Finance Manager (12 month FTC)

Our client is a prestigious and well-established law firm, able to trace its roots back to the 1800s. Over time the firm has grown its client and won several awards. With a view to building upon previous successes the firm is looking for ambitious and passionate candidates to apply.

They are now looking to recruit a Finance Manager, this role is responsible for the production of annual budgets and monthly management accounts, insightful analysis of financial performance across the firm and providing commercial support to Partners and fee earners to enable effective and profitable delivery of their matters. As a senior role within the finance department they will provide guidance to more junior team members and contribute to setting the department’s longer-term strategic direction.

Responsibilities

• Line management of the Assistant Management Accountant, providing guidance, supervision and delegating duties as necessary.

• Preparation and delivery of monthly management accounts including a detailed monthly writtenreport. This includes departmental profit and loss accounts, contribution statements as well as various performance reports all completed in accordance with an agreed timetable.

• Planning and Budgeting - Agree annual budget drivers and assumptions with the fee earning and Business Service teams and prepare consolidated plans and budgets for the firm.

• Responsibility for maintaining budgets on the Aderant Practice Management System (PMS) and managing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Calculation of forecast updates to the profit and loss position in the run up to each year end.

• Commercial Analysis - Support and respond to Departmental Managing Partners and other stakeholders on request for financial analysis such as trends or client profitability, providing explanations and advice as necessary.

• Overheads budget holders monthly reporting - Providing stakeholders with detailed monthly expenditure reports and further analysis as required. Monthly variance analysis of significant cost items to accompany the Management Accounts.

• Provide pricing and pitch planning advice to assist Partners and the Business Development team with scoping and estimating matter proposals and monitoring outcomes against those plans.

• Oversight and ongoing development of management information reporting and KPIs issued to the firm (Departments and Practice Areas).

• Training new fee earners how to use management information tools and understanding their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

• Responsible for setting and maintaining standard and non-standard charge-out client rates, keeping records and analysing trends, maintaining log of volume discounts and other special arrangements. Additionally responsible for calculating underlying cost rates and ensuring FTE, joiner and leaver statistics are consistently reported between finance and HR systems.

• Ad hoc projects and reporting including preparation of financial analysis for Partner assessments, departmental (practice area) strategy papers, completion of legal industry benchmarking surveys such as Deloitte, The Lawyer, Legal Business, etc.

• Ensuring that firm-wide systems and processes relating to financial performance are effective and duties are delegated where possible to help to develop junior members by sharing knowledge and skills.

• Build up and maintain a network with peers elsewhere in the legal market so that the firm remains up to date with current thinking and technology.

• Deputise for the CFO on occasion, presenting financial reports and analysis to stakeholders around the firm and representing Finance at certain meetings with Partners and other fee earners as required.

Candidate Profile

• Qualified accountant (ACA/CIMA/ACCA) preferred or exam finalist would be considered.

• Experience of working in professional services, particularly legal industry would be a strong advantage.

• Confident in using MS Office tools, particularly Excel but beneficial to be conversant with Powerpoint, Word and PowerBI.

• Excellent organisational skills and able to effectively manage workloads particularly in times of conflicting deadlines and busy periods.

• Diligence and attention to detail are crucial as the post-holder is required to review their own work critically as well as that of peers and juniors.

• Ability to work without supervision, proactive and prepared to use initiative.

• Confident, with excellent communication skills and a sensitive approach to confidential information where necessary.

Important Notice

It is Career Legal’s policy, as a matter of courtesy, to respond to all applications within three working days. However, because of the volume of applications, we are sometimes unable to respond to individual candidates. If we have not contacted you within three working days your application has been unsuccessful and your details have not been retained. Please apply for any other position that you may see in the future. Thank you.

Career Legal is a Recruitment Agency and is advertising this permanent vacancy on behalf of one of its Clients.