Business Manager - Real Estate

The role

The Business Manager acts as the operational lead for a designated division, providing day-to-day strategic, financial and operational support to the Divisional Head.

The role removes administrative and operational burden from divisional leadership, ensuring priorities are translated into action, plans are executed and performance is actively managed. Acting as the central coordinator across partners and business services teams, the Business Manager drives execution, accountability and operational excellence within the division.

• Divisional Performance Management
• Monitor and report divisional performance metrics.
• Analyse revenue, utilisation, leverage, billing discipline, recovery and profitability.
• Identify performance issues and recommend corrective actions.
• Track progress against divisional targets and strategic plans.
• Support Divisional Head in addressing underperformance and improvement opportunities.
• Manage international growth and integration.
• Represent the division on relevant firmwide committees, boards and working groups, ensuring divisional priorities are communicated and agreed actions are delivered.

• Coordinate delivery of the divisional strategic plan.
• Maintain divisional action plans, milestones and reporting.
• Track accountability and ensure actions are completed.
• Escalate risks, dependencies and delivery issues.
• Support structured review meetings with divisional leadership.

• Prepare briefing packs, performance reports and meeting materials.
• Develop agendas, recommendations and action plans.
• Coordinate divisional leadership meetings.
• Ensure actions are documented, allocated and delivered.
• Anticipate issues and proactively manage priorities.

• Act as the operational hub of the division.
• Ensure consistent communication of priorities and decisions.
• Coordinate activity across departments and practice groups.
• Support engagement and communication initiatives.
• Drive alignment between teams and divisional objectives.

• Support budgeting, forecasting and financial planning.
• Monitor key commercial indicators and trends.
• Produce performance reports and business insights.
• Support resource planning and capacity management.
• Work closely with Finance to ensure strong financial discipline.

• Coordinate divisional hiring and promotion plans.
• Support business case development for strategic hires.
• Manage hiring and onboarding activities.
• Coordinate stakeholder engagement throughout recruitment processes.
• Monitor integration and performance of new hires.

• Act as the primary point of coordination for divisional business services support.
• Ensure HR, Finance, Risk, Technology, Marketing and Talent activities are aligned.
• Monitor delivery of business services commitments.
• Escalate issues where delivery is delayed or priorities conflict.
• Drive effective execution of divisional business plans.

• Support implementation of AI, technology and process improvement initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational effectiveness.
• Coordinate pilots and implementation activities.
• Promote adoption of new ways of working.
• Track benefits and outcomes of improvement initiatives.

• Develop and coordinate divisional communications.
• Support town halls, partner meetings and engagement activities.
• Reinforce divisional priorities and strategic objectives.
• Ensure communications are timely, clear and consistent.
• Foster collaboration across teams and functions.

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…