Head of Pricing

Experience level:

Advanced

Term type:

Permanent

Team:

BD & Marketing

Location:

Any Shoosmiths Office

This is an opportunity to lead the continued development of Shoosmiths' established Pricing function. As the firm's senior specialist adviser on pricing, the Head of Pricing will set the function's direction and priorities, lead the team and maintain the quality and impact of its work across the firm.

The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on commercial advice. You will work with partners on priority bids, panel appointments, key client relationships and negotiations, helping shape commercially sustainable pricing and positioning.

You will use commercial insight and judgement to influence significant pricing decisions, providing clear advice and practical recommendations to partners and senior leaders. You will also build on the progress already made in developing the firm's pricing capability and lead the pricing input to new and evolving service propositions. Success will require sound commercial judgement, confidence at senior level and the ability to make progress in complex or evolving situations.

Team

The Pricing team is a specialist commercial function within the Business Development and Marketing (BD&M) team at Shoosmiths, connecting commercial pricing and negotiation advice with client needs, market opportunities and the firm's wider strategic growth priorities.

Working closely with partners, senior stakeholders, Finance, and other teams across the firm, Pricing helps shape compelling commercial propositions and pricing approaches that communicate client value, support the firm's market positioning and deliver sustainable commercial outcomes. The team also develops practical guidance, tools and capability to improve the quality and consistency of pricing and negotiation practices across the business, aligned with the firm's strategy.

Main Responsibilities

Working with partners, senior leaders and colleagues across BD&M, Finance and other teams, you will:

Pricing strategy and commercial leadership

• Lead the Pricing team, setting priorities and ensuring the quality, consistency and commercial impact of its work.
• Act as the firm's senior specialist adviser on pricing, value, and negotiation, influencing decisions through commercially grounded advice.

Client opportunities and negotiations

• Lead pricing input to priority bids, panel appointments, new business and key client relationships, including international opportunities where relevant. Help shape value propositions, commercial positioning, fee structures and negotiation approaches, including direct client discussions where appropriate.
• Provide commercial modelling and recommendations for significant proposals and negotiations, making the options, assumptions, risks and trade-offs clear.

Commercial insight and pricing capability

• Use market, client, matter and portfolio insight to identify pricing opportunities and risks and improve future pricing decisions.
• Lead the continued development and adoption of practical pricing guidance, technology, tools, analytics, coaching and training across the firm.
• Provide pricing expertise to new and evolving service propositions, including connected services, productised offerings and technology or AI-enabled delivery, as well as selected cross-functional initiatives.

Team leadership and governance

• Develop the Pricing team and provide specialist input to proportionate pricing policies, approval processes and commercial controls in partnership with Finance and firm leadership.

Skills and experience

You will bring:

• Significant pricing experience within a law firm or professional services environment, supported by a strong commercial perspective.
• A strong understanding of law-firm economics, client procurement and the commercial drivers of rates, fee structures, matter scope and profitability.
• Demonstrated credibility and influence with partners and senior leaders, supported by sound commercial judgement and clear communication.
• Strong analytical and commercial modelling skills, including experience of alternative fee arrangements and the ability to turn incomplete information into clear options and recommendations.
• The ability to operate with autonomy, set priorities and work collaboratively across functions, balancing significant client opportunities with longer-term capability development.
• Strong Excel capability and experience of using data and analysis to support commercial decisions, ideally including familiarity with pricing technology, business intelligence tools and evolving delivery models.

The firm

Shoosmiths is the law firm clients choose for excellent service, incisive thinking and above all for our ability to focus on what matters. From offices across the UK and Brussels, we support some of the world's most exciting and ambitious businesses; amazing clients making an impact. We empower our people to be their authentic selves and deliver together in supportive teams committed to excellence and innovation. The first top 50 law firm to achieve 'Platinum Standard' Investors in People, our values and culture are not just words on our website but are the heartbeat of the firm.

We have an outstanding benefits package to complement our competitive remuneration system. In addition to the competitive salaries, great working environment and high-quality work, we believe that all staff should be rewarded for their commitment to the continued success of the firm through a comprehensive and flexible range of benefits.

To discover more about our benefits, please visit: Benefits Package

Shoosmiths is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. Disability Confident is a government scheme designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term conditions. The Disability Confident scheme replaced the Two Ticks Positive about Disabled People scheme. We had been accredited as a two tick employer for many years - Disability Confident broadens and develops that original commitment, and demonstrates we have adopted a proactive approach to employing disabled people and developing their abilities.

As part of our accreditation, we commit to interviewing any applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria for each vacancy. In some circumstances we may only be able to interview those that best meet the essential criteria due to the volume of applications received.

Further information on the Disability Confident scheme is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/disability-confident-campaign

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to and usable by everyone. If you have a disability or long-term condition and would like to receive information in a different way, or need us to make any adjustments, changes or do anything differently during the recruitment process, please get in touch with the Talent Acquisition team on Experienced.Hire@shoosmiths.com. We can consider your needs and requirements, and how we can assist you to apply for our roles. For example we can provide a copy of our application via email so that you can complete it using your own accessibility software.

Our approach to our people is underpinned by our approach to diversity, inclusion and well-being. Our ambition is to build a diverse and ambitious workforce that reflects all backgrounds and talents, and a workplace that is supportive and inclusive, recognises and nurtures talent, and has a strong sense of community between colleagues.

This means that everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, whatever their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.

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