Specialist, Business Development, Disputes - International Arbitration

Position Summary 

The Specialist, Business Development is a professional support resource within the BD team, responsible for delivering high-quality research, analysis, and process support across core business development activities. The role plays a key part in supporting BD Managers and teams with pitches and proposals, market and client research, and the effective operation of BD processes and systems.

The Specialist applies specialist knowledge of BD methodologies, tools, and best practices to support the execution of business development initiatives at a tactical level. Working closely with Managers, Senior Managers, and Coordinators, the role ensures that BD outputs are accurate, insightful, timely, and aligned with firm standards and priorities.

The Specialist contributes to continuous improvement of BD processes, supports data tracking and reporting, and provides technical guidance and informal mentoring to less experienced colleagues, helping to maintain consistency, quality, and efficiency across BD operations.

Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic planning and client cultivation

• Support the identification and qualification of new business opportunities by conducting research, analyzing market and client data, and preparing background materials for BD initiatives.
• Assist with client relationship mapping, tracking engagement, and providing insights to help inform client cultivation strategies.

Proposals and pitch excellence

• Contribute to the preparation and development of client pitches, proposals, and capability statements, ensuring materials are accurate, relevant, and aligned with client needs and firm priorities.
• Maintain and update pitch-related content, such as deal lists, lawyer bios, and case studies, and ensures consistency across BD outputs.

Positioning Practices & Partners

• Support the execution of thought leadership and market positioning activities by conducting research on industry trends, competitor activity, and client interests.
• Assist in the development and distribution of content for rankings, awards, and external events, helping to raise the profile of the practice and its partners.

Cross-Practice & Stakeholder Collaboration

• Collaborate with BD managers, coordinators, and other business services teams to gather information, share insights, and support the delivery of integrated BD initiatives.
• Act as a key resource for data collection, analysis, and reporting, supporting cross-functional projects and process improvements.

Contributor capacity

• Provide technical, domain and / or process expertise to support the BD team, offering guidance on best practices and contributing to the continuous improvement of BD operations.
• May mentor or provide informal guidance to junior team members, supporting their development and knowledge of BD processes.
• Conduct detailed analysis and investigations to identify opportunities for process improvement and increased BD effectiveness.
• Track and report on BD activities, ensuring data accuracy and supporting the measurement of BD performance against key metrics.

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant experience; professional certification an advantage where appropriate.
• Specialist technical expertise in business development disciplines (e.g., research, pitching support, market analysis, CRM, reporting), with strong knowledge of BD tools, methodologies, and best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct detailed research and analysis, investigate issues, and develop practical solutions within defined scope and guidance.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and attention-to-detail skills, ensuring accuracy and consistency in BD outputs.
• Good understanding of how BD activities support practice group and firm objectives, and how BD collaborates with other business services.
• Clear and effective communication skills, enabling collaboration with BD colleagues and accurate information sharing with stakeholders as required.
• Ability to manage workload effectively, meet deadlines, and work collaboratively in a team-based, fast-paced environment.
• Preference for candidates with fluency in one or more additional European languages, particularly French, German or Spanish.

Location

• This role is based in London.

• Our standard office hours are 09:30-18:00, with a requirement for 4 days (Monday – Thursday) in the office per week. 

What We Offer

When you join us, you’ll be working directly with partners, business leaders and many other inspiring colleagues across our global network of offices. We live by our values - to be pioneering, united and human - and we believe that you’ll experience them from your first day. We will give you the support and development opportunities that will help you achieve your potential. We believe that consistent high performance merits reward and support. Our compensation package reflects your calibre as a business development professional, and our benefits are designed to support your changing needs and priorities across different life stages.

Firm Benefits 

We offer a flexible range of benefits, services and programmes designed to help support your lifestyle requirements. Some of the benefits currently available include: 

• Private medical insurance 

• Pension plan with matched employer contribution up to 7.5% 

• Yearly wellbeing fund 

• Income protection 

• Life insurance 

• Critical Illness insurance 

• Private GP services 

• Travel insurance 

• Dental coverage 

• Cycle to work 

• Holiday purchase (available during annual enrolment)