Job description

We are currently recruiting for a Finance Systems Support Manager to join our Global Finance team in London.  We are seeking an experienced support and customer service professional with a proven track record in a similar professional services environment.  You must be driven to work in a high performance finance team at a global law firm where excellent customer support, motivating a team and building relationships across the firm are valued and recognised.

This role is responsible for the overall management and continual improvement of the Finance Systems Support Team.  They provide clear structure and direction for the support team in the provision of high quality expert financial systems support to users and will proactively lead and assist in training and user education.  In addition, they will create and maintain administration and user documentation and ensure that identified projects and initiatives, including service improvement initiatives, are delivered in a timely fashion whilst driving knowledge and 'best practice' use of finance systems to the global finance function and across the business.

Role and responsibilities
People Management

• Manage the support team to ensure they are motivated, effective and providing excellent customer service.
• Set the objectives of the support team and provide them with regular feedback, guidance, advice and manage their performance via regular reviews.
• Work with the Senior Manager to provide strategic leadership and vision to the support team. Set the direction and structure of the team to ensure effective use of resources whilst delivering an efficient service.

Support

• Manage and co-ordinate support calls in a timely manner using the agreed incident management processes and systems.
• Lead and coordinate as well as recommending most appropriate setups on system. Should guide the support team through logical setup steps.
• Proactively supply support provision metrics detailing the volume and quality of finance system support and administration provided.

Key Task Management

• Play a key role in month end processes by reviewing steps, actively improving processes and guiding the support team on how best to carry out tasks. This role will help the team by checking that processes are in line with requirements.
• Manage the rotas for regular tasks, administration processes and month / year end.

Continuous Process Improvement

• Develop specific proposals on how the finance systems support organisation can continually improve the service it provides.
• Identify and drive improvements by working with both the Business Analyst and Development Teams, scoping changes, proving solutions and actively engaging with end users on roll out of changes.
• Writing functional specifications, analysing issues, managing and collecting escalation items from the support team, troubleshooting issues of bugs, recording, monitoring and escalation of software bugs and issues.

Training and Development

• Actively seek out internal clients that will benefit from training. Design, implement and lead training sessions, showing guidance and examples of best practice training to the Support Team.
• Mentor team members, identify where gaps of knowledge exist or more difficult tasks and procedures need to be shadowed.

Subject Matter Expertise

• Act as a trusted advisor when queries arise on use and the administration of finance systems. Drive improvements with the creation of user documentation and guides.
• Lead the design and documentation of service and functional improvements.

Building Relationships

• Build excellent relationships with IT Service Desk management to ensure support processes and procedures are aligned and efficient.
• Actively business partner with IT Teams to establish if/where issues and weaknesses exists in system performance. Provide guidance and expertise to users, aiming to bring system performance in line with Company expectations at all times.
• Work with external vendors to build feedback rich relationships in which best practice standards of support are expected and continuous improvement is regularly sought.

Key requirements

• Proven ability in providing leadership to a team, particularly across multiple locations
• Experience of 3e is essential
• Excellent understanding of financial information systems
• A proven track record in providing quality customer service and of continuous improvement.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills and must be self-motivated and proactive
• Ability to multi-task and work under pressure with excellent time management skills, as well as being able to track others time so that processes are complete in line with support and project timelines.
• Must have the ability to take ownership of tasks and lead processes to successful completion.
• Proven ability to drive and manage change
• A flexible approach and a can do attitude a must
• Ability to work with others remotely as the reach of the support provided is truly global.
• Significant experience within a support and training function

Should you require additional support at any stage of the recruitment process due to a disability or a health condition, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our recruitment team who will work with you to provide any adjustments as required.

We are an equal opportunities recruiter and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

We recognise that our people are our most valuable asset, which is reflected in the wide range of benefits that are available to our employees. Some of these benefits include: our occupational pension scheme, group income protection cover, private medical insurance, mental health resources and free apps, health and wellbeing services encompassing an onsite gym, wellbeing centre and GP service, emergency back-up care support, parental and special leave, holiday entitlement increasing with length of service, holiday trading, season ticket loans and online discounts and lifestyle management services.

We recognise the value of flexible working and embraces hybrid working, allowing our people to work from home up to 40% of their working time. We do however remain committed to working together in person for the remaining 60% of time so that we can learn, grow and succeed together.

Additional information - External

A&O Shearman is a new global industry-leading law firm, with 47 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 optimise 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.