Graduate Business Development Assistant, Harper Macleod LLP

About the opportunity

As our Business Development team continues to grow, we are looking for a curious, organised and enthusiastic graduate to join Harper Macleod’s award-winning Business Development department. This is a great opportunity to start a career in professional services and gain hands-on experience in how a leading Scottish law firm wins work, builds client relationships and showcases its expertise.

The role

You will join our Bids, Tenders and Legal Directories team, supporting the preparation of tender submissions, contract mobilisation work and legal directory submissions. These activities are central to how the firm presents its experience, responds to client opportunities and competes for new work.

Working with Senior Associate Anna Maitles and the wider team, you will help create clear, persuasive and well-organised materials for bids, pitches and legal directory submissions. You will also help maintain the information and processes that allow the team to work efficiently and deliver high-quality work to deadlines.

You do not need prior legal sector experience. What matters most is that you are interested in how professional services firms work, confident working with written information, comfortable collaborating with others and keen to learn. If you enjoy organisation, problem-solving, writing and working in a deadline-driven environment, this could be an excellent first step in your career.

What you’ll gain

·        Practical experience in business development, bids, tenders and legal directories within a leading Scottish law firm

·        Exposure to partners, lawyers and business services colleagues across the firm

·        The opportunity to develop writing, research, project management, commercial awareness and communication skills

·        Support and guidance from experienced colleagues as you build confidence in the role

·        A strong foundation for a career in business development, marketing, bids, legal operations or professional services

What you’ll be doing

•     Supporting the Bids team with new public and private sector tender opportunities

•     Helping to prepare polished tender response documents and submission materials

•     Creating and updating CVs, team profiles and organisational charts for bids and pitches

•     Supporting the mobilisation of new contracts once work has been won

•     Maintaining and improving the team’s tender knowledge and information resources

•     Assisting the Legal Directories team with templates, submissions and supporting information

•     Keeping trackers, reports and team information tools accurate and up to date

•     Working collaboratively with colleagues across the firm to gather information and meet deadlines

About you

Ø Essential skills and experience:

•      A degree in any discipline

•      Excellent written and verbal communication skills

•     Strong attention to detail and the ability to produce accurate work

•      Confidence working with information, documents and deadlines

•      A collaborative approach and the ability to build positive working relationships

•      Curiosity about how law firms and professional services businesses operate

•      A willingness to learn legal terminology, processes and the wider Scottish legal market

•      An interest in innovation, AI and technology, and how these can be used to improve efficiency and quality in document production

Ø Desirable, but not essential:

·        Awareness of the legal sector or professional services

·        Experience using databases, Excel or document formatting tools

·        Experience gained through part-time work, volunteering, university projects, societies or internships

How to apply

If you are organised, curious, collaborative and keen to start a career in business development within the legal sector, we would like to hear from you. We welcome applications from graduates from all degree backgrounds and encourage you to tell us how your studies, work experience or extracurricular activities have helped you develop the skills for this role.

Let your ambitions grow with ours

At Harper Macleod, ambition is what drives us forward. We are a firm that cares about doing great work and making a real impact for our clients and for each other. We believe in progress, not standing still. That means sharing ideas, supporting growth and creating opportunities for everyone to shine. If you want to work somewhere that values curiosity and collaboration, you’ll feel right at home here.

Our story so far includes recognition as Scotland’s Firm of the Year 2025, ESG Firm of the Year 2024 and a place in the Legal 500’s Green Guide for two years running. But we’re not done yet. The best is still to come. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, active colleague engagement, wellbeing, sustainability & CSR programmes and the opportunity to develop your career.

If you’re ready to shape the future with us, we would love to hear from you

Harper Macleod LLP is committed to promoting equal opportunities and developing a diverse workforce.