Senior Finance Manager

Totum Partners; Greater London; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Totum Partners is helping an international law firm appoint a Senior Finance Manager to lead the London finance function and serve as the primary finance contact for London Partners.

The role covers financial accounting, regulatory compliance, revenue management, budgeting and commercial analysis, with emphasis on policy implementation and clear financial governance across the London office.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant with ACA/ACCA or equivalent professional qualification.
• Minimum five years in a finance management role.
• Experience in a complex professional services environment is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day accounting operations, GL integrity, reconciliations and month-end close.
• Oversee intercompany accounting, tax compliance and regulatory reporting.
• Manage London billing, cash collection and client matter economics.
• Provide commercial insight, budgeting, forecasting and variance analysis.
• Develop and mentor a small finance team and partner with senior stakeholders.

Skills

Finance leadership

Budgeting

Forecasting

Financial analysis

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder management

Education

ACA/ACCA or equivalent professional qualification

Job description

An international law firm is seeking an accomplished Senior Finance Manager to lead its London finance function and act as the primary finance contact for the London Partners.

This is a broad and highly visible position encompassing financial accounting, regulatory compliance, revenue management, budgeting and commercial analysis. The successful individual will combine strong technical finance expertise with the confidence and credibility to advise senior stakeholders.

Working closely with colleagues across the firm’s international finance function, the Senior Finance Manager will ensure that firmwide policies and processes are implemented effectively within the London office. They will act as a trusted adviser to London-based Partners, providing timely analysis and commercially focused support in relation to financial performance, matter economics and client management.

The role will take responsibility for the day-to-day accounting operations of the London office, including maintaining the integrity of the general ledger, overseeing reconciliations and month-end close, and managing intercompany accounting matters. The Senior Finance Manager will maintain a robust financial control environment while supporting consolidated reporting, audit requirements and wider financial governance.

A key aspect of the position will be ensuring compliance with the SRA Accounts Rules and maintaining readiness for regulatory reporting and reviews. The successful individual will also provide oversight of client and matter due diligence processes, monitoring activity and escalating any issues to the appropriate risk and compliance stakeholders.

The Senior Finance Manager will lead the London billing and collections cycle, working closely with partners and fee earners to support timely billing, reduce aged work in progress and outstanding debt, and improve realisation. They will monitor revenue performance, help resolve client billing queries and contribute to the firm’s wider billing and collection initiatives.

Working alongside the firm’s tax specialists, they will ensure that billing and revenue processes support VAT compliance. This will include overseeing the appropriate treatment of UK and cross-border client billing, disbursements and recoverable expenses, as well as coordinating activity relating to VAT reporting.

The position will also contribute to the budgeting, forecasting and financial planning processes for the London office. The Senior Finance Manager will provide variance analysis and meaningful commercial insight to support both local and firmwide decision-making.

Alongside these responsibilities, the successful individual will lead, mentor and develop a team of three to four finance professionals. They will set clear priorities, build capability across the team and ensure that the London finance function provides a responsive and high-quality service to its internal stakeholders.

The successful candidate will be a qualified accountant, holding an ACA, ACCA or equivalent professional qualification, with at least five years’ experience in a finance management position. They will bring significant and broad-based finance experience, ideally gained within a law firm or another complex professional services environment.

The role requires an experienced people manager with a strong record of developing teams and successfully partnering with senior stakeholders. The successful individual will be commercially minded, collaborative and comfortable operating within an international structure. Excellent communication skills, sound judgement and the ability to establish credibility with Partners will be essential.