Finance Business Partner

A full permanent role based in Cambridge, Norwich, or Birmingham with occasional travel to other offices and hybrid working.

The role

Reporting to the firm’s Financial Controller, this is a highly commercial role supporting our National Service Lines (NSLs) and sectors, achieve our firm’s 2025 strategy to be a leader in client experience and drive profitable growth.  This is a great opportunity to join a high performing finance team and further your career in an ambitious and growing top 50 national law firm.

The person

This role requires someone who has experience of working in a high performing finance team ideally at another law or professional services firm and has a proven track record of delivering excellent internal client service whilst providing strategic and day to day commercial finance support.  It is likely that your background and experience will include the following areas of expertise:

• Proven experience in a finance business partner/commercial role, ideally in a law or other professional services firm.
• Experience in supporting teams deliver growth via the end-to-end finance cycle from budgeting, monitoring and forecasting to reporting.
• Forward thinking and proactive.
• High level of numerical and computer literacy.  Excellent MS Excel analysis and modelling skills.
• Ability to analyse financial data and prepare concise, insightful reports to support decision makers.
• Strong track record of building effective relationships at all levels.  Ability to build rapport, gain respect and influence stakeholders. 
• Qualification in ACA / CIMA / ACCA.

The role requires someone who:

• is proactive and adaptable.
• has a continuous improvement mindset.
• is energetic and delivery focused, with resilience to deal with challenging situations and deadlines.
• has a consultative and collaborative working style.
• is an excellent communicator (both written and verbal) who is able to effectively challenge and engage with key stakeholders across the business.
• can make decisions and work independently.
• has strong attention to detail;
• is logical and systematic in their approach.

In addition, you will need to:

• be willing to travel to the firm’s other offices on occasion;
• be flexible on when you take your annual leave depending on the demands at certain points in the annual finance planning schedule; and
• be flexible and able to work longer hours as the role demands etc.

The activities

Responsible for supporting your business unit(s) and other key stakeholders

• In preparation of their strategy, 3 year financial plan and monthly re-forecasts.
• Identify commercial opportunities which support their growth plans.
• Monitor and interrogate business unit activity and performance, supported by regular reporting and escalation as required.
• Preparing business cases for further investments and recruitment e.g., technology, lateral hires, partner promotions and partner conversions.
• Providing financial analysis and insights for regular monthly and annual Board reports for relevant business units, as well as ad hoc reporting and analysis as required. 
• Advising the specific business unit leader on the performance of each partner in their area, at regular intervals, and providing insight and analysis.
• Working in conjunction with the business unit leader, deliver specific business improvement projects and, where appropriate, provide input and support to the various projects being undertaken in the firm. 
• Provide line management, coaching and development to at least one Client Account Executive (CAE), who will support Client Partners within the NSL(s) that you support. 

Commercial awareness

• Meet regularly with the specific business unit leader and review progress against plan.
• Support relevant sector and office leaders in delivering their plans and understanding their key drivers during the financial year.
• Supporting agreed strategic and growth accounts, working with the core team to updates and commercial insight.
• Propose and agree the pricing strategy for individual clients and matters within your business unit, liaising with the Head of Pricing as appropriate.
• Monitor and update agreed rate reviews with the respective business unit leader for the areas under your responsibility.  
• Assess the profitability of pricing arrangements for new clients in your specific business unit(s).
• To report regularly to the business unit leader on clients delivering a low profit and suggest strategies for improvement.
• Provide finance and commercial advice, training and coaching to newly promoted partners, lateral hires and high potential fee earners.
• Working with the working capital team, actively engage with the escalation process of work in progress (WIP) and debt issues, to identify areas of concern and monitor lockup exposure across relevant business units.

Other responsibilities

• Ensure you develop a sound knowledge of key finance systems
• Perform other work as necessary to assist in meeting firm objectives as delegated by the FC and CFO.

The Mills & Reeve Business services career structure

We have a firm wide Business Services career structure and a published career progression framework.  Within the firm wide career structure there are five career levels.  For the purposes of the framework, this role is at a Manager level and the role profile that details the outcomes and activities expected of across the firm is included with this job description.  Further information on the firm’s Business Services career structure is available from the HR team.

The package

As you would expect, the firm offers a generous salary and benefits.  The firm’s standard benefits are detailed in the following link:

 http://www.mills-reeve.com/benefits/ 

The firm

What really sets Mills & Reeve apart from other law firms is the way we work with our clients. We understand that clients, in the 21st century, no longer want a traditional law firm – they want one that embraces forward thinking approaches to service, billing, commercial know-how, innovation, people management and community engagement.

Why not find out more about what it’s like to work at Mills & Reeve by taking two minutes to watch our video?

 https://player.vimeo.com/video/157575542 

And finally..

Mills & Reeve is committed to providing an inclusive and supportive working environment. We are happy to consider flexible working arrangements and endeavour to achieve the right balance for both our people and the business. This attitude to flexible working ensures we continue to provide outstanding service to our clients, whilst allowing our people to develop their careers in the knowledge that personal priorities will remain just that.

Mills & Reeve is committed to promoting equality, diversity and to providing an inclusive and supportive environment. Please click here to find further information regarding our diversity policy.

If you would like any more information about Mills & Reeve, you can visit our website by clicking on the following link:

 http://www.mills-reeve.com/