Finance & Compliance Manager - Legal Practice (onsite)

Tailored Recruiter Ltd; Windsor; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Tailored Recruiter Ltd is seeking a Finance & Compliance Manager for a long-established, reputable UK legal firm with offices in Windsor and Surrey. The role requires SRA/COFA compliance expertise and full ownership of the finance function up to Trial Balance, including managing AP/AR and a junior Accounts Assistant.

The ideal candidate has UK legal sector experience, part-qualified or qualified by experience (AAT/ACA/CIMA/ACCA), and strong communication skills to liaise with Managing Partners

Qualifications

• UK legal firm experience in finance and compliance with COFA/SRA rules.
• Experience owning a finance function up to Trial Balance.
• Experience managing AP/AR ledgers and payroll processes.

Responsibilities

• Ensure full compliance with SRA, GDPR, AML, COFA and related legal finance standards.
• Own the finance/accounts department including income, expenditure and budgeting.
• Oversee ledgers (AP/AR) and manage the Accounts Assistant and billing cycle.
• Monitor payments, aged debt and credit control responsibilities.
• Provide regular financial reports for partners and decision-making.
• Prepare VAT returns and supervise payroll, PAYE/NI processing.
• Coordinate audits and regulatory reviews, liaising with insurers.
• Support fee-earners with onboarding and KYC processes.

Skills

COFA/SRA compliance

AP/AR management

Finance leadership

Communication skills

Education

AAT/ACA/CIMA/ACCA part-qualified

Job description

Our client, a long-established, reputable, growing legal firm at £8 million turnover, two offices with 40 employees, specializing in commercial, family, divorce & property / residential conveyancing law, based in Windsor, Berkshire, with an additional office in Surrey, are actively seeking to replace a Finance & Compliance Manager to deal with all day-to-day finance responsibilities effectively up to Trial Balance level, in addition to satisfying legal SRA & COFA compliance responsibilities within this multi-partner firm. This role will also involve managing an Accounts Assistant who will focus on the ledgers, and be involved with their continued development, as the firm expands in the future.

This is a full-time, onsite role suited to those with directly relevant legal sector experience either in a finance or Practice Manager capacity in the UK, either AAT / ACA / CIMA / ACCA part-qualified or active studiers, along with those qualified by experience - though current / recent experience in a UK legal firm is essential for this role, to ensure demonstrable knowledge of SRA & COFA regulations, which this firm holds to exacting standards and keen for this recognition to continue.

This is a full-time, onsite role suited to those with directly relevant legal sector experience either in a finance or Practice Manager capacity in the UK, either AAT / ACA / CIMA / ACCA part-qualified or active studiers, along with those qualified by experience - though current / recent experience in a UK legal firm is essential for this role, to ensure demonstrable knowledge of SRA & COFA regulations, which this firm holds to exacting standards and keen for this recognition to continue.

Candidate Responsibilities;

• Ensure full compliance across the spectrum of SRA rules, GDPR, AML, COFA and other regulatory frameworks within UK legal finance and compliance standards
• Assume full ownership of the finance / accounts department, including income, expenditure and budget control
• take ownership of both ledgers - AP & AR - managing the Accounts Assistant and the full billing cycle, ensuring accurate, timely invoicing
• Monitor payments and assume ownership of aged debt and all outstanding balances in credit control, along with the Accounts Assistant
• Provide regular reports and commercial insights into the financial health of the firm, reporting into the Managing Partners and liaising effectively and professional with all fee-earners
• Produce regular financial reports to support overall firm strategic decision-making
• Ensure full compliance with all SRA legal commitments / standards from an accounting perspective and also full legal operational compliance
• Posting of monthly journals (accruals, prepayments, payroll)
• Process VAT returns
• Manage payroll processing and PAYE / NI payments, perform bank reconciliations
• Manage SAR audits and liaise effectively with HMRC and Banks
• Manage professional indemnity insurance and other business-wide policies
• Provide support to fee-earners with client onboarding and KYC processes
• Act as the main contact for finance audits and regulatory reviews

Candidate Requirements;

• Part or fully qualified AAT / ACA / CIMA / ACCA - or qualified by experience
• Applicants must have current or recent experience within a UK legal firm either as a Practice Manager or Finance Manager - with knowledge and demonstrable experience applying COFA / SRA rules within a finance & compliance context
• Be an effective, strong communicator, with the soft skills to work effectively and professionally with both Managing Partners and fee-earners across the business
• Have experience of dealing with both AP / AR ledgers end-to-end, ideally in a sole finance role or as part of a small finance team for a legal firm in UK
• Be confident and willing to take ownership of the finance function, up to Trial Balance level - with an outsourced audit firm contracted for Year-End accounts
• Be based in or near Windsor, Berkshire with a willingness to work fully onsite