Business Manager

As Business Manager, you will work alongside the Managing Partner for one of Irwin Mitchell's market facing business units as a critical member of the strategic leadership team. The role is responsible for developing and implementing commercial and integrated business plans aligned to the firm's strategic goals, and collaborating with the Managing Partner to ensure the business unit delivers client value and financial success. You will be responsible for driving profitability and improving business performance within the Business Unit ensuring end-to-end operational execution plans and business management processes are in place. You will identify and understand performance trends and opportunities, drive and execute improvement plans through a matrix of dedicated cross-functional support teams, whilst influencing senior executive Leadership teams across the Group. What You'll Be Doing Strategic Planning

• As Business Manager, you will lead and implement an integrated business strategy and future financial forecast for the business units, whilst working with Managing Partners to plan the short- and long-term resource needs, structures, and budgets.
• You will engage stakeholders across the business to ensure talent, succession and recruitment strategies are in place to deliver sustainable, profitable growth for the business.
• You will ensure new business scenarios, strategies and models are in place to respond to regulatory and market changes, whilst influencing Business Development, Client Service, People and Change agendas to protect our market leading proposition.
• You will work closely with stakeholders across the business to ensure robust financial forecasts for each business unit are in place to underpin delivery of income, cost and cashflow and work on a range of strategic projects across the business.
Business Delivery
• As Business Manager, you will be operating as part of your Business Unit's Leadership Team, shaping the strategic agenda, and working with senior stakeholders to deliver P&L and key performance outcomes.
• You will positively influence key financial, operational and resource drivers to consistently deliver against our business plans, supporting continued growth and profitability, whilst monitoring business unit performance to drive understanding and embed a profit focused culture.
• You will work closely with Finance, HR, BD and Marketing to drive the delivery of initiatives and projects.
• You will identify and understand trends, risks and opportunities through regular performance analysis, whilst steering the business unit through annual business activity in line with the firm's strategic goals.
• With a data-led approach, you will identify areas to reduce costs and improve our people and processes and where necessary, devise and implement alternatives to drive improvements and efficiencies
• You will identify, communicate and where necessary escalate risks to performance and delivery, working with the leadership teams and stakeholders across the business to quickly establish remedial plans.
Leadership
• As Business Manager, you will develop and demonstrate strong understanding of the business unit's services, processes, and practices to establish yourself as a trusted advisor to the Managing Partner and senior stakeholders.
• You will influence and steer activity across cross-functional teams to set and execute strategy, prioritising activity which delivers and drives financial and operational improvements.
• You will play a key role in Business Unit leadership meetings, working alongside the Managing Partner to set the agenda, update on performance and steer activity to drive improvements as required.
• Champion commercial understanding and awareness across our business, contributing to a profit-conscious culture.
• You may be required to deputise for the Director of Business Performance and Managing Partner.
• Champion the development of our lawyers engaging relevant Group Services to deliver structured training programmes that support individual's needs, and the development of our current and future leaders, considering delivery, succession planning and employee engagement.
  
  For this Business Manager role, we are seeking :
• Extensive experience of successfully building relationships and influencing all levels of internal stakeholders.
• Commercial / Business Partner / Regional Management experience with a track record of commercial success in a medium / large scale complex environment including legal, professional, or financial / business services.
• A passion for continuous improvement.
• Commercial acumen and financial understanding experience of managing P&L accounts and setting, meeting and delivering to forecast targets.
• Ability and experience in people management processes and practices, driving improvements in colleague experience, engagement and retention.
• Credible leader with ability to influence decision making at Senior Leadership level.
• Understanding of Project Management methodologies.
• Experience of 1-2-1 Coaching.
• Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy.
• Excellent communication, influencing and presentation skills, able to engage, steer and win support at all levels across the organisation.
• Somebody who is unafraid to appropriately challenge behaviours where required with the ability to navigate difficult but crucial conversations to develop leadership performance.
• Resilient and change focused with a track record of successfully delivering large-scale change initiatives.
  
  25 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays - You can buy' up to 35hrs of extra holiday too.
• Generous and flexible pension schemes.
• Volunteering days Two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid)
• Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services.
We also offer a wide range of well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you're fully supported. This includes our Flexible by Choice programme which gives our colleagues more choice over a hybrid way of working subject to role, team and client requirements. We have been ranked in the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations for 2024! Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We're committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish, and we have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business to support this aim. Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It's made up of four strands : Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono.