We’re a national law firm with a local reach. Our legal experts are here for you. Whether it’s personal or business, we understand that everyone’s situation is different. But we’re more than just a law firm – we’re a team of people working together to help individuals and businesses navigate life’s ups and downs. Working here you’ll feel a part of our friendly and inclusive environment.

We’ll value you for who you are and what you bring. We support each other and push boundaries to achieve incredible things and make a real difference to our clients and communities.

We're always looking to support our colleagues to work in a way that works best for them and everyone else, including our clients, the business and the regulators. Please speak to a member of our Recruitment and Onboarding team for more information.

We’re looking for a Senior Business Development Manager to play a pivotal role in accelerating our growth and presence across Scotland. This is an exciting opportunity to build and lead a new Scotland‑based BD team, working closely with senior Partners across our Business Services Group and Private Client Group.

You’ll join a collaborative, high‑performing national Business Development & Marketing function and have a significant impact on how we develop relationships, build our profile, and win new work across the Scottish market.

The Role

As our Senior Business Development Manager, you’ll act as a strategic advisor to our leading Partners in Scotland. You’ll shape and execute growth strategies, build strong external networks, and create a pipeline of new opportunities across key market areas.

This role is ideal for someone who is forward‑thinking, commercially driven, and passionate about creating meaningful client experiences.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Developing and delivering strategic BD plans that support growth across our Scottish business.
• Building, nurturing, and converting new business pipelines.
• Strengthening and deepening relationships with clients, referrers, and key intermediaries.
• Leading and developing a Scotland‑based BD team, driving a high‑performance culture.
• Working with Partners to spot opportunities across practice groups and business units.
• Actively engaging in the market; attending events, meeting clients, and identifying new opportunities.
• Leading key accounts and partnerships with clear, measurable action plans.
• Supporting bids and tender submissions alongside our dedicated Bids team.
• Managing accurate forecasting and supporting business cases for growth initiatives.
• Championing CRM usage to track engagement, identify risks, and support strategic decisions.
• Using dashboards, reporting, and data insights to measure ROI and performance against targets.

What We’re Looking For

• Significant experience in a senior business development role, ideally within professional or partnership‑based services.
• A proactive, outward‑facing approach with a strong track record of building trusted client and intermediary relationships.
• The ability to work independently while thriving in a collaborative, cross‑functional environment.
• Strong strategic thinking, commercial acumen, and long‑term planning capability.
• A natural ability to anticipate opportunities, think holistically, and influence senior stakeholders.
• A commitment to delivering exceptional client service.
• Strong data literacy and experience using insight to drive decisions and performance.
• A flexible, solutions‑focused mindset with a willingness to challenge the status quo.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and influencing skills, including presenting to senior partners.
• Proven experience in leading and developing high‑performing teams.

• 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.

As part of the Irwin Mitchell Group’s on-boarding process all successful applicants are required to complete the group’s employment screening process. This process helps to ensure that all new employees meet our standards in relation to honesty and integrity therefore protecting the interests of the Group, colleagues, clients, partners and other stakeholders.

We carry out pre employment screening to establish your eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record and financial checks ­with our trusted 3rd parties.

The employment screening process will fully comply with Data Protection and other applicable laws.

Irwin Mitchell LLP is an equal opportunity employer.