Financial Director

Birchrose Associates; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Birchrose Associates, a London law firm, is seeking an experienced Senior Finance Manager to lead the day-to-day finance function on a permanent basis. You will work closely with the COO, Finance Partner and senior partners, combining strong financial control with strategic business partnering.

The role requires hands-on management, excellent stakeholder engagement and a track record of improving billing discipline, cash flow and financial reporting within professional services.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent)
• Significant senior finance experience in professional services
• Strong experience producing management accounts and leading month-end and year-end processes
• Proven experience managing cash flow, WIP, billing and aged debt
• Previous experience managing and developing finance staff
• Strong stakeholder management with the confidence to influence Partners
• Experience managing payroll and financial controls
• Experience with Efimis or similar legal accounting system (advantageous)

Responsibilities

• Leading all month-end and year-end financial processes
• Preparing monthly management accounts with analysis and insights
• Producing financial reports and KPIs for COO and Equity Partners
• Supporting budgeting, forecasting and financial planning
• Managing cash flow forecasting and working capital
• Improving billing discipline and debt recovery
• Overseeing payroll transition and payroll controls
• Ensuring regulatory compliance and financial controls

Skills

Management accounts

Month-end close

Cash flow management

Stakeholder management

Payroll oversight

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA

Tools

Efimis

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Our client, a highly regarded London law firm, is seeking an experienced Senior Finance Manager to join its team on a permanent basis.

The Firm

Our client is a well-established law firm with a strong reputation for providing high-quality legal services to its clients.

The firm offers a collaborative and professional working environment, with a strong focus on commercial performance, operational excellence and continued growth. This is an excellent opportunity to join a senior leadership team and play a key role in the ongoing development of the firm's finance function.

The Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced, commercially minded Senior Finance Manager to take ownership of the day-to-day finance function and work closely with the COO, Finance Partner and Partners across the firm.

The successful candidate will combine strong financial control and operational finance expertise with a commercial, business-partnering approach. The role will suit an individual who is comfortable being hands-on while also providing strategic financial insight and challenging senior stakeholders where appropriate.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading all month-end and year-end financial processes, ensuring accurate and timely delivery
• Preparing monthly management accounts, including detailed analysis, commentary and performance insights
• Producing financial reports and KPIs for the COO, Finance Partner and Equity Partners
• Supporting budgeting, forecasting and wider financial planning activities
• Taking ownership of firm-wide cash flow management and forecasting
• Monitoring and actively managing WIP, disbursements, aged debt and wider working capital
• Working closely with Partners and fee earners to improve billing discipline, debt recovery and overall lock-up performance
• Managing and developing the Senior Legal Cashier
• Overseeing client and office account processes and ensuring appropriate financial controls are maintained
• Acting as the primary relationship manager with the firm's banking partners and overseeing day-to-day treasury activities
• Leading the transition of payroll from an outsourced model to an in-house operation
• Assuming responsibility for payroll, expenses and the firm's corporate credit card programme
• Authorising office and client account payments in accordance with firm policies and regulatory requirements
• Acting as the finance lead for the firm's Efimis accounting system
• Reviewing and improving finance processes, controls, reporting and workflows, including opportunities for automation
• Ensuring compliance with the SRA Accounts Rules and all relevant regulatory requirements
• Supporting audits, compliance reviews and regulatory reporting
• Working closely with the COO and Finance Partner to support strategic decision-making
• Presenting financial performance, trends and recommendations at Equity Partner meetings
• Providing commercial insight to support profitability, growth and operational effectiveness

Requirements

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent)
• Significant experience in a senior finance role, ideally within professional services
• Strong experience producing management accounts and leading month-end and year-end processes
• Proven experience managing cash flow, WIP, billing and aged debt
• Previous experience managing and developing finance staff
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence and challenge at Partner level
• Experience managing payroll and financial controls
• Strong Excel and systems capability, with a genuine interest in process improvement
• Experience within a law firm or regulated professional services environment would be advantageous
• Working knowledge of the SRA Accounts Rules and/or experience with legal accounting systems such as Efimis would be highly desirable

The role is office-based in London, with a minimum of four days per week in the office.