Senior Business Development Executive

Watson Farley & Williams is an international law firm advising on complex disputes and transactions through local knowledge and an integrated international network. We have a strong sector focus, combining our technical excellence with deep industry knowledge across Energy, Transport and associated Infrastructure.

The firm has achieved rapid expansion and year-on-year growth owed almost entirely to a focused strategy, strong leadership and the quality of its people. The next stage in the firm’s growth plan is to achieve full-service strength within core sectors across the global platform.

We strive for excellence in all that we do and view investment in our people as key to achieving our business goals and values, which rest on developing deep and long-lasting relationships externally and internally through respect, sharing, communication and integrity.

Our global practice is integrated across our offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and North America delivering consistently high levels of service across borders and locally through a deep understanding of local business customs and culture.

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace to attract and retain the most talented people from all backgrounds and cultures. We believe in celebrating difference and that people from any background can rise to the top, ensuring opportunities to develop and progress are available for all.

The Global Business Development and Communications team comprises 60 business development, communications and marketing professionals globally. As our route to market is through our global sectors and our clients are international, team members regularly collaborate to deliver cross-border campaigns, projects and client development. It is a close-knit and supportive team with an excellent reputation across the firm.

The role will require a self-motivated person who will work with and support our team in Dubai in the management of existing client relationships and the development of new business opportunities across the Middle East in our core sectors of Energy, Infrastructure and Transport.

• Supporting the BD Manager in the development and implementation of sector focused business development and marketing plans.
• Guiding associate teams in contributing to business development efforts aligned with strategic priorities.
• Assisting in the coordination and delivery of sector-led campaigns to generate and grow business, primarily in the maritime sector but with involvement across Aviation, Energy and Infrastructure.
• Preparing marketing collateral and supporting documentation ahead of client/prospect meetings including pitch documentation and credentials statements.
• Contributing to the development of long-term profitable relationships by supporting partners in identifying opportunities to grow client relationships.
• Executing profile raising activities and initiatives for our Middle East practice aligned with our sector strategy to develop market position through appropriate digital channels, events and conferences.
• Championing the use of digital platforms and social media to raise the profile of our lawyers, key initiatives and the firm, including promoting engagement with social media and drafting sector specific social media posts.
• Coordinating and project managing relevant directory submissions, league tables and awards.
• Ensuring credentials and other relevant information is up to date and readily accessible in central databases.
• Having a broad understanding of our core industry sector campaigns and interpreting how best to translate those into opportunities for the team supporting our services into sector strategy.
• Liaising and working with other members of the global BD team and global communications team as well as other business functions (e.g. Finance/Knowledge Management) to improve the co-ordination and delivery of initiatives across the firm, adding value to the business as well as our clients.
• Developing, championing and implementing Business Development projects and systems as appropriate.

• Understands and demonstrates WFW's core values of respect, sharing, communication and integrity.
• 4+ year’s business development experience.
• The ability to work effectively with and influence partners and other key stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to manage and prioritise multiple projects running in parallel with tight deadlines.
• Excellent written communication and editing skills; able to write accurate, concise and persuasive text.
• Ability to understand product, sector and service development issues.
• A positive role model who meets new challenges with a constructive and open mind and shows enthusiasm for new opportunities and ideas.
• Shows enthusiasm for new opportunities and ideas.
• Regarded as a team player who is confident sharing information across a broader team.
• Plays a full part in making WFW a firm they would recommend to others to work in, and respects diversity and acts fairly and inclusively.

We offer a competitive benefits and wellbeing package for all employees.

The Firm promotes a culture of agility and flexibility and is fully supportive of flexible working arrangements where these can be accommodated.

Respect for different backgrounds and perspectives is at the heart of our firm’s core values and we recognise the importance of fostering an inclusive environment that allows everyone to reach their full potential. This is a key feature of our Global Code of Conduct, which places diversity and inclusion at the centre of our firm’s ways of working.

We believe that exceptional client service can only be delivered by exceptional people. For this reason, we aim to attract, retain and develop the best talent from a wide range of backgrounds. All decisions relating to employment will be objective and based on merit and ability.

We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are as inclusive and barrier-free as possible. This includes making adjustments for candidates with a disability or long-term health condition.  If you require adjustments to be made at any stage of the recruitment process, we’d encourage you to get in touch with a member of our team who would be happy to discuss options with you.