Practice Manager - Bristol

Job Introduction

DAC Beachcroft is looking to appoint a Practice Manager to be based in Bristol.  Our Practice Management function is a highly regarded team of individuals from varied professional backgrounds who operate as trusted business partners to our practice leaders.

Working alongside the Heads of designated practice areas and sectors, the Practice Manager role encompasses financial, people, process and operational elements, as well as local delivery of aspects of the Firm's Strategy.

Working in partnership with the Firm's Business Services functions, the Practice Managers are responsible for the communication, management and execution of business as usual activities in their designated practice areas ensuring delivery on time, within budget and in line with the Firm's cultural principles.  They also play a key role in designing and embedding cultural and structural change initiatives.

Role Responsibility

Key responsibilities include:

Business Planning

• Working with the Cluster Heads (‘Cluster’ is DACB terminology for Practice Areas), Sector Head(s) and other key stakeholders to create, maintain and deliver business plans which deliver growth and/or profit improvement, optimising location, resourcing and quality of service delivery within the Cluster(s)
• Ensuring that business plans are appropriately and regularly communicated at all levels within the Cluster(s) and that colleagues within the Cluster(s) understand clearly their role in delivering the Business Plan
• Providing business analysis and benchmarking of the Cluster's performance against its peers and competitors

Operational Delivery

• Supporting the Cluster Head(s) in the day to day running of operational aspects of the Cluster (e.g. setting fee earner targets, identifying and allocating resources, procuring appropriate services from Business Services, providing Cluster input as required to pitches and tenders)
• Providing support for and input to annual budgeting and reforecasting processes, working in conjunction with the Cluster Head(s) and Finance Business Partner(s)
• Working with the Cluster Head(s) and Finance Business Partner(s) for the Clusters, monitor and manage ongoing performance against a range of operational KPIs in line with budget (e.g. utilisation and realisation, lock up management, billing, revenue generation and cost management), providing and commissioning regular and ad hoc reporting as required
• Highlighting any significant performance deficits to the Cluster Head(s) and work with HR and Cluster Head(s) to ensure that appropriate corrective action is taken to address such deficits
• Working with HR Business Partners and Finance Business Partners to provide input for business as usual activities and processes including salary review, bonus submissions, promotions, recruitment and integration, performance reviews

Process Improvement

• Identifying areas where business performance within the Cluster(s) could be improved and work with the Cluster Head(s) and business services to compile business cases for change projects and process improvements
• Acting as Cluster sponsor as required for process improvement projects, ensuring that the appropriate skills are deployed in order to bring about the required improvement in processes, technology and/or working practices

Communication

• Supporting the Cluster Head(s) in embedding the Firm's Purpose, Vision, Strategy and Cultural Principles and in communicating key internal messages to their team(s), including the cascade of comms about firm-wide initiatives or processes
• Providing advice on the best way to communicate effectively within the Clusters and taking into consideration any internal issues which may affect how key internals communications are received

Compliance

• Ensuring that the Cluster(s) understands and complies with relevant Corporate Governance and quality standards
• Helping to ensure that required standards are meet/exceeded, ISO9001 and ISO27001, consistent use of ‘case management systems’, internal protocols and the execution of Firm policies
• Handle confidential information in line with the firm's data security protocols

The Ideal Candidate

• Significant experience of multi-disciplinary operational management, within a professional services environment – knowledge of the legal sector would be an advantage
• Strong academic background.  Educated to degree level, ideally with a professional/business qualification
• Exceptional commercial acumen and a sophisticated understanding/ experience of finance and fiscal management as well as experience of delivering against commercial KPIs
• Significant strategic, structural and cultural change management experience with demonstrable achievements in the area of process review and development
• Highly adaptable, strong influencer of people with tenacity, credibility and excellent communication and presentation skills
• Previous experience of leading professional managers is essential
• Flexible in terms of travel

About the Company

We are a leading international legal business with over 2,500 colleagues and a diverse range of capabilities. We have 11 offices in the UK as well as offices in Dublin, Madrid, Paris, Singapore, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Miami. We also have associations/alliances with firms in Malaysia, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Central America, the USA, Australia and Germany.

We are a broad-based commercial firm with a strong heritage in insurance, health and real estate. This is complemented by a fast-growing Business Advisory capability. We represent a wide range of clients, ranging from household names to government departments and NHS bodies. We act for all of the UK’s top-ten insurers, we are market leaders in the provision of strategic, commercial and regulatory advice to providers and commissioners in the health sector, and in real estate we advise all of the UK’s top-12 housebuilders.

We have an impressive legal pedigree, with 142 Chambers UK 2021 practice area and individual lawyer rankings. In Legal 500 UK 2021, the firm received a top tier ranking for 37 of its practice areas, and 58 DACB lawyers were singled out in the ‘Leading Individual' rankings.

Our successes have been recognised by the legal industry and the markets in which we operate. These accolades include two top prizes in the ‘Excellence in Business Development’ and ‘Excellence in Technology & Innovation’ categories of the 2020 Law Society Excellence Awards – the highest accolade for law firms in England & Wales. Our health sector team won the ‘Crisis Management Team of the Year’ award at the 2020 British Legal Awards for its support to the NHS at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and our Cyber & Data Risk team received the ‘Business Development Innovation Award’ at the 2020 Legal Innovation Awards, as well as ‘Cyber Law Firm of the Year’ at the prestigious Insurance Insider Cyber Rankings Awards, for its market-leading suite of digital tools to help our clients prepare for and respond to cyber and data risk crises.

Our vision is to be leading business advisers, recognised for our insight and our outstanding commitment to clients, and for being the place where talented people want to work. For further details on our work and our culture, please visit www.dacbeachcroft.com.

Application Details

At DAC Beachcroft, we don’t just accept your differences we celebrate them.  From bespoke solutions for our clients, to treating you like an individual.  Our strength comes from your diverse ideas and bringing the whole you to work. So if you’re good at what you do, come as you are.  We welcome direct applications and are happy to talk flexible working.

We also want you to be at your very best.  Please feel free to let us know of any changes we can make at any point in the recruitment process that will help support your application.  If this opportunity sounds of interest to you, please make an application and submit your CV.  Your application will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence.

Note for Recruitment Agencies – the DAC Beachcroft recruitment team is responsible for managing all current vacancies through direct hiring and referrals wherever possible.  We do work with recruitment agencies and where we require external support we will formally release those vacancies to the agencies on our Preferred Supplier List deemed best placed to assist us.  Speculative CVs sent by any agency to any DAC Beachcroft employee without a specific request by the recruitment team will not be accepted and with no introduction fee applicable.  Our recruitment team can be contacted at recruitment@dacbeachcroft.com

DAC Beachcroft