Senior Manager, Competitive Intelligence

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP is one of Canada's leading business law firms. Advising many of Canada's corporate leaders, as well as U.S. and international parties with extensive interest in Canada, our more than 1,000 firm members are based in offices in Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary and New York.

Osler prides itself on attracting and maintaining some of the brightest talent in the legal arena. Our lawyers, students, management and staff have created a unique firm culture which nurtures mentoring and the exchange of ideas. Osler is a dynamic and exciting place to further your career or carve out a new path.

The Senior Manager, Competitive Intelligence will deliver the business, market, client and competitive intelligence information necessary to support firmwide, practice, industry, region, and client development strategies. The Senior Manager will collaborate with colleagues within CD&M and with lawyers using an extensive collection of internal and external resources to gather, filter, analyze, organize, package and deliver business and competitive intelligence information. This role is a people leader position. In addition, this role will act as the CD&M team's point person for leveraging existing data resources and technology tools (including Generative AI) to augment external research via platforms like PitchBook, intelligently connect internal insights to market opportunities, and ultimately enhance client development strategies.

This job posting is for a new position.

Major Responsibilities

Research Insights

• Works collaboratively with firm management, practice groups, industry groups, and the Client Development and Market (CD&M) team to deliver CI research projects in response to the needs of these groups. These projects can include: overall firm growth strategy, practice and industry group business development strategies, launch of new firm practice area or industry initiatives, strategic pitches/proposals, and proactive client relationship-building strategies
• Leverages AI-powered platforms and methodologies to identify critical trends (business, client, legal, economic, political and regulatory) and predict market shifts, and data-driven insights into client behavior and engagement patterns. This analysis is used to uncover non-obvious cross-selling opportunities within the firm's client base and target markets
• Analyzes competitive strengths, weaknesses, and strategies including tracking geographic expansions and lateral hiring
• Develops strategic and legal insights from a comprehensive review of market reports (such as Thomson Reuters Market Intelligence and BTI reports), competitor websites, thought leadership (publications, webinars, events, social media, etc.), market recognition (awards and rankings), and other publicly available sources
• Collects and analyzes internal and external data as it relates to current and potential clients, industries and practices, including information/data from firm lawyers, the firm's CRM, deals and cases database and financial systems, client annual reports, investor reports, industry publications, press releases and announcements, publications, and social media
• Synthesizes competitive, market, and client intelligence into clear, actionable recommendations that inform decision-making across business development, client service, and firm strategy

Research Operations

• Leads the evaluation, implementation, and best-practice development for AI tools and advanced online databases (such as Pitchbook, LexisNexis, Westlaw, Bloomberg Law, S&P Capital IQ, Mergermarket, Lex Machina) to enhance the team's research capabilities and support deeper analysis of client and market data

Reporting and Communication

• Develops, standardizes, and disseminates all Competitive Intelligence deliverables, ensuring outputs are presented to the appropriate audiences with strategic clarity and impact. Key reporting includes analytical reports (with Executive Summaries), client profiles, competitive benchmarking, and industry sector reports, all leveraging standardized templates for efficient communication and streamlined information sharing across email, reports, and presentations

Training and mentoring

• Serves as CD&M's subject matter expert and champion for CI and AI, providing comprehensive training to lawyers and the CD&M team on: leveraging CI to identify and capitalize on new business opportunities; the responsible and effective use of AI in client development research; and mastering core research tools and techniques to enable independent execution of basic CI tasks

Position Requirements

Education and Experience

This position requires a business degree or a master's degree in library science or equivalent. A minimum of three (3) years of experience in a research-focused role in a law firm or other professional services environment. An equivalent combination of education, training and experience may be acceptable.

Knowledge and Skills

• Advanced skills using legal and CI research tools with specific proficiency in leveraging generative AI platforms for business research and analysis
• Demonstrated strong project management and organizational skill
• Strong understanding of the capabilities and limitations of current AI technologies (e.g., large language models) and their application in a professional services context
• Experience in prompt engineering to elicit nuanced, accurate, and relevant information from AI systems
• Familiarity with the ethical considerations of using AI, particularly concerning data privacy, client confidentiality, and information accuracy
• Excellent oral and written communication
• Proactive and independent, as well as a strong team player
• Adaptable, able to balance competing demands
• Able to interact with confidence and authority with all levels of the organization—management, industry groups, and other business professionals

We are currently working in a hybrid work arrangement, which includes a requirement to work primarily in the office and flexibility to work remotely up to 2 days per week.

Accessibility and Accommodation

We thank all applicants for their interest in Osler; however, only chosen applicants will be contacted.  Osler is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment, and we welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities and people with diverse backgrounds, identities, and cultures. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates in all phases of the selection process.

Background and Reference Checks

Please note that any offer of employment will be conditional upon background and reference checks, including a criminal record check, credit check, and employment and educational verifications.

If you have the required background with the ability to provide exceptional customer service and wish to work in one of Canada's leading law firms, please reply in confidence with a cover letter and résumé by the closing date.

Please note that we use artificial intelligence to screen, assess or select applicants for the position.

No agencies or phone calls/emails please.

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