Resource Manager

The Role

The primary objective of the role is to act as a trusted advisor to the Practice Area Leader, General Manager, Head of HR and other partners providing strategic advice about manpower planning and resource management.

Day to day responsibilities will include optimising the allocation of work and the deployment of lawyers to maximise profitability and support personal development.

The Resource Manager will have responsibility for allocating work for up to 80 fee-earners across a number of different practise areas.

Key responsibilities include:

• To act as trusted advisor to the Partners in respect of manpower planning and resourcing
• Optimise the allocation of work and the deployment of staff to maximise profitability
• To identify appropriate workloads for senior associates and below incorporating the individuals’ preferences and development goals where possible
• To identify and implement practical solutions to alleviate over/under capacity
• Facilitating mobility and agility within the Practice area, laterally and the wider practice globally
• Take ownership for and manage the work allocation tool, and ensure the integrity of the data included in the tool
• Ensuring TOIL, holidays, administration time and non chargeable duties are built into the plan
• Understanding the business unit growth plans and provide advice to the PAL,  General Manager and Head of HR to ensure headcount is appropriately managed to deliver plans
• Providing forecast and actual utilisation and availability reports for the PAL and partner group plus any other ad hoc reports that may be requested
• Work with the Global Shared Service Centre to ensure that the overall resourcing view is accurate and up-to-date at all times.  Also that timely & targeted Management Information is produced
• Highlighting trends and patterns for potential resourcing issues to the Head of HR with the aim of fully utilising existing staff within the Middle East and globally before resorting to external hires
• Ensure any  feedback obtained during the work allocation process on associates' performance  is passed on to the Head of HR

Your experience

Ideally your experience will have been gained in a large commercial environment, ideally Professional Services.  It is essential for you to have experience of professional career development or training or alternatively an in-depth understanding of the legal environment and the skills and personal attributes necessary to succeed in this profession.

You will be confident and willing to engage with all levels of staff. You will be comfortable with delivering difficult messages to both lawyers and senior management within the Firm.

You will be an accurate worker with high attention to detail, and excellent organisational skills. You will be proactive and be able to demonstrate new initiatives you have implemented. You will have the ability to work under pressure and to deadlines.

You will be of graduate calibre.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following:

• Proven people management skills with the ability to influence decision & outcomes at a senior level
•  Ability to influence and negotiate and remain tenacious
• Commercially minded with good operational business acumen
• Ability to take effective decisions using sound judgement
• Strong problem solving and conflict resolution experience
• Proven ability to build and maintain strong internal and external working relationships
• A strong team player
• Good analytical skills with ability to manipulate complex data into comprehensive format
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Good IT skills including Excel

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.

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.

Due to the nature of this role, the expectation for this role is to be working in the office for a  100% of your time. Please see our careers site for further information on our working environment.

Equal opportunities statement

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