Commercial and Pricing Manager

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Term: Permanent
Working hours: Full-time
Reports to: Chief Financial Officer
Department: Finance Department
Location: Flexible, within a commutable distance of one of our UK offices
The firm

Lewis Silkin works with leading businesses to protect and enhance their most important assets - their ideas, their people, their brand and their future. We call it: Ideas. People. Possibilities.

With offices in London, Oxford, Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff, Belfast, Dublin and Hong Kong, we are recognised by clients and industry alike as being distinct for our unique culture, market-leading practice areas, sector focused approach and for providing solutions to complex, multijurisdictional business challenges, with a pragmatic and human touch. We have two things at our core: people — both ours and our clients’— and a focus on creative, tech and innovative businesses.

Our culture is encapsulated by an ethos of bravery and kindness, guided by our values of Integrity, Clarity, Unity and Excellence (our ‘I-CUE’). We aim to provide a supportive environment for our people, clients and wider community and embrace diversity & inclusion, ensuring people are able to bring their full selves to work.

The department

The Finance Department supports all aspects of the firm’s financial requirements from the provision of strategic support through to detailed transactional processing, with a key focus on providing excellent customer service to our internal and external clients.  The department is comprised of a central finance team (based in London Manchester and Cardiff) plus local finance teams in Belfast and Hong Kong. This role would lead on pricing and profitability initiatives across all of the firms’ offices.

The Finance Department has a relaxed, sociable, working atmosphere whilst providing a high level of support to its’ users.

Responsibilities

Due to recent growth of the Firm and increased focus on pricing and profitability, we are looking to hire an experienced, ambitious and self-motivated Commercial and Pricing Manager, based out of any of the Lewis Silkin offices within the UK.

The Commercial and Pricing manager will be a key member of the finance department and will be focused on building a robust method for assessing profitability at a client, team and office level. They will also work closely with the Business management team to look at practice improvement initiatives focusing on the way work is delivered. They will also support the Business Development team on pitches and RFP’s.

Key tasks will include:

  • Develop a strong understanding of the Firm’s departments, practice groups and clients to help execute strategic pricing initiatives and strategies.
  • Assist in streamlining the annual rates setting process, including development of office specific rates and review all client specific rates.
  • Work with partners to review profitability of their clients and suggest alternative resourcing models.
  • Run profitability analysis to help Practice Group Heads and other senior stakeholders to fully evaluate fee proposals and make appropriate business decisions for the Firm.
  • Communicate with the business to discuss pricing strategies, brainstorm creative fee proposals, facilitate effective rate management and implement, and optimise efficiencies.
  • Contribute to the creation and automation of matter budgets and matter management initiatives in collaboration with the Working Capital team.
  • Contribute to the development and implementation of new pricing services and tracking mechanisms to generate new business and manage the success of existing arrangements.
  • Create strategic staffing solutions based on different alternative fee arrangements in partnership with other team members.
  • Take ownership of client RFP and pricing requests and work closely with colleagues in Business Development to coordinate related decision making.
  • Prepare robust models and templates to support analysis of a wide range of fee proposals utilising Firm financial metrics.
  • Implement a process for post matter reviews.
  • Responsible for ad hoc analysis request for internal and external clients.

One off projects:

  • Investigate the use of budgeting tools, there isn’t currently a budgeting tool available at Lewis Silkin and most people use excel but we would like to explore other available products on the market.
  • Review the unit cost model that drives the current profitability calculations. Ascertain whether there is there a more appropriate or simpler method for calculating cost rates.

Key requirements

  • Minimum of two years+ related experience preferably in a legal or professional services environment.
  • Knowledge of law firm Financial Management System, such as 3E would be an advantage.
  • Knowledge of Legal Industry KPIs and competitive landscape preferred.
  • Experience in Procurement or RFP response.
  • Advanced Excel skills.
  • Strong attention to detail and excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Excellent organisational skills and management skills and an ability to prioritise and complete simultaneous projects with minimal supervision and working independently.
  • Ability to work collaboratively across teams and build working relationships across the Firm.
  • Protect and maintain confidential and sensitive information.
  • Highly motivated and enthusiastic self-starter with a can-do attitude.
  • Results and delivery driven with a commitment to quality of work.
  • Takes ownership and actively looks for personal learning and development opportunities.
  • Flexible nature and willingness to adapt and take on additional duties as the business evolves.
Additional information

At Lewis Silkin our ethos is simple. We strive to do the best for our clients, our people and the communities in which we operate. We recognise that an inclusive workplace allows for all kinds of ideas and thoughts, a variety of points of view that can trigger discussions or deliver innovative results, and a wide range of versatile skills and expertise. We are proud of the diversity within Lewis Silkin and of our culture that allows people to be themselves at work, ensuring we provide the best possible service to our clients. We are committed to finding the right person for this role and are open to discussing flexible working patterns and office location.