Finance Analyst

Career Legal; Greater London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A London-based law firm is seeking a Finance Analyst to join their accounts team on a permanent basis. This role involves supporting the preparation of budgets and forecasts, providing financial analysis, and ensuring accuracy of financial reports. The ideal candidate will have qualifications in accounting, experience in FP&A, and strong Excel skills. Collaborative work and the ability to communicate financial data clearly are essential in this fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant (ACA, CIMA or equivalent).
• Experience in FP&A or financial analysis, ideally within legal or professional services.
• Strong Excel skills; experience with BI tools desirable.

Responsibilities

• Support the preparation of practice group budgets and forecasts.
• Maintain and update budget templates for consistency.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports.

Skills

Qualified accountant (ACA, CIMA or equivalent)

Strong Excel skills

Excellent analytical skills

Experience in FP&A or financial analysis

Ability to communicate financial data clearly

Tools

BI tools

Job description

Our client is a London-based Law firm where people are committed to achieving the goals of listed and private companies, institutions, and individuals. Our experience encompasses corporate, commercial litigation and arbitration, employment and pensions, finance, marine and international trade and real estate.

They are now looking to hire a Finance Analyst to join the accounts team on a permanent basis. This is a fixed term contract for a Financial Analyst, reporting to the Head of Financial Planning & Analysis. The FP&A team works collaboratively with the wider Finance department (Management Accounts, Pricing), Business Services teams (e.g. Finance Systems, HR) and Practice Groups. The role provides the opportunity to engage closely with the business by providing timely, accurate and insightful financial analysis.

Responsibilities

• Support the preparation of practice group budgets and forecasts, working closely with group leaders to validate assumptions.
• Assist with the overall firmwide budget process, including planning, preparation, and review.
• Maintain and update budget templates and ensure consistency across all submissions.
• Review practice group financial performance against budget and prior year, focussing on income drivers and profitability metrics.
• Gather and consolidate large data sets from multiple sources; assist in preparing clear summaries that are tailored to support decision-making.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports for various stakeholders; ensure reports are accurate and timely.
• Drive efficiencies through automation of existing financial reports.
• Support the Project Accountant with testing and validation of newly developed and updated reports.
• Engage with practice group leaders on a quarterly basis to review financial performance, discuss variances, and gather frontline insights.
• Produce and deliver presentations to practice groups, including financial updates and information on financial hygiene best practices.
• Work closely with HR to monitor and report on fee earner utilisation.

Candidate Profile

• Qualified accountant (ACA, CIMA or equivalent.
• Experience in FP&A or financial analysis, ideally within legal or professional services.
• Strong Excel skills; experience with BI tools desirable.
• Excellent analytical skills with a high level of accuracy.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Communicate complex financial data clearly to non-financial stakeholders.
• Can build trust and rapport with partners and employees throughout the firm, including senior leaders.
• Collaborative approach to delivering work.