Client and Market Development Associate Manager, Global Aerospace & Defence and Global Real Estate Sectors

The role

As CMD Associate Manager for the Global Aerospace & Defence and Global Real Estate Sectors you will work across key product areas and key offices to deliver a truly global strategy, which will include driving client development, opportunity spotting, market analysis, overseeing profile raising activities and evaluating return on investment.

The aerospace & defence groups and Global Real Estate Sector at Clifford Chance comprise of multi-disciplinary teams of highly experienced lawyers who provide innovative legal advice, with expertise across all practice areas.

Sector overview

Global Aerospace & Defence:

This sector is defined by deep industry insight and a track record of advising on high-stakes, high-impact deals. Our clients include some of the world’s leading companies and service providers. We bring a unique edge through our integration with a market-leading asset finance practice and our experience in M&A, sovereign wealth, and public-private partnerships across the UK and Europe. Our expertise also spans international anti-corruption regimes and regulatory frameworks, helping clients navigate complexity with confidence.

Global Real Estate:

This is one of our firm’s most established and ambitious sectors — and it’s only gaining momentum. With continued investment and a bold growth agenda, we’re expanding our capabilities across the network. The Associate Manager will be at the heart of this journey, helping to shape and deliver on the sector’s strategic goals. Our team is known for its commercial edge and ability to execute complex deals across the full property lifecycle — from acquisition and development to financing and exit.

What you will be responsible for

Every sector will carve out its own distinct go-to-market strategy, tailored to its unique challenges and opportunities. The below notes a general approach to what will be expected of the successful candidate. For the Global Real Estate Sector, the role holder will work closely with the CMD Senior Manager for Real Estate whose portfolio covers both practice and sector.

Strategy

• Oversee the execution of the client and marketing strategy for both the global aerospace & defence and global real estate and sectors.
• Ensure the sector is managing marketing spend effectively and in line with budget, as well as measuring ROI.
• Ensure that the firm's global sector expertise is sufficiently visible and leveraged by partners and associates in their relationship-building efforts.
• Work with global stakeholders to lead on product and sector strategy, ensuring the right partners are deployed on the right opportunities, ensuring partners are getting the business development support they need in key growth areas, and identify and address client development and marketing needs. 
• Work in close collaboration with global practice area leads, including our aerospace & defence and global real estate and practice teams and local offices, to ensure a cohesive and cross practice/cross office go to market approach is deployed.

Client and Market Development

• Ensure the above groups are investing the right amount of time and effort on their priority sector clients and prospects.
• Drive more disciplined client outreach and client relationship activity across the sector.
• Foster and encourage more cross-product collaboration through internal communication channels (articles, newsletters etc.).
• Ensure client relationship building and reputation enhancing opportunities are maximised through flagship marketing and events programmes.
• Ensure lawyer teams are well prepared and rehearsed for pivotal business development and relationship meetings with clients and prospects through the support they receive from their C&MD leads.
• Leverage the Client Insight & Business Intelligence Team and other sector teams to provide insight on clients and sectors to inform strategic marketing decisions and support client development.
• Lead on/work on must-win cross practice and international proposals.
• Increase the visibility of upcoming and planned client meetings that, ultimately, drives more cross-selling.
• Lead on planning and preparing communications out to core groups within the sector, including managing various channels such as newsletters, calls and offsites.
• Ensure core marketing and pitch materials for each group are kept updated and accessible on the Firm's pitch database ("Foundation").

Collaboration

• Continuously raise the bar of the C&MD team in the way that they support the above groups and help their teams to build stronger client relationships and profiles in the market.
• Facilitate collaboration between the team and legal professionals to ensure a cohesive approach to market positioning and client engagement.

What you will do

• Overall, ensuring the Firm is viewed as a market leader in the aerospace & defence and real estate sectors globally.
• Managing all financial and wider business activities in the sector, acting as a point of contact between the Sector Leads and stakeholders and providing insight into the most essential projects. You will prioritise and coordinate critical issues and find essential information that is pertinent for the Sector Leads to have in order to make good business decisions.
• Collaborating with the sector leadership in the creation and execution of the sector business development and marketing plan.
• Leverage firm knowledge resources to build and maintain an astute knowledge of the trends within the aerospace & defence and real estate sectors to inform nimble client opportunity spotting.
• Packaging and promoting the firm’s expertise across products and assets and creating and maintaining the marketing collateral necessary to cross-sell our expertise internally and to clients.
• Leveraging available resources to identify new sources of work, new business leads for the sector and proactively share and follow-up on opportunities with key client teams, offices and practice areas.
• Direct involvement in client programme and related initiatives (including client targeting and product specific business development).
• Working with our Brand, Communications and Public Affairs team who will be responsible for raising the profile of the Firm's sector capabilities in key markets across the spectrum of marketing and PR channels including social media, PR opportunities; memberships of trade bodies.
• Overseeing and delivering on several international flagship events, including working with local teams to target clients and support on the ground arrangements.
• Ensuring that all profile-raising activities through a sector lens, such as directories and awards, are supported by local offices and practice areas.
• Being the key point of contact globally for Aerospace & Defence as well as Real Estate sector related enquiries.

Your experience

Extensive experience in business development, preferably within a law firm or professional services environment or within sector.

Knowledge of Aerospace & Defence or the Real Estate sector would be advantageous.

A global perspective, with sensitivity to multiple and diverse cultures (international working experience would be an advantage).

Proven track record of developing and executing successful business development and marketing strategies and initiatives.

Excellent relationship-building skills.

Well-developed influencing and presentation skills.

A client centric view and the ability to translate opportunities into actionable plans.

How we will support you

From your first day with us, you will have varied opportunities to continuously grow and development your skills and knowledge. From formal training, informal coaching and mentoring through to skills-based and technical training and on the job learning.

Who we are

We are one of the largest international law firms in the world. With over 30 offices across the globe, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, providing them with the highest-quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.

Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. We offer our clients a truly international perspective. We believe every career should be rewarding and stimulating - full of opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow. That’s why we’re so proud of our inclusive, friendly, and team-based approach to work.

Our one firm global strategy is focused on targeted growth led by the needs of our core clients, those who we can best support with the breadth and depth of Clifford Chance expertise, across the sectors and geographies, which matter most to them.

You’ll find our clients in commercial and industrial sectors, the financial investor community, governments, regulators, trade bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. But no matter who they are or why they’ve reached out to us, we provide a world-class service every step of the way. And that’s possible thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and conscientious approach to work that you’ll find across all of our teams.

Whichever area of the business you join, you’ll become an integral part an innovative, diverse and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet.

Hybrid Working

This role follows our 'balanced' hybrid working approach and as long as business needs allow, you will be supported to work in a hybrid way with the expectation of working from the office for a minimum of 50% of your time.

What we offer including our broad range of benefits and working environment

When you join Clifford Chance, you will have access to a broad range of benefits to support you across many aspects of your personal and professional life including financial, wellbeing, lifestyle, and family friendly benefits. For more information on what we offer specifically in the UK, please visit our What We Offer page on our career site. 

Equal Opportunities

At Clifford Chance, we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society. 

We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age.  This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer and every other aspect of employment.

We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement.

Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm.

Find out more about our inclusive culture here

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