Senior Client Manager - 6 month FTC (parental leave coverage) - London

Join us as a Senior Client Manager to provide strategic advice and support across our key client portfolio.

Working closely with the Client Insight Team and wider BD team, this role is key to enable CMS to deliver on the strategic focus of client experience as a differentiator for building profitable and sustainable relationships.  You will also support and further improve the firm’s Client Management projects including, but not limited to: client secondment programme; client insight programme; CMS By Design.

The role is a fixed term contract of six months to cover shared paternal leave

About CMS

CMS is a Future Facing firm. With 75 offices in 43 countries and 4,800+ lawyers worldwide, we combine deep sector understanding with a global overview, giving us the ability not only to see what's coming, but to shape it.

CMS is well equipped to help our clients face the future with confidence. We are driven by technology and readily embrace the possibilities it opens up for developing new and better ways of delivering legal services. Our bold approach to a changing future ensures that we nurture our employees and recruit top talent.

About the Role

This role offers a stimulating variety of work including (but not limited to):

Client Teams – To take responsibility for providing hands-on support for a number of the firm’s strategic key accounts. Core areas of focus will be to increase revenues, workflows and deepening client relationships. This will also involve capturing and sharing client information around relationship investment, meetings, work, billings, client news and creating new opportunities. To ensure these strategic key accounts run according to the Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

Client Planning – To plan, strategise and implement international client plans, including revenue and relationship development goals.

Client Listening – To conduct client listening via the Client Insight programme to promote a dialogue with clients to enhance our understanding of client needs, priorities, challenges and opportunities. This will include some of the traditional client feedback methodology, drawing on outputs to improve client service delivery, but will also focus on promoting alternative creative client engagement approaches.

Sales Support – To act as primary contact for client on panel pitches, in particular procurement. To working with the strategic pitch team and manage bids where necessary. This typically will involve the management of pricing proposals, RFP content, presentation rehearsals and win/loss reviews.

Client Engagement Programme – To work with the Client Management team and across the firm to identify creative and cost-efficient ways to engage with clients over and above the day-to-day legal advice. This will be a primary area of focus of the team as we build on our reputation for our innovative approaches to partner with clients. Examples will include client networks, client workshops, training, client hospitality etc.

Project support – To work with the Client Management team on strategic projects to improve the client experience through improved internal processes. This will include the collation and showcasing of client relationship management best practices.

Client Resourcing Services/Secondments (weighted against an ROI) – to support the firm’s client secondments programme with an initial focus on working with other departments in defining the budgeting process and criteria for client secondments. Longer term this may include engaging with clients to ensure appropriate forecasting and strategic placements. Day to day activities will ensure that the firm maximises the benefits derived from client secondments, such as providing pre-briefs, keeping in touch programmes and de-briefs upon completion of the secondment.

General Client Management Team Support – To provide support for any other initiatives aimed at enhancing the firm’s client relationships or as otherwise requested by the Head of Clients & New Business.

About You

To flourish in this role, it would be helpful if you had the following skills and experience:

Technical Competence

• Has experience in all aspects of Business Development and Marketing, including client relationship management, client targeting, pitching, event management and campaigns.
• Possesses excellent oral and written communications skills.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the IT packages/ systems necessary to perform the role.
• Has a demonstrated ability to build strong working relationships with partners and staff at all levels within the firm and with external vendors.
• Experience in a client facing capacity.

Analytical skills

• Grasps, retains and analyses complex information and concepts; pays good attention to detail.
• Has the ability to present complex information and concepts in a clear and concise manner.
• Possesses strong numerical skills.

Communication style and approach

• Demonstrates excellent listening skills and checks for understanding wherever necessary.
• Responds to professional environment, presenting consistently professional verbal and non-verbal behaviour with clients and colleagues.

Other

• Demonstrates ability to plan and organise time; works to given timeframes and balances work well to meet goals and objectives.
• Identifies issues, risks and conflicts and asks for assistance and/or delegates appropriately when required in a timely and constructive manner.
• Adheres to, and seeks to improve established processes and procedures, where appropriate.

Equal Opportunities

At CMS, a next-generation mindset is woven into all we do. We're diverse, supportive and inclusive, embracing our corporate social responsibility and creating a culture of sustainability in which every one of our people, whatever their background, can maximise their potential and thrive. For further information about CMS' diversity initiatives and programmes, please view the Diversity & Inclusion pages on our website.

Please apply online or contact a member of the Talent Acquisition team if you have any questions. For information regarding our competitive range of benefits please visit our Rewards & Benefits page on our website.

Please note that CMS have a preferred agency panel in place. Only applications submitted via the portal at the point of instruction will be accepted.