Job Description

• Responsible for supporting your business unit(s) and other key stakeholders:
• In preparation of their strategy, 3 year financial plan and re-forecasts;
• Identify commercial opportunities which support their growth plans.
• Monitor and interrogate business unit activity and performance, supported by regular reporting and escalation as required.
• Preparing business cases for further investments and recruitment e.g., technology, lateral hires, partner promotions and partner conversions.
• Providing financial analysis and insights for regular monthly and annual Board reports for relevant business units, as well as ad hoc reporting and analysis as required. Preparation of sector and office Board reports as agreed with line manager.
• Advising the specific business unit leader on the performance of each partner in their area, at regular intervals, and providing insight and analysis.
• Working in conjunction with the business unit leader, deliver specific business improvement projects and, where appropriate, provide input and support to the various projects being undertaken in the firm.
• Provide line management, coaching and development to at least one Client Account Executive (CAE), who will support Client Partners within the NSL(s) that you support.
• Commercial awareness:
• Meet regularly with the specific business unit leader and review progress against plan.
• Support relevant sector and office leaders in delivering their plans, and understanding their key drivers during the financial year.
• Propose and agree the pricing strategy for individual clients and matters within your business unit, liaising with the Head of Pricing as appropriate.
• Monitor and update agreed rate reviews with the respective business unit leader for the areas under your responsibility.
• Assess the profitability of pricing arrangements for new clients in your specific business unit(s).
• To report regularly to the business unit leader on clients delivering a low profit and suggest strategies for improvement.
• Provide finance and commercial advice, training and coaching to newly promoted partners, lateral hires and high potential fee earners.
• Working with the working capital team, actively engage with the escalation process of work in progress (WIP) and debt issues, to identify areas of concern and monitor lockup exposure across relevant business units
• Other responsibilities:
• Ensure you develop a sound knowledge of key finance systems
• Perform other work as necessary to assist in meeting firm

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

In addition, you will need to:

• be willing to travel to the firm's other offices on occasion;
• be flexible on when you take your annual leave depending on the demands at certain points in the annual finance planning schedule; and
• be flexible and able to work longer hours as the role demands etc.

This role requires someone who has experience of working in a high performing finance team at another law or professional services firm and has a proven track record of delivering excellent internal client service and providing strategic and day to day finance support. It is likely that your background and experience will include the following areas of expertise:

• Minimum of 5 years' experience in a finance business partner/commercial role in a law or other professional services firm;
• Experience in supporting teams deliver growth via the end-to-end finance cycle from budgeting, monitoring and forecasting to reporting;
• Forward thinking and proactive;
• High level of numerical and computer literacy. Excellent MS excel modelling skills;
• Ability to analyse large financial data sets and prepare concise, insightful reports to support decision makers;
• Strong track record of building effective relationships at all levels. Ability to build rapport, gain respect and influence stakeholders;
• Qualification in ACA / CIMA / ACCA.

The role additionally requires someone who:

• is proactive and adaptable;
• has a continuous improvement mindset;
• is energetic and delivery focused, with resilience to deal with challenging situations and deadlines;
• has a consultative and collaborative working style;
• is an excellent communicator (both written and verbal) who is able to effectively challenge and engage with key stakeholders across the business;
• can make decisions and work independently;
• has strong attention to detail; and
• is logical and systematic in their approach.