Resource Manager

Department/Division
:
Practice Management
- Corporate Team

Duration
:
Permanent

Type of Role
:
Hybrid (3 days per week to be office based)

Reference number
: 9837

Resource Management is a new area of support for Dentons to fulfill a strong need that has been identified initially within the Corporate practice. The role will be positioned within the wider Practice Management team who operate as senior-level support to the Divisional Leader and Practice Group Leaders in helping to set the strategic direction, priorities and day-to-day running of the Division.

The Corporate practice covers teams across London, Scotland and Milton Keynes as well as offering additional support in Ireland. The group operates on a "one-team" basis with resource shared across offices.

Dentons is seeking a commercially minded and operationally strong Resource Manager to design, implement, and embed a structured resource management methodology within the Corporate team.

This is a transformation-focused role. The successful candidate will establish consistent work allocation processes, improve utilisation and capacity planning, enhance visibility of pipeline demand, and support equitable distribution of work across fee earners. The role will play a critical part in improving profitability, lawyer development, client service delivery, and overall operational efficiency within the Corporate practice.

Longer term, there may be an opportunity to expand the team to encompass additional practice areas in a broader firm roll‑out. This is an opportunity for an individual seeking a role with strong growth potential.

Design & Implementation of Resource Management Framework

• Develop and implement a structured resource management methodology tailored to the Corporate practice.
• Establish clear work allocation principles, governance processes, and escalation pathways.
• Introduce capacity planning and forward-looking demand forecasting processes.
• Define and monitor key resource metrics (utilisation, realisation, leverage, availability, stretch allocation, etc.).
• Create dashboards and reporting frameworks to provide transparency across partners and leadership.

• Oversee day-to-day allocation of work across the Corporate team to ensure:
  • Appropriate skill matching.
  • Fair and transparent distribution of work.
  • Balanced utilisation.
  • Development opportunities aligned with career progression.
• Manage pipeline visibility by working closely with partners to anticipate upcoming matters and resourcing needs.
• Identify resourcing gaps and propose solutions (lateral hires, secondees, flexible staffing, cross-team support).

• Partner closely with Corporate partners to embed new allocation processes and drive adoption.
• Act as a trusted advisor to partners on resource planning and workload management.
• Work collaboratively with HR, Finance, and Practice Development teams to align resource strategy with performance, promotion, and hiring plans.
• Lead change management initiatives, including training, communication, and process documentation.

• Analyse utilisation trends, capacity data, and financial performance indicators.
• Produce regular reports for practice leadership on resource deployment and optimisation.
• Provide data-driven recommendations to improve profitability and team effectiveness.
• Support strategic workforce planning.

• Identify inefficiencies in current allocation practices and implement improvements.
• Benchmark against best practice resource management models within professional services.
• Embed a culture of proactive planning rather than reactive staffing.

• Proven experience in resource management, workforce planning, or operational management within a law firm or professional services environment.
• Experience implementing structured resource management processes (not just administering allocations).
• Strong understanding of utilisation, financial metrics, and matter economics.
• Ability to influence and build credibility with senior stakeholders and partners including skills…