UK Head of Finance & Operations

This job is an exciting opportunity for someone to lead Finance and Operations for the firm’s UK office. This senior role combines strategic financial leadership, operational oversight and trusted partnerships with senior stakeholders to drive profitability, performance and sustainable growth in London. Bird & Bird’s Finance team’s mission is to provide world class finance support to the business. In London, the team comprises circa 60 finance professionals across a wide range of areas including management and financial accounting, transaction processing, partner accounting, tax, treasury, pricing and commercial decision support. Our 34 international offices have their own professionals providing local expertise and support. Collaborative across the network, the team is focused on driving efficiency, adding value and profitable growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Be the Head of Finance for the UK, the firm’s largest office, a £100m plus business.
• Be a member of the London Management Team (LMT), which is made up of Head of Country, two Partners and Head of HR who together have responsibility for the London office.
• Work with the LMT and the Heads of each London Practice (London HODs) to increase profitability of the office as a whole and each Practice Group.
• Ensure the right size and shape of each practice - partners, associates and all other fee earners.
• Optimise pricing of each partner, including setting hourly rates, ensuring fixed/capped fees are appropriately managed and accounted for, success fees are used to a sensible extent, structured wisely and accounted for appropriately (all in coordination with the Head of Pricing).
• Promote work generation for other partners, other offices and other practices.
• Encourage the right partner behaviour.
• Determine and deliver the finance messages, consistent with the global CFO’s, to the London HODs and the London Partners as a whole.
• Provide the right level of constructive challenge to the Head of Country and London HODs.
• Be respected, trusted and consulted by all the London Partners.
• Analyse and manage the financial aspects of all London plans.
• Work as part of the Global finance team.
• Play a leading role in implementing more global finance processes.

UK Head of Operations

The London office is managed by the LMT who have responsibility for London operations. This role will coordinate London operations (in conjunction with LMT and the London HODs) to ensure a smooth integration between the London support operations and our lawyers. This aspect of the role is likely to evolve over time, but will include the following responsibilities:

• Oversee London support operations including coordinating with Facilities and IT.
• Oversee Business Support operation including line management of two Lead Business Support Managers.
• Direct budgets and allocate resources for London support departments.
• Work with the LMT to develop and implement London operating policies to support the Firm’s global policies and objectives.
• Work with London HODs to ensure that the support departments provide the necessary infrastructure and core processes for the legal departments to operate most effectively.

What you’ll bring

• Proven influencing skills, with the ability to build strong business partnering relationships with senior management.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to present figures in a way which is meaningful to partners.
• A collaborative and flexible style with a strong focus on client service.
• Commercial experience and entrepreneurial vision, with a willingness to embrace innovation.
• Strategic vision and the ability to synthesise the bigger picture from commercial data, but with the attention to detail required in a law firm.
• Developed leadership ability, particularly gained in an organisation and/or sector experiencing transformational change.
• Educational background to degree level or equivalent qualification.
• Experience in leading effective teams in a complex business environment.
• Previous law firm experience would be advantageous but not essential. However, experience within a professional services environment and a practical understanding of partnerships is required.

What’s in it for you

We provide comprehensive support for our colleagues’ health and wellbeing, including private medical cover, life assurance, critical illness cover, and regular health assessments. In addition, we offer a range of lifestyle benefits designed to help our team live their best lives, such as a cycle to work scheme, access to online GP appointments, discounted gym memberships, and an electric vehicle scheme.

If you require any assistance, please email us at talentacquisitionlondon@twobirds.com. To apply, click on the ‘apply’ button to submit your details. Bird & Bird opens up a world of possible for lawyers and professionals everywhere. Working for a leading international law firm like Bird & Bird means working alongside people who are truly collegiate in the way they work with everyone. We work as one global team, with over 70% of work involving people from across the firm. And that’s only increasing! It’s this common purpose and shared approach that makes for a more productive and collaborative place to work.

Your firm. Your future. If you want to find out more, visit www.twobirds.com. As a disability and neurodiversity inclusive employer we want to ensure that you have a barrier-free recruitment experience at Bird & Bird. If you require any adjustments during the recruitment process, please provide details to your recruitment contact who will be in touch to discuss any details provided and understand more about your individual adjustment needs.