Allen & Overy is a leading global law firm operating in over thirty countries. We work on some of the most challenging and important deals and have built a reputation for delivering exceptional legal solutions that help our clients grow, innovate and thrive. The legal industry is changing, and we\'re committed to leading that change, putting our people first, embracing new ways of thinking and integrating technology into our everyday work. Our business teams work hand-in-hand with our lawyers, Consultants and other specialist teams, and are ambitious, driven and leaders in their field.
With us, you will constantly be learning and growing. We invest in you by offering exceptional professional and personal development - providing training, mentoring and practical support. We offer rewarding careers that are built around your strengths and designed to ensure you can achieve your personal and professional goals, recognising that those may look different for everyone.
We have a powerful commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. We\'re determined to play our part in advancing a workplace where progress is made by harnessing our differences - whatever defines you, we ask you to bring your whole self to work. What truly defines a career at Allen & Overy? We recruit the best and ask for the best of you. We provide challenge, support and a place for you to belong. And together we excel, working on meaningful projects of global significance.
Department purpose
This role is part of the Marketing function which contributes to the setting and achievement of the firm\'s business objectives, including strengthening our client relationships, winning new clients, increasing the visibility of the firm and its brand positioning globally, and supporting our partners and associates in their pursuit of becoming our clients\' trusted advisers.
Role purpose
The objective of this role is to improve Allen & Overy\'s approach to pitching and as a result, increase the proposal success rate. We are looking for an experienced pitch and proposal professional to support the biggest and most challenging pitches across our EMEA practice groups, sectors and geographies.
This individual will help advance and improve our EMEA pitch function by:
Leading and advising on the most strategic and high-profile pitches and proposals
Being a source of best practice for both EMEA and the global pitch community, providing guidance, coaching and training to the local and regional pitch communities
Drive efficiencies into the pitch process by continuously reviewing and improving the methods, technology and practices we use in our cross border, cross practice group pitches and proposals
Support the global head of pitching with reporting and tracking pitch outcomes across EMEA
Key relationships
Global head of Pitching
EMEA Senior Pitch Manager
APAC global pitch managers
BD teams within offices across EMEA
Client relationship managers across key accounts in EMEA
BD Practice Group and Sector heads
Partners and Associations within the offices across EMEA whom work on big, cross border proposals
The Marketing Technology team
The Global pricing team
Global Client Feedback Manager
The Research team
The creative studio
Role and responsibilities
Leading and advising on the most strategic and high-profile pitches and proposals across the EMEA region - driving the process, shaping the team, facilitating meetings, bringing best practice, agreeing strategy and messaging, drafting and reviewing content and coaching pitch teams
Consult internally to support EMEA partners and BD teams in their pitch activity by helping shape messages, providing guidance and reviewing proposals
Be a source of best practice for the EMEA pitch community and, through coaching and training, improve the team\'s pitching skills and help improve our win rate
Help build the infrastructure and tools across EMEA to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the pitch process
Evaluate and debrief the pitch outcomes for the major pitches and proposals, identifying win/loss themes and work with the Global Head of Pitching to implement areas of improvement
Collaborate with A&O\'s global pitch community to ensure new global pitch programmes, systems and processes are implemented to help drive innovation and efficiencies
Report on the regions pitch activity, performance and results
Work closely with Marketing Technology team to help identify, implement and socialise new technology into our pitching processes
Build relationships with external experts and bodies to keep on top of industry best practice
Key requirements
The successful candidate will need to:
demonstrate credibility and first-rate influencing skills so that they are able to influence partners/fee earners and shape their approach to pitches (due to the breadth of this role and the size of the firm, the role-holder may not know the partners involved in the proposal and will have to build credibility from a \'standing start\')
show strong project-management skills so that they can lead the firm\'s most important cross-team pitches successfully
have good commercial understanding of the markets in which the firm operates and be prepared to get up-to-speed on relevant products or sectors quickly
show sensitivity to local nuances in terms of proposals best practice, and be effective at building rapport with partners and BD professionals based across A&O\'s network
be effective at managing virtual teams, involving and drawing on the resources and expertise of local BD teams
prioritise their time effectively and manage competing demands for support and advice
enjoy working relatively autonomously and be comfortable with being a \'swat team of one\', obviously linking in with local BD teams (for whom pitching is a large part of their roles) and drawing on other central resources
network externally, for example by staying close to how our competitors and advanced organisations are approaching proposals so that our best practice remains at the forefront of the market and the firm continues to innovate
The successful candidate will need to:
Have 5 + years\' proven track record of leading and advising on successful cross-border/complex pitches and proposals, preferably in a professional services environment
Thrives on deadline with an ability to flex agreed processes appropriately to meet tight deadlines
Excellent verbal and written communication, presentation and persuasion skills with the ability to tailor pitch content and styles to different audiences
Strong project management, organisational and problem solving skills, with the ability to execute multiple and complex pitch projects simultaneously
Creativity,- is able to think of and deliver new ways to differentiate the firm during the pitch/proposal process
Good communication skills - both written and oral.
Strong interpersonal and influencing skills - with partners, key associates, and business development colleagues, clients and suppliers.
Professional, proactive, high attention to detail and a commitment to quality.
Collaborative, team-oriented and client-focused attitude with the ability to work across diverse and cross-functional stakeholders
Ability to work independently with limited supervision.