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Finance Manager

Employer
Allen & Overy LLP
Location
Belfast (City/Town)
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
22 Jul 2019

View more

Vacancy Type
Finance, Generalist
Contract Type
Permanent
Experience Level
Manager
Role Classification
Other Professional

Job Details

Job description

Allen & Overy is a leading global law firm operating in over thirty countries. By turning our insight, technology and talent into ground-breaking solutions, we’ve earned a place at the forefront of our industry. Our lawyers are leaders in their field – and the same goes for our support teams. Ambitious, driven and open to fresh perspectives, we find innovative new ways to deliver our services and maintain our reputation for excellence, in all that we do.
 
The nature of law is changing and with that change brings unique opportunities. With our collaborative working culture, flexibility, and a commitment to your progress, we build rewarding careers. By joining our global team, you are supported by colleagues from around the world. If you’re ready for a new challenge, it’s time to seize the opportunity.

Department Purpose & Structure

The Belfast Finance department provides services to the A&O network of offices covering management and financial accounting & reporting, revenue control (including eBilling), credit control, accounts payable and tax. Offices currently served are London, Belfast, US, South Africa, Dubai, Israel, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.

There is a strong client service ethic and we work to Service Level Agreements, targets and deadlines to deliver in line with client expectations.

This role will be responsible for a team of qualified and non-qualified accountants who will work on the Financial Control side of the firm primarily looking after the month end cycle, the annual financial audit, statutory accounts production and budgetary process.

General Responsibilities

Functional Leadership & Management:

  • Provide strong leadership and direction to the Belfast finance department;
  • Builds strong, trusting relationships with the customer (CFO’s);
  • Anticipates the needs of the customer and is able to provide timely solutions, and opinions on complex matters;
  • Prioritises work effectively, making realistic compromises when necessary in order to deliver;
  • Builds network across finance and more widely, leading finance-wide initiatives;
  • Ensure the team are continually developing their technical financial accounting knowledge and challenging the status quo in the way in which their work is produced;
  • Ensure that accounting processes and internal controls (including monthly reconciliations) follow best practice and are continually improved, planning & implementing changes as appropriate;
  • Lead the month end activities in relation to closing the books for the internal client offices Belfast supports;
  • Support the Senior Finance Manager in the execution of the annual financial audit process, ensuring that all information requested by external auditors is produced accurately and in a timely manner;
  • Manage the production of the statutory accounts for the entities for which the Belfast Management Accounting team is responsible;
  • Manage the team through the annual budgetary process, ensuring that financial data is accurately captured in budgeting and reporting (3E) systems.

People Management

  • As member of the Belfast Finance Leadership team provide direction and support to the Belfast Finance department;
  • Responsible for small team (up to 6 people) including both qualified and no qualified accountants;
  • Delegate tasks appropriately to team in order to deliver a timely, high quality service to internal stakeholders to assist in the personal development of the team;
  • Set challenging team goals and objectives into individual objectives and holds 1-1 meetings to discuss progress, identifying areas for development. Suggesting specific learning to address development areas, and monitoring progress;
  • Manage conflict/frustrations within the team with gravitas, facilitating discussion, conversation and resolution;
  • Identify the skills of individual team members and plan workloads accordingly to maximize outputs; and
  • Encourage others to take on new responsibilities and supports them in their development.

Key Relationships

Builds network across Finance and more widely.

Internal

  • Head of Finance, Belfast
  • Senior Finance Manager, Belfast
  • Finance Managers
  • Group Finance
  • CFO for internal client offices
  • Practice Group Business Managers/ COOs

External

  • Key Suppliers
  • Audit Partner & audit team
  • Invest NI
  • Others as necessary 

Key Requirements / Qualifications

Qualifications

  • Educated to degree level in a relevant discipline; 
  • Qualified  accountant with at least 7 years relevant PQE;
  • Demonstrable track record of successful interaction with senior leaders;
  • Experience & awareness of working with customers across differing countries and cultures
  • Strong analytical and methodical approach;
  • Demonstrable experience of analysing problems and proposing solutions;
  • Good numeracy and literacy skills;
  • Computer literate with experience in Microsoft Office and complex Finance systems.

​Essential Personal Characteristics

  • Proven track record of leading high performing teams;
  • Communicates with senior management, and networks internally to promote wider team-working and own function;
  • Empowers others with the confidence to succeed, coaching them to achieve more;
  • Role models consistent high performance and quality service, being an effective manager of self, team and task to ensure quality services are consistently delivered;
  • Manages expectations for delivery and resolves crises, demonstrating consistent client focus;
  • Promote A&O’s culture, values and ‘one firm’ ethos and demonstrate a high level of professionalism at all times with a  flexible approach to work;
  • Set the operational direction for short and long term activities of team;
  • Anticipate the needs of the customer and provide timely solutions and opinions on complex matters for areas of responsibility;
  • Actively share knowledge  and use breadth and depth of knowledge and expertise to provide practical and commercial solutions;
  • Apply technical knowledge and understand and identify creative solutions to technical issues, overcoming obstacles to meet deadlines and pass technical knowledge on to others effectively;
  • Manage impact of change within the team. 

Company

With over 5,600 people in over 40 offices, Allen & Overy is a business doing work of global significance.

Our success is built on the work of talented and motivated people who thrive in a supportive and collaborative environment, dedicated to delivering an exceptional standard of work for our clients. We’re ambitious and forward-thinking, committed to growing our business and meeting the future head-on. We’re not afraid of change, and we believe in challenging the status quo.

What we do goes beyond delivering an outstanding service. We lead the market by creating new solutions for our clients’ most complex legal and business challenges, helping them grow, innovate and thrive. By thinking creatively and entrepreneurially, we challenge expectations, push boundaries and build for the future. We draw on a world-leading network of expertise and a unique platform – such as our Advanced Delivery services and our network of Peerpoint consultants, to set the highest standards for our industry.

Global coverage in today’s market does not simply mean having offices in important cities around the world. For us, it means combining our global resources and sector expertise to work on matters that cross international boundaries with our culturally and geographically diverse teams. For you, it means that wherever you work, you’ll find a culture of inclusion and support – feeling confident to bring your whole self to work every single day. We have developed a culture in which difference is positively valued, and our people are free to be themselves.  At A&O, you're not only valued for what you do, but for who you are. 

We are in every sense one global team; supportive and collaborative, but also ambitious and driven.  Our capacity to combine these qualities and provide a setting in which our people can thrive is what makes us different.

Company info
Website
Telephone
+44 (0) 20 3088 0000
Location
One Bishops Square
London
E1 6AD
GB

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