Marketing & Business Development Coordinator

Africa is an important part of DLA Piper’s vision to be the leading global business law firm.

DLA Piper has a long history on the continent dating back over 20 years. We have built an unrivalled presence and geographical footprint, that includes over 460 lawyers operating from offices in 20 countries. We have two fully financially integrated DLA Piper offices in Johannesburg and Casablanca, in addition to DLA Piper Africa, a Swiss verein comprising 18 independent law firms across the continent working with DLA Piper lawyers globally to deliver best-in-class legal services to clients.

Ranked Band 1 for Africa-Wide Networks by Chambers Global for the past eight years, our prominence on the African continent continues to be recognised.

Delivered through five key pillars: People, Clients, Alignment, Quality and Technology & Innovation, our Africa strategy underpins our vision to be the leading provider of legal services in Africa as an integral part of DLA Piper globally.

The Africa Marketing & Business Development (MBD) team plays a critical role in the delivery and implementation of our strategy and ultimately in our Africa business’ success – both internationally and on the continent. The team works with partners and lawyers from across our DLA Piper Africa offices, in addition to DLA Piper partners globally, to develop and implement a range of high-profile campaigns, go-to-market strategies and client development activities that seek to drive revenue growth, deepen client relationships, raise market profile and develop a sense of community within Africa that will lead to a stronger, more cohesive client service offering.

The team is part of a larger DLA Piper International MBD team based in locations across Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. It also plays a key advisory role working with each of our Africa member firms across the continent to help them to develop and implement best practice MBD strategies within each of their respective markets.

Reporting to the Senior Business Development & Marketing Manager – Africa, this role is an exciting opportunity for a Marketing & BD Coordinator to join a dynamic, fast-paced and growing team. The role will primarily support the Pan-African and International components of our Africa strategy, leading and supporting on a broad range of initiatives to help the firm develop relationships with clients; raise profile and strengthen its position in the market with respect to Africa; improve collaboration between the MBD community across Africa and win profitable business. The role will take a primary lead with respect to the implementation of our Africa sector programme.

The role will suit an experienced and ambitious Marketing & BD Coordinator looking to take the next step in their career, with a firm that can offer international exposure and development opportunities within an African environment.

Main duties and responsibilities

Marketing & communications: acting as support lead and/or coordinator on the development and delivery of a range of marketing and communication activities that contribute to the delivery of our Africa strategy, with a focus on delivery of our sector programme. This may include:

• events, legal directory and legal award submissions, sponsorships, website & digital content, external and internal communications, integrated campaigns and marketing collateral.
• ensuring that all marketing activities are aligned to the firm's strategic objectives and that all materials produced reflect DLA Piper's Africa brand and adhere to our brand guidelines.

Business Development: working with partners, lawyers and the DLA Piper Africa marketing team to develop business across Africa. This may include:

• working alongside the Africa MBD team based in various locations across the globe to develop and support BD programmes for key sectors and key client accounts;
• providing guidance to our DLA Piper Africa office marketing colleagues on the implementation of client targeting initiatives
• preparation of bids and tenders, including input of Africa related content into global pitches
• helping to ensure our BD messages are consistent across capability statements and proposal content
• undertaking market research to support various targeting initiatives
• working with other marketing colleagues, ensuring BD strategies and messaging is being shared between aligned teams across Africa, across our practice groups and sectors enabling strong and cohesive go to market tactics to be deployed.

Systems and Process: supporting the implementation and use across Africa of supporting marketing infrastructure and tools including;

• maintaining Africa-related content on the DLA Piper website
• ensuring Africa-related content is kept up to date on our automated pitch systems
• supporting the implementation across Africa of global MBD projects, systems, processes and infrastructure.
• ensuring Africa credentials, awards and proposal content are kept up-to-date both within DLA Piper and on the DLA Piper Africa systems.
• supporting on the preparation of internal reports.

The job holder may be required to undertake additional duties from time to time.

About you

The ideal candidate must:

• be able to demonstrate strong commercial awareness in both approach and delivery
• display a consistently positive attitude and adopt a 'can do' approach as well as being able to work well on own initiative and also as part of a wider team; collaborative working style
• possess good project management skills with the ability to provide a high quality service while operating remotely from the end user
• be confident operating on their own initiative, owning projects and seeing them through to conclusion with limited supervision
• possess excellent written and verbal communication skills
• have a sound understanding of professional marketing approaches, new business issues, sales and pitch processes within the legal sector and particularly how these apply to Africa, sector and practice group marketing strategies
• demonstrate a professional approach in terms of commitment and internal client care
• have proven experience working in a virtual team environment
• have excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to exercise tact and diplomacy
• be able to demonstrate experience in dealing with a demanding workload and conflicting priorities
• be able to multi-task and work to deadlines, be methodical and logical, as well as thrive in a robust and fast-paced environment
• have the ability to see delegated tasks through to completion at a high standard
• have the ability to stay calm and composed in often demanding situations
• be fluent in English (French language capability would be benefit, but is not a must)
• be IT literate - experience of Excel, Word 2010, PowerPoint and Outlook is essential; experience of using InterAction/CRM systems would be beneficial
• hold a degree/CIM Professional Certificate in Marketing (desirable)
• demonstrate an ability to understand and identify with the firm and its objectives and values.

About us

We're a global law firm helping our clients achieve their goals wherever they do business. Our pursuit of innovation has transformed our delivery of legal services. With offices in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, we deliver exceptional outcomes on cross-border projects, critical transactions and high-stakes disputes.

At DLA Piper, we understand that inclusion is not a one-size-fits-all concept. We embrace and celebrate the range of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences that each individual brings to our firm. By fostering a culture that welcomes and appreciates all aspects of our individuality, we ensure that everyone has the opportunity to succeed.

Our commitment to inclusion and positive social impact enables us to provide exceptional service to our clients and communities, while nurturing a unique and inclusive culture for all our people. We welcome the unique contribution that you will bring to our firm and actively encourage applications from all talented people – however your talent is packaged, whatever your background or circumstance and regardless of how you identify.

We are committed to being accessible and accommodating any reasonable adjustments needed throughout the recruitment process to ensure an inclusive experience for all. If you need any support or adjustments, please let us know.

Where local legislation permits, we will conduct relevant pre-engagement screening checks prior to your first day.