BD & Marketing Manager, Japan

Purpose

• Working closely with your managers, COO and lawyers in the Tokyo/Seoul office.
• Support on all aspects of the BD and Marketing mix including supporting pitch preparation for new work, BDM campaigns, events and initiatives, drafting targeted marketing collateral and briefing notes, provision of client overviews to support client meetings/trips, client reporting and relationship documents, managing directory, award & league table submissions.
• Support and deliver the Tokyo/Seoul offices’ practice priorities to generate business – working across clients, practices, sectors and geographies.
• The role also encompasses special cross office projects which will mean working closely with the global and Asia BDM teams.
• Act as brand champion for the office and assist with communications, events, promotions and other profile-raising marketing activities run out of the Tokyo/Seoul office.
• Ensure the Tokyo/Seoul office remains engaged with the other Asia offices and practices to leverage and share the firm's resources, best practice and knowledge.

Key responsibilities and challenges

• Work with your manager and the lawyers on all aspects of client activities for the Tokyo and Seoul offices (as well as supporting clients regionally and globally which are relevant to these two offices), helping to execute the implementation of the office, practice and regional BDM client/business plans.
• Provide timely and high-quality support in the development and delivery of pitchbooks to key clients and targets (English & Japanese – desirable).
• Assist in the development and adoption of best practice in pitching for new work.
• Capture and disseminate client intelligence/research as it relates to the Japan/Korea market and ensure actions are followed-up and implemented where appropriate.
• Draft client-facing material to support client meetings and overseas partners’ marketing trips in Japan/Korea.
• Maintain (English & Japanese) the Tokyo/Seoul office marketing materials such as brochures, flyers, factsheets and the Linklaters website to ensure they reflect up-to-date and consistent key messages and experience. Ensure key materials are up-to-date, available and easily accessible to all lawyers and the global BDM team.
• Maintain pitch & credentials infrastructure, relevant intranet pages and deal databases – accessible by the global team.
• Project management of the Japan/Korea directory, award and league table submission process, ensuring submissions successfully capture the offices achievements.
• Internal communications activity to support cross-selling and better understanding of the Tokyo/Seoul office activities, successes and plans.
• External communications, including the project management of marketing campaigns and production of material aligned to business goals, such as targeted thought leadership reports, client alerts and newsletters etc.
• Working with the Secretary Team to ensure all Japan/Korea client contact details are up-to-date in Client Book (Interaction), and maintain the offices’ client distribution lists (practice and office mailing lists).
• Media relations - work closely with our Asia comms team, oversight of press releases, lawyer profiling, sector press development etc.
• Advise on the best use of digital and social media to raise the office/practice profile, including the website, client knowledge portal, e-marketing, client alerts, bulletins, client updates etc.
• Plan and execute client events including seminars, roundtables, large scale client entertainment (client parties), industry conferences, sponsorships etc. Assessing advertising and sponsorship opportunities against business goals.
• Work with the Asia BDM team to drive and share best practice.
• Share relevant key learnings and insights about client development, pitches, sector activity and interesting deals or happenings within the Tokyo office.

Characteristics, Skills & Experience required:

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Character

• Able to build trust and respect among colleagues
• Can-do attitude
• Collaborative, teamwork mentality understanding that delivery can happen through other people and will reflect positively on own reputation
• Highly self motivated & self starter
• Ability to work independently and confidently
• Resilient - ability to bounce back when challenged
• Highly flexible
• Resourceful
• Driven
• Ability to coach and develop juniors of varying levels of experience (desirable)
• Outstanding influencing skills – must take all parties with you (desirable)

Education / Qualification

• University Degree
• Relevant professional qualifications (desirable)

Commercial Skills

• A high degree of commercial acumen
• An understanding of how businesses operate and makes decisions
• Ability to think strategically
• Asian / Japanese cultural and market awareness (desirable)

Office skills

• Excellent time management
• Highly PC and IT literate
• Excellent communicator & presenter
• Ability to multitask
• Resourceful – upward, across and below
• Outstanding account management skills
• Ability to run meetings effectively

Languages

• English
• Japanese (desirable)

Practical experience

• Working in business environment
• Law firm experience working in a BDM capacity
• Relevant experience in business development /account management experience
• Pitching
• 3 years + experience

Characteristics, Skills & Experience required:

Location

• Tokyo, Japan

Character

• Able to build trust and respect among colleagues
• Can-do attitude
• Collaborative, teamwork mentality understanding that delivery can happen through other people and will reflect positively on own reputation
• Highly self motivated & self starter
• Ability to work independently and confidently
• Resilient - ability to bounce back when challenged
• Highly flexible
• Resourceful
• Driven
• Ability to coach and develop juniors of varying levels of experience. (desirable)
• Outstanding influencing skills – must take all parties with you (desirable)

Education / Qualification

• University Degree
• Relevant professional qualifications (desirable)

Commercial Skills

• A high degree of commercial acumen
• An understanding of how businesses operate and makes decisions
• Ability to think strategically
• Asian / Japanese cultural and market awareness (desirable)

Office skills

• Excellent time management
• Highly PC and IT literate
• Excellent communicator & presenter
• Ability to multitask
• Resourceful – upward, across and below
• Outstanding account management skills
• Ability to run meetings effectively (desirable)

Languages

• English
• Japanese (desirable)

Practical experience

• Working in business environment
• Law firm experience working in a BDM capacity (desirable)
• Relevant experience in business development /account management experience (desirable)
• Pitching (desirable)
• 3 years + experience (desirable)

Technical Skills:

This list of duties and responsibilities above is not exhaustive.  It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for, the performance of this job. As such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.