Strategic Relationships Lead

The Law Society

About the Organisation

Law Society represents solicitors in England and Wales. From negotiating with and lobbying the profession's regulators, government, and others, to offering training and advice, we're here to help, protect, and promote solicitors across England and Wales. An exciting opportunity has arisen to recruit for a role at the heart of the Law Society's campaigning and political influencing activity.

The Law Society is the independent professional body for over 200,000 solicitors in England and Wales. A year into the new government, there is a significant opportunity to influence the political debate, drive important issues such as access to justice, the rule of law, and a thriving legal business sector up the agenda, and influence policy on behalf of our members.

About the role

We are seeking a highly strategic relationship leader who can bring together complex stakeholder activity across a large organisation and create a clear, joined-up approach that supports our corporate ambitions. You will be an exceptional collaborator with the ability to build credibility quickly, influence at senior levels, and develop strong partnerships both internally and externally.

The successful candidate will have experience leading strategic relationship management, stakeholder engagement, partnerships, or external affairs functions within a membership body, professional organisation, charity, public sector institution, or similarly complex environment. You will be comfortable working across multiple teams, identifying opportunities for greater alignment, and creating frameworks that enable colleagues to work together more effectively.

You will have a strong track record of building and maintaining influential senior stakeholder relationships, representing an organisation externally, and acting as a trusted adviser to leaders and key decision-makers. Experience of managing grant programmes, networks, or member engagement initiatives would be highly beneficial, as would an understanding of governance and working with elected or appointed representatives.

As a leader, you will be skilled at motivating and developing teams, creating a collaborative culture, and delivering results through others. You will combine strategic thinking with strong organisational skills, enabling you to manage competing priorities while maintaining a focus on long-term objectives. Above all, you will be passionate about building meaningful relationships that deliver value for members and support organisational success.

Responsibilities

Core Duties:

• Lead the delivery of the organisation’s strategic relationships approach, ensuring alignment with corporate priorities and missions.
• Build awareness of strategic relationships that various teams already lead and manage to create one central high-level view. 
• Join up strategic relationships work across teams and "bring the threads together." 
• Build internal relationships to help staff and committee members use the joined-up strategy.
• Support elected and appointed members to share information about their strategic contacts and capture this information centrally
• Collaborate and coordinate across teams to identify areas for joined-up planning and delivery. 
• Identify, map, and prioritise critical non-commercial stakeholder partners and networks.
• Build and maintain senior relationships with assigned key stakeholder groups and networks and oversee a portfolio of external strategic relationships.
• Represent the organisation externally and act as ambassador at a senior level.
• Support commercial goals and relationships, as appropriate, working closely with Commercial, Engagement and other relevant teams.
• Oversee the management of the Law Society’s approach to grant funding to manage how grants are given out. Make sure the programme follows the rules and meets the goals of the organisation. 
• Oversee the management of members’ diversity and inclusion networks. Manage how networks are run at the Law Society. Ensure annual plans flow from and are aligned to the corporate strategy and business plan priorities for the year. 
• Lead, coach, support and motivate a team of network and grants managers

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Skills & Attributes:

• Strong experience of stakeholder engagement and relationship management at a strategic level
• Experience implementing organisational strategies and frameworks
• Excellent relationship building skills with internal and external stakeholders
• Experience of leading cross-team collaboration, building strong relationships with colleagues at all levels to drive joined-up working
• Strong understanding of the need for governance, risk management and performance measurement in the management of strategic relationships
• Ability to work in a multi-stakeholder environment with a complex governance structure.
• Ability to analyse and prioritise opportunities based on strategic impact and value
• Confident communicator, able to influence stakeholders at all levels and communicate key information clearly and consistently.
• Ability to work at pace and confidently manage competing priorities.
• Experience of overseeing grant-funded partnerships.
• Experience of effectively leading a small team of engagement and grants managers

Compensation & Benefits

• 3% flex fund after 3 months, plus comprehensive benefits
• Generous flexible benefits package
• A friendly working environment and the opportunity to develop your career within a professional organisation.

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the London office and remotely

How to apply

• Apply to our website
• Please note: if you are an internal applicant, the Pay Policy will apply.

Interviews

• Interviews will be held on 23rd and 24th September 2026

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