Marketing & Business Development Manager

The department

HFW’s Marketing & Business Development department is comprised of teams that support the international sector groups, regional offices, and marketing operations (including communications, events, graphic design and the CRM system).

HFW has a pre-eminent global specialist Aerospace practice, having been at the forefront of legal developments in this sector for over three decades. The team of over 80 lawyers is based across our Brussels, Dubai, Hong Kong, Houston, Kuwait, London, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Singapore and Sydney offices.

Our clients are drawn from all spheres of the aerospace industry and our team is one of the largest and most dedicated to the sector of any international law firm. This prominent position is widely recognised by the independent legal directories (Chambers and Legal 500), who routinely rank us as a top tier Aviation practice.

We are recognised leaders in resolving the most complex claims and have unrivalled experience of aviation safety and economic regulation, combined with competition and anti-trust expertise. We help our clients negotiate documents which make sense operationally, maximising the revenue-generating potential of the asset. We have 130 years’ experience of dispute resolution in all its forms and have a track record in tackling the most complex disputes in litigation or arbitration.

Particular areas of expertise include:

• Aviation Commercial Dispute Resolution
• Aviation Commercial & Regulatory Advice
• Aviation Finance & Leasing
• Aviation Liability
• Commercial Litigation

The role

Ideally with some understanding of the Aerospace sector, the Marketing & Business Development (M&BD) Manager will take a lead on M&BD and client development activities for the international Aerospace practice in order to promote its market profile, develop key account relationships, support wider client engagement opportunities and contribute to driving revenue growth. 

Working collaboratively with the central M&BD team, the M&BD Manager will be responsible for developing and implementing a M&BD plan for the international group, delivering a range of strategically aligned marketing and client development activities – in a timely and efficient manner, harnessing developing tech and support tools as necessary.

The M&BD Manager will be expected to develop strong and influential relationships with partners, fee earners, marketing and other colleagues internationally in order to secure their engagement and support for the delivery of the Aerospace industry group’s M&BD programme. The M&BD Manager will co-line manage, and be supported by, an M&BD Executive.

Key responsibilities

• In consultation with the International Group Head – Aerospace, key partners, the group’s Business Manager and the Head of M&BD, lead the development and delivery of the Aerospace group’s M&BD strategy, ensuring alignment with the firm’s wider objectives.
• Develop and implement international M&BD plans and campaigns, working closely with Aerospace sub-sector teams and the central M&BD team. This includes recommending, managing and reporting on agreed budgets and ROI.
• In doing so, support Aerospace partners and fee earners in the development of client relationships, profile-raising activities, cross-selling opportunities and strategic business development initiatives.
• Support the group’s London-based fee earners on their general M&BD activity.
• Co-line manage the M&BD Executive aligned to the sector group. Support their learning and development as necessary.
• Manage the Aerospace group’s participation in the firm’s client development programme, supporting the development and implementation of client account plans relevant to the practice.
• Ensure the Aerospace group is effectively integrated into international cross-practice and cross-sector business development, client development, communications and marketing activities.
• Utilise internal and external intelligence, working with Knowledge Lawyers and other specialist resources where appropriate, to identify market trends, client opportunities, competitive insights and growth opportunities across the Aerospace sector.
• Lead the preparation of high-quality pitches, proposals, RFP/ITT responses, credentials and other client-facing materials which position HFW as a leading adviser in the Aerospace sector.
• Project manage legal directory and ranking submissions, working closely with partners, associates, Knowledge Counsel and other stakeholders to maximise the firm’s market profile.
• Work collaboratively with the Communications team and relevant stakeholders to develop and deliver thought leadership, PR and profile-raising initiatives that strengthen HFW’s market position within Aerospace.
• Oversee the development and delivery of marketing collateral and activities supporting the Aerospace business development programme, including client communications, website content, events, conferences, campaigns, market research and reporting.

The M&BD Manager will:

• Develop a broad understanding of the firm’s strategy, services and client base, identifying how activity across practices, sectors and regions can create opportunities for the Aerospace group and vice versa.
• Build strong relationships with partners, fee earners and specialist business services teams to deliver integrated business development and marketing support.
• Ensure brand consistency and effective messaging across all Aerospace marketing and business development activities, reflecting local, regional and international priorities.
• Drive the effective use of AI, CRM, marketing technology and business development systems to support client intelligence, planning and reporting (e.g. InterAction, Vuture, AI tools etc).
• Maintain a strong understanding of the international legal market, key Aerospace sector trends and HFW’s competitive positioning.
• Contribute to best practice, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement across the wider M&BD function, including regular reporting on activity, performance and ROI.
• Undertake any other duties reasonably required by the role.

Key skills and experience required

• Degree level or equivalent industry experience.
• Ideally an understanding of the Aerospace sector.
• Proven ability of working across all levels of business, preferably within a multi-jurisdictional environment.
• Demonstrable experience of initiating and implementing successful business development and marketing communications activities, including managing and leading integrated sector-focused and client development plans; developing and implementing M&BD plans; managing pitch process;
• Strong delivery focus, with a track record of doing so to deadlines.
• Proactive individual with excellent organisation/project management skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills including oral/written communications, influencing, diplomacy, flexibility, tenacity.
• Ability to work on own initiative, show innovation and develop projects with an international perspective.
• Strong IT skills including PowerPoint, Excel, Word, InterAction (or similar CRM database) and CoPilot.

Additional information

Please note that this job description is not contractual, and may be amended periodically to meet the changing needs of the Firm.

HFW aims to ensure equality of opportunity, and we are actively working towards improving the diversity of our staff. All applications will be considered only on merit and the applicant’s suitability to meet the requirements of the role.

HFW collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants to manage its recruitment process. The firm is committed to being transparent about how it collects and uses that data and to meeting its data protection obligations. For information on how the firm will process your data, please see our Privacy Notice, in the section “What we collect and how we use it”.