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Senior Business Manager

Employer
Allen & Overy LLP
Location
London (Central), London (Greater)
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
10 Oct 2022

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

Job Details

Job description

We are currently recruiting for an experienced finance professional to join our London office as a Senior Business Manager to the International Capital Markets (ICM) team.  The ICM team is responsible for providing financial and commercial support to the Partners and COO who operate within the Global Practice Group. The role operates within London, and supports the wider Global International Capital Markets practice group.

Role and responsibilities

  • Responsible for the preparation of the annual London ICM budget (five sub-groups / £140m turnover), consulting with Ops partners for each product group, the COO, HR and BD. The role challenges partners to set stretch targets and to deliver continuous financial improvement in their groups.
  • Review of the global ICM budget (c13 offices / £320m+ turnover) providing feedback to international office CFOs, in particular challenging them to set targets which will improve their team’s financial performance and testing whether their proposals to deliver the budget are reasonable. The completed budget is presented by the post holder to the Global Co-Heads of ICM and the COO for approval. 
  • Preparation of the three-year strategic investment plan for the London ICM groups (c40+ partners) for approval by the partners in each product group (presenting to individual partners / groups of partners as required) and, ultimately, the global practice head.
  • Reviewing the global strategic investment plan for ICM practices in international offices, providing feedback to office CFOs, checking remediation has been performed by them and presenting highlights to the Global Practice Group Head for ICM and the COO for sign off
  • Monitoring the financial performance of the London ICM practice group, identifying areas for further investigation and advising on courses of action to improve performance
  • Proactive business analysis, including regular meetings with partners to raise awareness of the profit drivers of the business and how they can influence them
  • Providing direct support to partner and counsel candidates in the identification and preparation of management information supporting their business cases and coaching them in financial awareness and business understanding ahead of their PIC/Counsel promotion assessments
  • Regular and ad hoc review and analysis of partner and practice financial performance. Regular discussion with operations partners on practice performance for each London ICM group.
  • Collating financial information and preparing presentations to illustrate significant financial issues within the global practice including recommendations to address same
  • Preparing financial performance analysis for and sharing insights with the Global Practice Group Heads prior to visits to international offices.
  • Review and analysis of financial performance to identify or illustrate particular strategic objectives, providing advice on findings to the partners.
  • Working with partners to develop pricing strategies for individual matters or clients. Working with the partners and BD teams to provide pricing and profitability advice for larger, more complex matters or ongoing matters where the profitability is low and partners require advice in relation to how this issue should be addressed.
  • Develop and implement approaches to the complex non-standard reporting needs of partners in sector groups or product groups such as leveraged finance or private equity, for which data from various sources must be concatenated to derive insights on financial performance and profitability, rather than simply extracting data from single sources.
  • Proactively working with partners and Working Capital Controllers to resolve working capital issues. Operates as a key point of escalation for London ICM working capital issues and holds management of the London Working Capital Team to account on behalf of London ICM partners and the COO.
  • Proactively seeking ways to improve and streamline reporting and business processes across the practice group to reflect the strategic priorities of the practice group, to better meet the needs of
  • Running some regular operational reporting as below;
  • Deputising for the Global COO in respect of finance-related matters during absence / holidays.
  • Assisting in one-off projects aiming to improve the efficiency and performance of the business.

Examples one-off project include

  • The complete re-design of the content, process for preparing and the “look and feel” of the key London ICM financial reporting dashboard and other data sent weekly to all partners
  • Providing insightful financial analysis and drawing conclusions from multiple data sources to illustrate the strategic importance of particular product lines, beyond the narrow confines of the firm’s standard 3E reporting, in support of proposed firmwide investments
  • Developing sensitivity analysis and waterfall reporting to illustrate key trends and profitability issues across the global ICM practice in support of Global Practice Group Head

Key requirements

  • Ability to communicate effectively at all levels, influence at partner level and to gain buy in from senior stakeholders are essential
  • The post holder must be confident to act independently, with periodic check ins with the COO rather than detailed day to day management from him / her
  • Experience of holding other staff to account whilst not having line management responsibility (eg London Working Capital Control team) 
  • High levels of accuracy and numeracy and the ability to work to strict deadlines and high workloads.
  • Ability to analyse and interpret financial data, synthesise data from multiple sources, draw conclusions and make recommendations to the business.
  • Excellent planning, time management, communication and organisation skills with keen attention to detail is key.
  • Strong IT skills including Excel (look ups/pivots), Word, PowerPoint (export/import) and the ability to adapt to unfamiliar financial reporting packages.
  • Enthusiastic and self-motivated with an ability to work independently or with others as and when required.
  • Experience in forecasting and analysis in a legal or professional services environment desirable.
  • Educated to degree level with significant post-qualification (ACA or equivalent) experience in practice or in industry
  • Credibility to be seen and accepted as a trusted advisor to the COO and partners


Additional information - External

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 our reputation as a firm that leads the industry and opens up new possibilities in law. Our lawyers are leaders in their field – and the same goes for our support teams. Ambitious, driven and open to fresh perspectives, we find 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. We are defined by our consistent commitment to creating a collaborative and supportive working culture and investing in your progress. We’re committed to supporting a culture that drives diversity and inclusion. Every day, we’re working hard to create an environment where you feel you can bring your authentic self to work. To be comfortable and confident to be who you are in the workplace. To feel like you belong. We offer rewarding careers that are built around your strengths and designed to ensure you can achieve your personal and professional ambitions. Joining our global team, you’ll discover what collaborating on a global scale really looks like; you’ll learn how to help drive change; and you’ll be at the heart of an organisation that’s defining the future of law. If you’re ready to find a place to thrive: It’s Time.

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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