Job Description
The role
Job Overview
Clifford Chance's Finance team is at the heart of its strategy. The department is involved in managing accounts, budgets and forecasts, providing trend and competitor analysis and other statistical support for Partner presentations, as well as cash management, remuneration and internal audit, ultimately ensuring that the Firm is compliant, efficient and profitable.
The Commercial Matter Pricing Specialist role is part of the global Commercial Finance team. The team are regarded as the experts in their field providing high quality commercial pricing, analysis and insights.
Who you will work with
Supporting the Partners in UK and Continental Europe in achieving the Firm, Regional and Practice Area strategic pricing and commercial objectives through matter pricing support.
Close cooperation with regional and global pricing team and active contributor to international pricing initiatives. Further, collaboration with local colleagues from Business Development, our Innovation & Best Delivery Team as well as across Finance and other business professional functions.
What you will be responsible for
You will be responsible for but not limited to:
Pricing
1. Working closely with Partners to formulate and model matter pricing options, develop negotiation strategies and support in commercial pricing negotiations.
2. Provide commercial pricing support across the matter lifecycle.
3. Coordination of regional practice area pricing committee and submission of proposals to regional and global pricing committees.
4. Ensure adherence to the Firm's commercial standards and pricing governance framework.
5. Continually contribute to commercial governance tools, processes and best practice approaches across the team.
6. Training and up-skilling of fee earners and business professionals across the network so as to extend and develop improved commercial awareness.
Team
7. Work as part of a highly skilled and knowledgeable team creating a "go to", trusted and highly valued function.
8. Work as part of a practice area aligned network of commercial pricing specialists, providing support for team colleagues within the region and globally.
9. Report to the Director of Commercial Finance through your respective Practice Area Leads and with close alignment to the Regional Business Manager.
What you will do
In this role you will support the UK and Continental European region. The role of the Commercial Matter Pricing Specialist is primarily focussed on:
10. Raising commercial awareness with Partners, fee earners and business professionals and supporting in commercial decision making on strategic matters. This will involve producing matter pricing models and negotiation strategies, providing support throughout the matter pricing process and especially throughout the matter lifecycle.
11. Supporting the application of our matter commercial standards and matter pricing governance.
12. Identifying opportunities to deliver additional value to clients through alternative fee arrangements.
13. Client facing role, engaging with client procurement and legal operations in tenders and negotiations while supporting the Partners throughout.
14. Developing and aligning to a specific Practice Area within the region but equally supporting the wider team as required.
Qualifications
Your experience
Skills
15. A commercially focused and highly numerate individual with a proven ability to influence Partners and senior stakeholders.
16. Strong communicator who can explain commercials with sufficient gravitas to influence Partner decisions and interact with clients.
17. A commercially astute and strong negotiator who can hold/protect margin in discussions whilst taking on responsibility for liaising with client procurement functions.
18. Ability to work autonomously but under firm guiding principles and as part of a highly collaborative and impactful team.
Experience
19. Preferably experience of providing matter pricing support within a law firm or professional services environment.
20. Experience of scenario modelling / compiling pricing proposals and understanding the levers to deliver client value and commercially viable pricing.
Knowledge
A finance/procurement expert who understands and can balance the sensitivities of dealing with Partners and clients on matter pricing.
Qualifications
Educated to degree level.
Languages
Fluent in English. Additional European language skills would be beneficial.
How we will support you
From your first day with us, you will have varied opportunities to continuously grow and develop your skills and knowledge. From formal training, informal coaching and mentoring through to skills-based and technical training and on the job learning.
Company Description
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.
Additional Information
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.
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 .