(Senior) Manager: Business Development

Mayer Brown is an international law firm positioned to represent the world’s major corporations, funds, and financial institutions in their most important and complex transactions and disputes.  We are recognized by our clients as strategic partners with deep commercial instincts and a commitment to creatively anticipating their needs and delivering excellence in everything we do. 

We are a collegial, collaborative, and diverse firm where highly motivated individuals with an unwavering commitment to excellence receive the opportunity, support, and development they need to grow, thrive, and realize their greatest potential all while supporting the Firm’s client service principles of excellence, strategic partnership, commercial instinct, integrated strengths, innovation, and collaboration across our international firm.

If you enjoy working with team members whose defining characteristics are exceptional client service, initiative, professionalism, responsiveness, and adaptability, you may be the person we are seeking to join our Marketing and Business Development Team in our Hong Kong office as a Business Development Manager or Senior Manager.

You will be the primarily BD lead for the Hong Kong office with a strong focus on core practice groups: Corporate, Banking & Finance and Intellectual Property.

You will be a key member of the Hong Kong office, reporting to and supporting the Senior Business Development Manager – based in Singapore, while working closely with the rest of the regional BD team, partners, lawyers, and colleagues from other departments. As part of the broader Asia and global business development and marketing function, you will also work with global colleagues on projects where required.

This is a hands-on role that requires attention to detail and a high-level of collaboration with other functions. Key attributes to ensure success in this role include a strong ability to lead, prioritise, willingness to take ownership of tasks, along with a proactive and positive attitude.

Although flexibility to work across all practices will be required, the role predominantly will be supporting the strengths of the Hong Kong office. As a manager you will have a direct report into you in the form of a BD Executive/ Coordinator on the ground in Hong Kong. The manager will be responsible for day to day allocation of duties and any personal requirements such as annual leave planning and work from home arrangements.

This role will report into the regional lead based in Singapore and you will be working closely within a wider APAC team structure.

• Lead business development team members and lawyers in executing on business plans and client strategies, and with tracking implementation and progress against the plans.
• Act as a forward-thinker to the Business Development Team and wider practice in Asia.
  Prepare responses to client request for proposals, while assisting with content development for associated presentation and pitch materials, including curating and maintaining relevant deals lists.
• Conduct client, industry and market research to identify new leads, including opportunities to expand relationships with existing clients.
• Help develop thought leadership publications and offerings including project management and mining of data for business-development opportunities; ensure robust distribution internally across the Firm’s offices, practices and client teams and other platforms and promotion outside the Firm on LinkedIn and elsewhere.
• Support the Firm’s marketing communications and campaign activity across all channels including advertising (digital and print), conferences, events, sponsorships and other key profile-building opportunities.
• Take a creative and impactful approach to drafting submissions for legal directories and other industry awards.
• Take initiative and ownership for the development of new approaches and processes to meet service needs.
• Leverage the firm's global client relationship management system (i.e. InterAction) to create targeted client lists for business development and marketing purposes.
• Prepare content for all product, industry and practice areas in Hong Kong and contribute to relevant internal communication channels.
• Help to source, run and manage internal and external client events and venues. This will range from small intimate seminars to large scale 300+ client events.

• An undergraduate degree in a related business field and/ or relevant post-graduate qualifications preferred.
• 8+ years’ experience in a similar position or more than 10 years in professional services and/or similar industry.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English.
• Strong Mandarin writing and speaking skills (desirable).
• Superior written and oral communication skills.
• High level of proficiency with MS Office Suite of applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).
• A knowledge of InterAction (or similar CRM systems) is preferred, but not essential.
• Solid time management and prioritisation skills to manage stakeholder expectations.
• Event planning from concept to completion would be desirable coupled with good interpersonal skills.
• Familiarity with virtual events platforms (e.g., Webex, Zoom, Teams).
• Familiarity with research techniques and databases typically used for competitive intelligence (e.g., Manzama, Capital IQ, Mergermarket, EMIS, LexisNexis, Lexology).
• Excellent interpersonal skills – must have a mature, professional and personable presentation and demeanour.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to multi-task.
• Demonstrates good judgment and problem-solving capabilities, a team-first and client-service orientation.