Pricing Specialist

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP•Toronto, ON

41d•$65,000 - $75,000•Hybrid

About The Position

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. Reporting to the Manager, Pricing, the Pricing Specialist plays a key role in supporting and optimizing the firm’s pricing models and strategies. The position is responsible for providing financial and profitability analysis on business proposals, and supporting the pricing team in developing, analyzing and executing creative, workable pricing solutions in response to client pricing demands. This job posting is for an existing vacancy.

Requirements

The position requires a university degree in a business discipline and a minimum of two years of progressive experience in finance-related field, including analytics in a law firm or other professional service industry.
Strong analytical skills to look beyond financial data / report and prepare concise and actionable insight to aid business decision making and risk assessment
Excellent communication skills with a calm, but confident presence for direct engagement that builds trust with senior members of the Firm, including Partners
Working knowledge of pricing, alternative fee arrangements, negotiation tactics and costing of services in the legal or professional services context
Experience in supporting, coaching and influencing senior management and client-facing professionals on business strategy issues
Ability to work autonomously and manage multiple engagements with tight deadlines. Excellent time management and organizational skills in order to efficiently multi-task and prioritize are critical
Self-starter and a proactive approach with a mindset of continuous innovation and improvement
Solid knowledge of financial analytical and reporting tools such as Excel (advanced), SQL, MS Access, ADERANT, and Microsoft SQL Analysis Services (SSAS) cubes

Nice To Haves

An accounting designation (CA/CGA/CMA) is preferred. An equivalent combination of education, training and experience may be acceptable.
Experience in project management is an asset

Responsibilities

Working closely with Client Development team and lawyers to assist with the pricing aspect of simple to medium Request For Proposals (and play a support role in the complex ones)
Developing Alternative Fee Arrangements (AFAs) and fee estimates with guidance from Manager/Pricing Manager and providing related financial analysis and pricing scenario modeling for Partners and the Billing Management Committee (BMC) to assist them in making key business decisions
Supporting the enhancement of tools and processes to further improve efficiency, including systems to capture billing arrangements, monitor pricing performance, and tools to streamline budget and legal project management
Supporting the development of processes / tools to evaluate profitability of various types of engagements
Analyzing fee data of existing matters and developing budget templates for different matter types
Supporting various projects in relation to client profitability and pricing initiatives which may include development of pre-priced packaged legal solutions, advising firm management in assessing long-term sustainability of various legal business models, etc
Playing a large role in the annual client/matter rate renewal process
Maintaining the volume discount master file, monitor client volume on a monthly basis and update client discounts when required
Maintaining the fee credit tracking file, update fee credit balance and coordinate application of fee credit on a monthly basis
Monitoring the department mailbox and triaging complex fee arrangements or rate requests to relevant team members
Updating matter level budgets in Aderant upon request from partners, their legal assistant or other stakeholders
Administering the tracking codes in the Matter Administration Database and in Aderant
Providing pricing-related advice to Firm Management, our Partners and Associates
Providing training and coaching to the Practice Management Coordinator or others as needed