partners and associates.
• Campaign management – work with the partners, senior associates, and the PSL team to develop and execute integrated business development campaigns.
• Directories and awards – lead on directory submissions and team/individual award submissions. Feed into wider relevant directories.
• Knowledge – keep current on commercial and legal issues, to help identify specific opportunities with clients and inform the overall direction of marketing collateral and campaigns/thought leadership.
• Campaigns – lead the development of sector campaigns, content, and knowhow including through feeding back client intelligence and perspectives on key hot topics, priorities, and strategies. Work with relevant partners, BD colleagues, knowledge lawyers, and content team as appropriate to assess and implement suitable campaigns to build the firm’s profile in the asset finance and transportation markets.
• Budgets – take responsibility for BD budgets for the asset finance and transportation groups, ensuring that all external marketing and business development activities are delivered in the most cost-effective manner, within budget and deliver appropriate RoI.

Key requirements

• Professional services marketing and business development experience.
• Strong understanding of the asset finance practice and transportation sector, or a willingness to develop such understanding.
• CRM experience and client focus with the ability to cultivate direct client relationships.
• Self-motivated, proactive and tenacious; able to work under pressure.
• Commercial and creative thinker.
• Business analysis and desk research experience.
• Strong influencing skills coupled with the ability to challenge appropriately.
• Politically astute – can make tough decisions and follow through; anticipates future areas of risk for the practice and takes appropriate action to address these.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Proactive, creative, tenacious and resilient; adopts a growth mindset and encourages others to do the same.
• A team player and highly collaborative.

Should you require additional support at any stage of the recruitment process due to a disability or a health condition, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our recruitment team who will work with you to provide any adjustments as required.
We are an equal opportunities recruiter and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
We recognise the value of flexible working and embraces hybrid working, allowing our people to work from home up to 40% of their working time. We do however remain committed to working together in person for the remaining 60% of time so that we can learn, grow and succeed together.