Details

The Client Relationship Manager (CRM) is a highly visible partner facing role for the US Marketing Department at Norton Rose Fulbright. The CRM provides practical client relationship support for a dedicated portfolio of firm strategic clients across industries. Working closely with the Firm’s Relationship Partners, business development team members and the Senior Manager and Director of Business Development, Clients. The CRM will primarily be responsible for helping identify, develop, and implement strategies and tactics to help the Firm institutionalize existing relationships and win new business.

This position reports into the Senior Manager Business Development, Clients.

Understanding the Client and Account Planning

• Research the client organization to identify potential growth opportunities and issues that should be addressed, accomplished through face-to-face meetings with client contacts, networking and use of research prepared by business development colleagues
• Develop an active account plan to pursue strategic priorities and meet financial targets
• Drive the implementation of the plan with the relationship partners and the wider client team
• Create and analyze relationships to strengthen and further broaden our client engagement in line with agreed strategy
• Based on client issues, contacts and our service offerings, identify revenue streams, business development priorities and target revenue/profitability
• Manage regular client team meetings that are productive, action oriented and focused on priorities to implement the agreed client strategy

Sales Management and Client Service Management

• Match emerging client needs with our services, thereby identifying potential leads
• Work closely with the relevant industry/practice business development team members to stay up to date with our campaigns and offerings
• Work with business services teams to identify the most appropriate value-added services to take to your clients
• Implement the principles of our client development framework through regular interactions and coaching of the client team
• Develop peer relationships with client contacts
• Manage bids/panel reviews, participate in presentations where appropriate, work alongside business development colleagues
• Coach partners and associates in the group as necessary to drive sales
• Satisfy client service requests, including all service commitments/reporting agreed during any panel review process
• Work closely with Business Development colleagues, managing global projects and campaigns and focusing on client needs to develop key relationships
• Work with relevant project groups to identify alternative ways of working with allocated clients to increase efficiency or endure better delivery
• Brief and debrief secondees
• Identify evolving demands for client knowledge services and work with client knowledge services team to deliver those

Reporting and Financial Management

• Review the sales pipeline for each account, identifying priority actions for the relationship team
• Review monthly reports for relationship meetings aiming the focus towards key issues and opportunities at the client
• In conjunction with relationship partners, regular reporting to senior management on position vs target, forward actions and return on investment
• Ad hoc research, analysis and reporting on special projects
• Identify profitability issues should they arise; work with relationship partners and finance teams
• Review spend vs budget and address any issues arising

Skills and Experience Required

• Minimum of 4 years relevant experience managing a client account portfolio in a professional services or business environment
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred
• A deep understanding of business development strategy in a global professional services organization
• Experience of client relationship management best practices and of liaising with external clients
• Experience of delivering cross-border business client development thought leadership and marketing campaigns
• Understands when to act and when to ask
• Self-starter who performs well independently and also in a highly collaborative team-based culture The capability of building trust amongst the partnership, making links and connections with the wider business, outside area of specialization
• Understands the need and has the ability to manage expectations
• Good attention to detail
• A deep interest in thought leadership, combined with strong writing, editorial and communication skills
• Sophisticated people skills; confident, persuasive and diplomatic
• Confident
• Willingness to take on additional responsibility
• Advanced knowledge of Word, PowerPoint and Excel

Our business principles are Quality, Unity, Integrity. The successful candidate will be expected consistently to demonstrate the following competencies:

• Shows technical ability
• Contributes effectively at meetings
• Seeks supervision and/or supervises appropriately
• Communicates effectively
• Organized and meets deadlines
• Focuses on performance enhancement
• Develops and maintains relationships
• Delivers excellent service
• Builds strong reputation
• Actively contributes to the team
• Demonstrates leadership orientation
• Treats people with dignity and respect
• Promotes and demonstrates our business principles
• Focuses on strategic priorities

Equal Employment Opportunity/M/F/disability/protected veteran status