Head of Financial Planning & Analysis

Lsc Communications; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 290,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

A&O Shearman in New York is seeking a senior finance professional to oversee the three‑year investment planning cycle for US offices and to lead budgeting and forecasting efforts. You will develop relationships with senior finance staff, provide timely financial analysis, and drive improvements in efficiency and decision making.

The role requires extensive leadership, communication, and project-management skills.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of management/operational experience.
• Experience in a partnership environment is advantageous.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Advanced PowerPoint and Excel skills.
• Ability to influence at all levels.
• Travel may be required.

Responsibilities

• Manage the three‑year investment planning cycle for US offices and update practice group forecasts.
• Review annual income, headcount, and budgets across practice groups and secure buy‑in.
• Provide timely, accurate financial information for decision‑making and profitability forecasting.
• Develop relationships with senior finance staff to improve efficiency and processes.
• Support the lateral hiring process with macroeconomic and market data perspectives.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Communication

Analytical thinking

Influencing skills

Excel

PowerPoint

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Full Job Description

A&O Shearman is a new global industry‑leading law firm, with nearly 50 offices in 29 countries worldwide. Our fluency in English law, US law, and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future. We offer exceptional opportunities for our people; opportunities to work for the world’s leading businesses; to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work, helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients. Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth-running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first‑rate training and development, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimize your wellbeing.

What truly defines a career with us? We recruit the best and ask for the best of you. And together, we will redefine success.

Department Purpose

Achieving the firm’s vision requires a world‑class Finance department and our teams add value when the information we produce enables great decisions. That means producing information that is relevant, accurate and understandable and doing so as quickly as possible. It also means building relationships with the Partners and other decision makers in the firm so that they trust us to advise them on what the information means and what the best course of action is.

Role Purpose

This new role will report to the US CFO and will be responsible for the following:

• Managing the three‑year investment planning cycle for all US offices and updating practice group forecasts on an ongoing basis.
• Monitoring and reporting progress against targets at US, practice group and fee‑earning department levels and drafting short commentaries.
• Reviewing financial projections for lateral partners and other investments and being involved in a range of projects that are designed to improve the efficiency and agility of the firm.
• Developing relationships with senior finance staff to improve efficiencies, financial analysis models and processes.

Key Relationships

• US CFO
• US Senior Pricing and Commercial Manager and US Finance Practice Managers and US Financial Controller
• US partners and US Human Resources teams
• Advanced Delivery team managers (Peerpoint, LSC, etc.)

Responsibilities

Practice Performance Management

• Managing the three‑year investment planning cycle for all US offices and updating practice group forecasts on an ongoing basis as circumstances change, including headcount movements, productivity levels, and recoveries.
• Reviewing the annual income, headcount, and equity budgets across all US practice groups and ensuring buy‑in from the practices and management.
• Monitoring and reporting progress against targets at US, practice group and fee‑earning department levels and reviewing targeted monthly commentaries on results.
• Providing timely, accurate and relevant financial information for decision‑making, profitability forecasting based on multiple levers/potential outcomes, and influencing or offering advice to optimise the desired outcome.
• Reviewing financial analysis to support the lateral hiring process using a macro‑economic view of proposals, considering peer‑group data trends, external market data, and economic indicators within our regional footprint.
• Proactively looking for ways to improve the US contribution margin and overall practice performance.

Partner Performance Management

• Managing the US annual partner compensation process including setting the timetable, reviewing supporting documentation prepared by team members, and working with practice heads and management to complete and sign off.
• Reviewing partner performance on an ongoing basis and escalating as necessary.
• Ensuring team members have a detailed understanding of individual partners and departmental practices and their clients.
• Providing training and mentoring to partners and internal candidates in the partnership selection process to improve their financial nous and performance.

Reporting, Resourcing, and Project Management

• Influencing resource management through presentation of information that is timely and informative to senior stakeholders, and understanding the financial implications of the resourcing decisions made.
• Championing the use of alternative resources, including utilizing support at other offices or our Advanced Delivery & Solutions offerings such as the Legal Services Centre, Peerpoint, the PMO and Legal Technology.
• Delivering, designing, and preparing financial presentations and one‑off financial analyses as required to support the CFO and firm management.

Stakeholder Management

• Developing close relationships with the Finance Operations and Pricing and Commercial teams and providing backup analysis support as needed.
• Building relationships with individual partners and those in management roles to ensure that the Finance Team can influence commercial outcomes and add value.
• Continuously refining and improving financial analysis models and processes, incorporating feedback from internal customers.
• Providing financial support for internal and external client meetings, determining the nature of the meeting, and delivering succinct financial reports to facilitate discussions and pre‑empt queries.
• Responding with empathy and understanding to enhance relationships, actively managing expectations, and escalating issues where necessary.
• Being resilient in dealing with challenges from people in the business, with strong interpersonal and influencing skills.

Key Requirements

• At least 15 years’ experience in a management and/or operational role in a leading company or firm.
• Experience of a partnership environment and working in a matrix organization is advantageous.
• A credible individual with gravitas, resilience and a high level of intellectual ability, able to develop effective working relationships and influence at all levels.
• A proactive self‑starter with drive, enthusiasm, and tenacity, possessing excellent communication skills both written and verbal to clearly explain complex issues to financial and non‑financial stakeholders.
• Comfortable working with and challenging senior stakeholders to achieve results.
• Comfortable in ambiguous decision making and consultation, with influencing skills and confidence to advise.
• Excellent project management and organisational skills, able to prioritise and manage high and varied workloads.
• Advanced PowerPoint and Excel skills, with experience handling large volumes of data in Excel and manipulating it to enable effective decision making and influencing.
• Some travel may be required.

Salary

For individuals assigned to or hired for this opportunity in New York, the estimated annualised base salary range for this position is $290,000 - $350,000. The actual base salary offered will depend on the overall qualifications of the individual applicant and other job‑related factors permitted by law.

Equal Employment Opportunity

A&O Shearman is an equal‑opportunity employer. Every individual has the right to work in a professional environment that promotes equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination and harassment. It is A&O Shearman’s policy to ensure equal employment opportunity for all individuals, without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, creed, colour, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship status or alienage, disability, pregnancy or related medical issue, military or qualified veteran status, familial status, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation, gender, including gender identity, gender expression or transition status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking and/or sex offences, sexual and reproductive health decisions, unemployment status, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state and local laws. This policy applies to all aspects of an individual’s relationship with A&O Shearman, including, without limitation, recruitment, hiring, training and development, promotion, compensation, discipline, termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.