Finance Manager

GerrardWhite; Royal Tunbridge Wells; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Discretionary bonus

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Private healthcare

Death in service cover

Employee Assistance Programme

Auto-enrolment pension

Social and charity events

Job summary

GerrardWhite is seeking a Finance Manager to own the finance function within a growing firm of solicitors. You will lead a small finance team, combine hands-on legal cashiering with broader financial management, and report to the Managing Partner.

You will oversee client and office accounts, ensure SRA Rules compliance, and prepare monthly management accounts, budgets and forecasts for senior partners. Strong Excel skills and experience with legal accounting software are required.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant recognised in the UK with ACA/ACCA/CIMA credentials.
• Hands-on experience in finance management within a law firm or SRA-regulated environment.
• Experience with legal cashiering and client account management is essential.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the finance/cashiering team and oversee workloads.
• Ensure strict SRA Accounts Rules 2019 compliance across transactions.
• Prepare monthly management accounts, budgets and forecasts for partners.
• Manage billing, WIP, debtor control and supplier payments.
• Coordinate with external accountants and auditors; liaison with COFA.

Skills

Excel

Education

ACA, ACCA or CIMA

Tools

Actionstep

Advanced Legal

Job description

Finance Manager

A growing, well-established firm of solicitors is looking for a Finance Manager to take full ownership of its finance function. This is a genuine opportunity to shape and improve how finance operates across the firm, reporting directly into the Managing Partner.

About the Role

As Finance Manager, you'll lead a small finance/cashiering team while combining hands‑on legal cashiering and SRA Accounts Rules compliance with broader financial management, reporting and control. You'll need to be equally comfortable rolling up your sleeves on technical finance work and delegating, supervising and reviewing the work of others.

What You'll Be Doing

• Managing and developing the finance team, allocating workloads and covering absence, and acting as escalation point for queries
• Overseeing client and office account transactions and daily bank reconciliations, ensuring strict SRA Accounts Rules 2019 compliance
• Acting as the firm's main point of contact on SRA Accounts Rules matters, including liaison with the COFA, and supporting the annual accountant's report
• Preparing monthly management accounts, budgets and forecasts for the Managing Partner and partners
• Managing billing, WIP and debtor control alongside fee earners
• Overseeing VAT returns, payroll (including partner drawings and pension auto-enrolment), and supplier payments
• Acting as principal liaison with the firm's external accountants and auditors

About You

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA)
• Proven experience as a Finance Manager or in a similar role within a law firm or other SRA-regulated environment, with hands‑on knowledge of the SRA Accounts Rules
• Experience of legal cashiering and client account management
• Proven experience managing or supervising staff within a finance or cashiering function
• Strong Excel skills and familiarity with practice management/accounting software such as Actionstep or Advanced Legal
• Excellent attention to detail and a confident communicator, comfortable liaising with the Managing Partner, partners and fee earners

Prior experience as, or working closely with, a COFA, along with partnership/LLP accounting experience would be an advantage, though this Finance Manager role would also suit a strong candidate without either.

What's on Offer

• Competitive salary and discretionary bonus scheme
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays, extra time off at Christmas, and your birthday off
• Private healthcare, death in service cover and an Employee Assistance Programme
• Auto-enrolment pension, plus social and charity events throughout the year
• The chance to take genuine ownership of, and shape, the finance function of a growing firm