Commercial Pricing Specialist

Company Description

Who we are

We are one of the largest international law firms in the world. With over 30 offices across the globe, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, providing them with the highest-quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.

Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. We offer our clients a truly international perspective. We believe every career should be rewarding and stimulating - full of opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow. That’s why we’re so proud of our inclusive, friendly, and team-based approach to work.

Our one firm global strategy is focused on targeted growth led by the needs of our core clients, those who we can best support with the breadth and depth of Clifford Chance expertise, across the sectors and geographies, which matter most to them.

You’ll find our clients in commercial and industrial sectors, the financial investor community, governments, regulators, trade bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. But no matter who they are or why they’ve reached out to us, we provide a world-class service every step of the way. And that’s possible thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and conscientious approach to work that you’ll find across all of our teams.

Whichever area of the business you join, you’ll become an integral part an innovative, diverse and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet.

Job Description

The Role

Clifford Chance's Finance team is at the heart of its strategy. The department is involved in managing accounts, budgets and forecasts, providing trend and competitor analysis and other statistical support for Partner presentations, as well as cash management, remuneration and internal audit, ultimately ensuring that the Firm is compliant, efficient and profitable.

The Commercial Pricing Specialist role is part of the global Commercial Finance team and has a primary focus on client panel/fee negotiations. The team are regarded as the experts in their field providing high quality commercial pricing, analysis and insights as well as training.

Who you will work with

The Commercial Pricing Specialist role sits in the Finance team, as part of the Commercial Finance function servicing our global network.

Partners and client relationship teams across the network in collaboration with colleagues from Business Development, our Innovation & Best Delivery Team as well as across Finance and other business professional functions.

What you will be responsible for

The role of Commercial Pricing Specialist is primarily focused on:

• Supporting the Head of Commercial Pricing – Clients, Director of Commercial Finance and Global Commercial Director in delivering client commercial support aligned to the Firm's strategic pricing objectives, commercial standards and pricing governance.

• Raising commercial awareness with Partners and influencing their commercial decision making on strategic client fee deals.

• Delivering commercial support, analysis and insights with a focused, co-ordinated and consistent team-wide approach.

• Delivering commercial awareness training to fee earners and business professional colleagues through formal training as well as through day-to-day interactions.

• Producing commercial pricing models and negotiation strategies for strategic client fee deals and provide support throughout the pricing process.

• Ownership of reporting and submission of pricing proposals to the Global Pricing Committee.

• Client facing, engaging with client procurement in client fee negotiations and supporting the Partners throughout.

• Working collaboratively with other business professional colleagues to deliver commercial support aligned to the firm's strategy.

What you will do

Pricing

• You will work closely with Partners to support and, in some instances, lead negotiations on behalf of the firm.

• Influence Partners on how to formulate commercial proposals and how to develop a negotiation strategy.

• You will identify opportunities to improve commercials on current client and matter opportunities in line with the firm's strategy.

• Guide on participation in competitive tendering processes, including client use of eAuctions.

• You will undertake internal client commercial review benchmarking and assist in formulating commercial strategies.

• You will contribute to the evolution of the commercial pricing function and work alongside other business professional functions to deliver improved commercial outcomes.

• You will ensure adherence to the firm's commercial standards and pricing governance.

• Along with other members of the global commercial team, continually refine governance tools and processes in line with market developments.

• You will develop and submit pricing proposals to the global pricing committee.

• You will work with Partners to increase the variety of alternative fee arrangements the firm is offering to clients.

• You will be responsible for training and upskilling individuals across the network so as to extend the coverage of the global commercial community.

Team

• Work as part of a highly skilled and knowledgeable team creating a "go to", trusted and highly valued commercial function.

• Report to the Head of Commercial Pricing – Clients and work closely with team colleagues across finance and other business professional functions.

Qualifications

Your Experience

Skills

• A commercially focused and highly numerate individual with a proven ability to influence Partners and senior stakeholders.

• Strong communicator who can explain commercials with sufficient gravitas to influence Partner decisions and interact with clients.

• A commercially astute and strong negotiator who can hold/protect margin in discussions whilst taking on responsibility for liaising with client procurement functions.

• Ability to work autonomously but under firm guiding principles and as part of a highly collaborative and impactful team.

Experience

• Preferably experience of providing client panel pricing support within a law firm or professional services environment.

• Experience of scenario modelling / compiling pricing proposals and understanding the levers to deliver client value and commercially viable pricing.

Knowledge

A finance/pricing/procurement expert who understands and can balance the sensitivities of dealing with Partners and clients in commercial discussions.

Languages

Fluent in English. Additional language skills would be beneficial.

How we will support you

From your first day with us, you will have varied opportunities to continuously grow and develop your skills and knowledge. From formal training, informal coaching and mentoring through to skills-based and technical training and on the job learning.

Additional Information

Hybrid Working

This role follows our 'balanced' hybrid working approach and as long as business needs allow, you will be supported to work in a hybrid way with the expectation of working from the office for a minimum of 50% of your time.

Equal Opportunities

It is the Firm's policy to treat all employees and job applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age. Furthermore, the Firm will ensure that no requirement or condition will be imposed without justification which could disadvantage individuals purely on any of the above grounds.

The policy applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer and every other aspect of employment.

The Firm will regularly review its procedures and selection criteria to ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and otherwise treated according to their relevant individual abilities and merits.

The Firm is committed to the implementation of this policy and to a programme of action to ensure that the policy is, and continues to be, fully effective. All staff are required to comply with the policy and to act in accordance with its objectives so as to remove any barriers to equal opportunity. Any act of discrimination by employees or any failure to comply with the terms of the policy will result in disciplinary action.

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