Director of Client Development - EMEA

Practice Group / Department:

We're Norton Rose Fulbright - a global law firm with over 50 offices and 7,000 employees worldwide. We provide the world’s preeminent corporations and financial institutions with a full business law service. At Norton Rose Fulbright, our strategy and our culture are closely entwined. We know that our expansion will mean little unless it is underpinned by truly global collaboration and we understand that pioneering work only takes place when our people have room to move and think beyond boundaries. As well as the relevant skills and experience, we're looking for people who are innovative, commercial and value the work that they do. 

Our London office is currently recruiting for a Director of Client Development to lead our client relationship management and strategic bids teams within Europe, the Middle East and Asia (EMEA).

The Role

The Director of Client Development leads a team of 16 specialists and reports into the EMEA Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer. Their peers are three other Directors within the regional Marketing and Business Development (MBD) team, leading Business Development, Market Development and Communications.

This role is key to implementing our strategy to be fiercely client focused and drive profitable and sustainable growth.

Key Responsibilities

• To work with the management team, specifically the regional Client Development Board, to oversee our commercial strategy in relation to our highest potential clients. This includes creating an energized, growth mind-set for client teams and identifying and addressing any barriers to the firm achieving its objectives in relation to client development. 
• To lead and motivate the client relationship managers in the Client Development team and the bids managers in our Strategic Bids team, helping them to provide proactive, commercial, methodical and creative support, as well as build relationships directly with relevant client contacts. This includes working closely with our Client Program Manager on the organization and improvement of our regional client program, and with peers in other regions on global cross-selling.
• To be an ambassador for client excellence within the region, gaining trust with client relationship partners (CRPs) as an expert in the field and taking ownership of driving high value client opportunities.
• To support and motivate a community of BD professionals who have bidding and client relationship management responsibilities but are not part of this team.
• Taking ownership of our approach to client feedback, ensuring that feedback is integral to our relationship management approach and is used to strengthen relationships as well as shape projects and inform priorities across the firm.

Key Relationships

• The Client Development Board is the governance group within EMEA that oversees our client development strategy, providing support for CRPs, setting the strategy for the program and acting as a sounding board in relation to relevant initiatives. The Board is co-chaired by the Managing Partner and includes the core management team. The Director of Client Development will work closely with the Board, agreeing priorities, reporting on progress and opportunities, and overseeing the review process for EMEA regional program clients.
• The Director of Client Development will be client-facing; working with lead partners as needed to drive better engagement with clients individually as well as from the programme perspective.
• MBD is a determinedly integrated team across bids, clients, business development, marketing, communications and operations. There will be daily interaction and collaboration with the Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer and the senior MBD leadership team. In particular, there will be a strong working relationship with the Business Development team.
• The Director of Client Development will provide advice and assistance to the leaders of sector groups, practice areas and offices, helping them with their client strategies and ensuring their groups’ activities are integrated with our strategic client programme.
• The Director of Client Development will build strong relationships with senior stakeholders in other Business Services teams where there are clear inter-dependencies, including Finance, Compliance and Legal Project Management.
• The Director of Client Development will work closely with their peers in our other regions (the US, Canada, Australia and South Africa) on bi-lateral client targeting and global collaboration to support our largest, cross-regional clients.

Skills and Experience Required

• A proven track record of supporting and influencing senior decision makers in commercial decision-making.
• Significant experience of working in a multinational, matrixed, fast-moving business, ideally in the legal sector.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, manage and motivate effectively in a non-hierarchical, matrixed leadership structure.
• Genuine, infectious enthusiasm for commercial negotiation and developing client relationships, and the ability to make an impact quickly with diverse teams when working on individual growth opportunities.
• Intellectual and analytical ability to comprehend, synthesize and simplify complex ideas and issues.
• Networks within the firm and builds strong relationships with stakeholders to guide and advise them on how to effect change within the business.
• Both strategic and pragmatic; working to deliver a long-term strategic plan while ensuring a regular delivery of practical improvements.
• Shows a strong passion and a strong sense of urgency about reaching targets and delivering results.
• Exceptionally collaborative and non-political – enjoys working as part of a team, building trust at all levels, proactively sharing information, involving others in stakeholder relationships and seeking a diversity of views.
• Highly professional, demonstrating sound judgment and discretion with unquestionable ethics and integrity.

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To attract the best people, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to work, have a sense of belonging, and realize their full career potential. 
Our new enabled work model allows our people to have more flexibility in the way they choose to work from both the office and a remote location, while continuing to deliver the highest standards of service. We offer a range of family friendly and inclusive employment policies and provide access to programmes and services aimed at nurturing our people’s health and overall wellbeing. Find more about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion here.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams. We strive to create an inclusive and accessible recruitment process for all candidates. If you require any tailored adjustments or accommodations, please let us know here.