Graduate Finance Analyst

targetjobs UK; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading legal firm is seeking a Graduate Financial Analyst to join their Commercial Finance team in Birmingham. This role focuses on supporting financial reporting processes and enhancing performance within legal teams. Ideal candidates will have a part-qualified accountancy qualification or finance degree with strong Excel skills. Embracing agile working, the company values output over location.

Qualifications

• Part-qualified Accountancy qualification or degree in Finance/Accounting required.
• Highly competent in Excel with advanced skills in Pivot Tables, Lookups, and Index functions.
• Strong ability to tailor reports and interpret key findings.

Responsibilities

• Preparing and distributing Flash reports before month-end.
• Leading the month-end close process by preparing standard journals.
• Conducting weekly time reporting and chargeability analysis.

Skills

Excel

Spreadsheet management

Education

Part-qualified Accountancy or Finance/Accounting degree

Tools

TM1 Planning & Analytics

Job description

Join Us as a Graduate Financial Analyst at Shakespeare Martineau!

Are you an ambitious, creative, and driven individual ready to kick-start your career?

Let us introduce ourselves…

It’s the people at Shakespeare Martineau that make us so special. By understanding what our people want, giving them the support they need, recognising everyone’s contribution, and realising the unique power of teams, together we win. As a firm, we are focused on proactively building and developing diverse teams, bringing different backgrounds, personalities, and perspectives together. We play to our strengths, pushing ourselves to be consistently better than yesterday and deliver amazing solutions for our clients. We empower our teams with a high degree of individual responsibility; we self-manage and encourage everyone to be responsible for their own learning, knowing it makes us even better at what we do! We believe in trusting our people to make the right decisions for themselves, from when and where you work, to how you dress; we focus on outputs.

Meet the team

To provide truly outstanding client service, we work as one team. Our Business Operations Group is made up of business professionals who work with our legal professionals to provide market-leading expertise to our clients. The groups include Finance, Operations, HR, Clients & Markets, IT, Risk, and the Executive Leadership team. Our Finance team comprises over 40 people working across various office locations. They work closely with other business operations teams to ensure sound financial management, including cash flow, budgeting, reporting, and audit. They also handle client fund safekeeping, credit control, work-in-progress, billing, accounts payable, and expenses. Additionally, they collaborate with Commercial Managers to provide reporting, analysis, and finance business partnering support to other areas of the business.

What You Will Be Doing

We are seeking a Graduate/Junior Finance Analyst to join our Commercial Finance team within the SHMA brand. You will support the Commercial Managers and Head of Commercial Finance for SHMA, assisting with monthly close and reporting processes, and focusing on improving process resilience and efficiency. Your insights will be vital in reporting and enhancing performance within the legal teams.

Your Key Duties Will Be

• Preparing and distributing Flash reports before month-end, tracking the Firm’s fees against forecasts.
• Leading the month-end close process by preparing and posting standard journals.
• Assisting with monthly commentary and variance analysis, identifying key trends, and presenting findings.
• Supporting target-setting exercises for Fees and Cash through MI preparation.
• Preparing MI to support performance reporting and improvement.
• Conducting weekly time reporting, chargeability analysis, and monitoring key metrics like Fees, Contribution, Trading ratios, and Debt.
• Supporting Commercial Managers with ad-hoc performance or client profitability analyses.
• Participating in Forecast and Reforecast cycles by preparing historical MI and inputting into planning systems.
• Managing inputs into the WIP model for reliable forecasting.
• Supporting the consolidation of Team MI into a SHMA brand view.
• Maintaining static data in core systems, including fee earner rates and target hours.
• Developing reusable solutions to streamline processes.

What You Will Need

Skills and experience:

• A part-qualified Accountancy qualification or working towards one, or a degree in Finance and Accounting. Highly competent in Excel, with skills in Pivot Tables, Lookups, and Index functions.
• Strong spreadsheet management skills, with the ability to tailor reports and interpret key findings.
• Desirable: Experience with TM1 Planning & Analytics or similar forecasting tools.

Benefits, Agile Working, and Additional Information

We embrace agile working and offer a flexible approach to where and how we work, valuing your output over location or attire. Our hubs are located across the UK, including Birmingham, London, and Edinburgh, among others.

Please note, high application volumes may lead to early closing of some vacancies. Employment is subject to various checks post-offer.

Equal Opportunities

Ampa Group is committed to diversity and equal opportunity, welcoming applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We value individuality and encourage a culture where everyone can be themselves and be valued for their strengths and experiences.

About Ampa Group

Welcome to Ampa, a leading group of legal and professional services brands, including Shakespeare Martineau, Lime Solicitors, Mayo Wynne Baxter, and Marrons. Our purpose is to support the growth of each brand through shared resources, expertise, and a cohesive culture, fostering mutual success and collaboration.

If you are passionate about making a positive impact and thriving in an inclusive environment, we invite you to join us on this journey.