Business Planning Lead - 12 month FTC

London, England, United Kingdom

8/14/2025

Your Role

Manages the integrated business planning process for Linklaters globally to ensure that the Firm's legal practice areas, geographies and Business Teams are delivering tangible, beneficial outcomes aligned to the strategy. Collaborates with key stakeholders across the Business to ensure that short-term actions are aligned with long-term priorities and that tangible and measurable targets and plans are in place.

• Facilitates in-depth analysis (including market trends, competitive landscape analysis and SWOT analysis) and gathers business intelligence to provide the context and direction for business planning annually.
• Collaborates with Business Management, Sector Leaders and other key stakeholders from across the business to facilitate the business planning process (starting with the client and sector context through to global and national practices, to countries and Business Teams).
• Enables regular outcome-focussed reviews with the relevant planning governance committees and other leaders of the Firm to ensure that progress is tracked and that adjustments are conducted as required.
• Identifies synergies (and/or gaps) in plans and takes action accordingly, including collaborating with other Business Teams to input into other key business activities such as, client planning, budgeting, and portfolio planning.
• Identifies and develops enhancements to the Firm's approach to business planning, owning all templates, timelines and other assets as required on behalf of the Chief Business Change Officer to facilitate planning.
• Supports governance efforts to ensure business planning aligns with the Firm's overall direction and operational needs.
• Manages a Business Planning Analyst, developing and implementing goals and providing guidance to enhance their performance and contribution to the function.
• Experience of running integrated business planning or a similar process in a large (ideally legal or professional services) global environment.
• Comfortable dealing with stakeholders at all levels of seniority, including managing partner and Executive Committee equivalent.
• Solid understanding of the legal and / or professional services sector and key drivers for growth.
• Strong strategic and analytical background with experience of using data and KPIs to monitor and drive performance.
• Excellent collaborator with experience of working with a diverse set of business stakeholders / leaders to drive outcome-focused actions in line with strategy.
• Excellent communication skills both in writing and verbally. Ability to draft messages succinctly and appropriately dependent on audience.
  
  

The Business Change function partners with stakeholders across the firm to identify and deliver change initiatives that align with strategic goals—whether through process optimisation, technology implementation, organisational transformation, or cultural change. The team plays a crucial role in ensuring that change is identified and delivered effectively, sustainably, and with minimal disruption.

This role offers the chance to be at the forefront of one of the key processes for the firm, Integrated Business Planning, to ensure that all areas of the business are aligned around the firm’s strategic goals. As a new role in the organisation, you will have the chance to further develop and mature the firm’s approach to Business Planning whilst working directly with senior leaders to influence the firm’s future.

We are excited to welcome individuals who are forward-thinking, solution-oriented, and passionate about making a positive impact through strategic change.

Linklaters is a global law firm, with 30 offices in 20 countries worldwide.

We have been named as one of The Times’ Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality for the 10th consecutive year; recognised by Stonewall as a Top 100 employer for LGBTQ+ inclusion; and by the Social Mobility Employer Index as a Top 20 employer for advancing social mobility.

Linklaters are a people business. Being best in class in the eyes of our clients means that our people must be exceptional.

We look not only for brilliant minds, but for people who will thrive in our environment: people who love working collaboratively and demonstrate the innovative, efficient, agile, entrepreneurial, and responsible mind-set we aim to bring to every interaction.

Ours is an environment of outperformance. We achieve this not with targets and incentives, but by fostering a positive, supportive, fair, and open atmosphere.

We respect and value difference but insist on inclusivity. We celebrate all aspects of diversity and challenge any form of bias, because we want everyone to feel that they belong. This is vital to our ability to work as one team, with a common mind-set.

We recognise that one size does not fit all. Our goal is to embed flexibility across our firm by giving everyone the opportunity to work in an agile way, whether as a regular pattern or on an ad hoc basis, and we will be happy to discuss this further. We also recognise that women, especially, may hesitate to apply if they feel they may not meet every requirement listed despite being excited by the role. If this sounds like you, we’d really encourage you to apply.

At Linklaters

• We offer a truly global work experience and the opportunity to be involved in strategic projects that drive innovation and shape the future of our business
• We belong to a firm that embodies its corporate social, environment, and governance responsibility commitments
• We celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion so our people can bring themselves to work
• We advocate speak-up culture to empower our people in sharing their voices and an open-door policy to ensure they are listened to
• We invest in custom-fit career paths for our people in line with their talents and aspirations
• We provide agile working solutions to meet the changing needs of our people and our business
• We are committed to people first relationships based on mutual trust, respect, and appreciation
• We support the health and wellbeing of our people, providing a safe space to talk about emotions and mental health with access to expert advice as needed
• We invest in developing leaders of the future who demonstrate emotional intelligence and a passion to discover, coach and develop the talents of others
  
  

Technical Skills

This list of duties and responsibilities above is not exhaustive. It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for, the performance of this job. As such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.

Application Policy

Applications and CVs (direct or via agency) are only accepted online via the portal. Queries related to our roles must be directed to the relevant recruitment team and not the partners, practices or stakeholders ([email protected] for legal roles or [email protected] for business team roles).