Account Director
Salary: £75,000 - £80,000 per annum DOE, plus company benefits
Location: Remote(must be based in the UK), with frequent travel to London site as required
Contract: Full Time, Permanent
Shifts: 37.5 hours per week, Monday – Friday, 9am until 5:30pm with 1 hours unpaid break
Williams Lea seeks an Account Director to join our team!
Williams Lea is the leading global provider of skilled, technology-enabled, business-critical support services, with long-term trusted relationships with blue-chip clients across investment banks, law firms and professional services firms. Williams Lea employees, nearly 7000 people worldwide, who provide efficient business services at client sites in often complex and highly regulated environments, from centralised Williams Lea onshore facilities, and through best cost company offshore locations.
Purpose of role
The Account Director will have at least five years of experience working with large-scale legal client engagements. The successful candidate will act as the senior client manager for several complex multi-service contracts, overseeing the strategic and operational direction to drive business growth and service excellence. They will be responsible for gaining a clear understanding of the existing client needs. They will develop and implement relationships and strategies to increase the company’s service offerings to the client.
Additionally, the successful candidate will be responsible for the overall financial performance of the client account portfolio and ensuring the achievement of budgeted revenue and profit. The candidate will possess a proven track record in delivering business growth to the legal industry, with digitally enabled service offerings, and developing strategic solutions to client requirements.
Key responsibilities
The Account Director responsibilities will include, but not be limited to, the following:
- Maintain adequate levels of governance to ensure appropriate management of commercial, contractual and risk matters.
- Actively engage with client and build effective relationships to truly understand their business priorities and thereby be able to consult and offer transformational solutions.
- Be an active and supportive member of the WL EMEA Legal senior management team, sharing responsibility for delivery of the WL development plan and commercial targets.
Client Relationship Management
- Manage clients proactively and professionally, ensuring their expectations are not only met, but exceeded.
- Resolve issues escalated by the client and communicate significant issues to the Business Director, EMEA Legal.
- Develop and maintain networks and relationships among senior key decision-makers in assigned client organisations.
- Develop strategies to capture viable business opportunities, presenting and communicating these to client(s).
- Promote internal relationships and collaboration across portfolio to leverage growth across the accounts.
Financial Management
- Commercial ownership of the legal sector client portfolio, including P&L performance and meeting budget / target.
- Accountability for overall financial performance of accounts against budget. Manage the annual budgeting process.
- Ensure direct reports are clear about financial targets and support their achievements.
- Ensure a structured plan for profit enhancement is in place and is monitored closely for performance.
- Forecast monthly results.
- Develop and analyse the monthly performance and progress reports, including expense management and achievement of financial targets.
- Manage forecasting within the financial year as required.
- Manage the contract negotiation and re-negotiation process.
- Ensure contract and pro-forma compliance.
- Be alert to market opportunities, exploiting and cross-selling effectively.
Business Development and Business Planning
- Participate in the formation of proposals for business expansion through the contract renewal and business development process.
- Achieve the existing client new business revenue & GP targets for the portfolio.
- Support the Business Development Director for EMEA Legal sector in meeting organisational growth objectives
- Lead operational involvement in the sales process for new business to meet expansion goals.
- Ensure the successful introduction and implementation of new contracts or services.
- Expand understanding of client(s) business, their industry, and key developments.
- Participate in the strategic planning process for the region and develop effective strategic plans and objectives for all accounts.
- Ensure the effective deployment of resources to support the account base.
- Maintain an awareness of and exercise sound business judgment in such areas as market conditions, competitive activities, general economic conditions and related matters.
Operational Management
- Review assessments of operational and client issues at client / WL sites and troubleshoot significant operations/service delivery issues.
- Ensure the continuous review and improvement of client metrics and reports.
- Develop and maintain flexible staffing targets based on profitability.
- Manage the strategic allocation of resources.
- Build relationships with key vendors/stakeholders and ensure they are satisfying the business needs of the client base.
- Build relationships with support departments and key external suppliers, as appropriate.
- Foster a culture of excellence and ensure continuous improvement using best practices.
People Management and Development
- Work closely with all levels, including senior and executive management, managers and staff at client sites and within WL regional and corporate offices.
- Manage the selection, development, retention, motivation, and performance management of direct reports.
- Ensure all Human Resources matters are managed effectively and consistently.
- Establish credibility with direct reports, communicating effectively and ensuring a two-way process for sharing information is in place.
- Manage the succession planning process for management and supervisory roles.
Personal attributes
The Account Director will be a strong inspirational leader who can articulate a clear vision. The individual will have a proven track record of being a recognised leader of people in a client facing and customer service intensive environment. They will possess a clear track record of accomplishment in successfully growing volume, profitability and client satisfaction.
You will have at least five years of experience managing multiple service offerings within the legal sector. A minimum of five years of successful financial management experience is also required. Finally, the candidate will have a clear understanding of how day-to-day and strategic decisions impact client P&L.
- Experience and/or knowledge of the legal sector.
- Demonstrable Leadership behaviours, driving our client and employee engagement.
- Experience in the development and implementation of complex multi-service solutions for clients.
- Possess a strong operational understanding yet having the capability to step away from the operational detail to provide the necessary thought leadership and drive the growth agenda.
- Ability to form multiple effective client relationships, identify new business opportunities and adopt a consultative sales approach.
- Demonstrate drive, enthusiasm, a passion to succeed with the credibility and gravitas to work across multiple client accounts.
- Good understanding of what is happening in the external marketplace in terms of our clients’ changing requirements, the competitive environment and emerging technologies
- Can see the wider picture, collaborate, consult and influence globally in an entrepreneurial organisation that delivers in a corporate and professional market
- Outstanding commercial understanding to take a solution concept from design through to a viable and profitable solution.
Rewards and Benefits
We believe in supporting our employees in both their professional and personal lives. As part of our commitment to your well-being, we offer a comprehensive benefits package, including but not limited to:
- 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays(pro-rata for part time roles)
- Salary sacrifice schemes, retail vouchers – including our TechScheme which can be used on a range of gadgets such as Smart TV’s, laptops and computers or household appliances.
- Life Assurance
- Private Medical Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Health Assessments
- Cycle-to-work scheme
- Discounted gym memberships
- Referral Scheme
You will also have the opportunity to work for a global employer who is dedicated to offering each and every employee an enjoyable, challenging and rewarding career with future career development prospects!
Equality and Diversity
The Company values the differences that a diverse workforce brings to the organisation and will not discriminate because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (which includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation (each of these being a “protected characteristic” in discrimination law). It will not discriminate because of any other irrelevant factor and will build a culture that values openness, fairness and transparency.
If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format or would like to make a reasonable adjustment to enable you to make an interview please contact us at careersatWL@williamslea.com(we do not accept applications to this email address).
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