Business Services Client Manager in Bristol

In this key position you will be responsible for managing, maintaining and developing relationships with the firm’s clients. You will work closely with the client partners and other departments to understand clients’ needs and expectations so long‑term relationships can be nurtured and maintained.

As a Business Services Client Manager you will be a strong team leader, fully supporting a team and delegating different accountancy tasks to expand the skillset throughout the accounts team. The role will assist the firm’s ongoing service cycle to support the achievement of the firm's long-term strategic goals.

An outline of the job and what it will entail is stated below:

• Assist the Directors in managing their client portfolios.
• Oversee and manage the Business Services Team to ensure your designated portfolio of clients are serviced in an efficient and effective manner.
• Liaise with suitable HoD’s / Directors to ensure clients receive consultancy as and when needed.
• Plan and delegate work to more junior staff, should they be suitable for the task.
• Take full responsibility for the service provided to clients for compliance and statutory works.
• Review and provide constructive feedback and training to team members.
• Identify and plan own work in accordance with internal and external deadlines.
• Ensure additional work requested by clients is completed promptly and by the agreed deadline.
• Ensure clients are serviced satisfactorily within budget constraints.
• Prepare or delegate and supervise work, as appropriate, to ensure all clients are serviced satisfactorily within budget constraints.
• Prepare fee notes.
• Communicate with clients in person, conversation or writing – able to influence client decisions.
• Identify matters of concern for clients and provide advice on how to improve business.
• Identify additional services that could be provided and inform clients of such services.
• Provide training for clients and staff in systems, bookkeeping, etc.
• Ensure adequate skills and knowledge to look after clients.
• Ensure assignments are conducted in accordance with Dunkleys’ procedures.
• Be responsible for completion and submission of assignments and returns for all clients within your designated portfolio by internal and external deadlines.
• Have a designated portfolio of small/medium clients which ranges in fee value from £100k – £500k.
• Brief Business Services Team Managers appropriately at the start of an assignment ensuring the job plan and budget are clearly understood.
• Oversee and provide technical support to Business Services Team.
• Resolve more complex queries relating to the assignment directly with the client.
• Monitor progress on active assignments and prevent overruns on the portfolio.
• After discussion with the Director, renegotiate fees if client circumstances/records have changed and the job plan needs to be adjusted.
• Conduct final review on assignments prepared by Business Services Team to ensure they comply with our requirements and are ready for client interview.
• Resolve queries raised by the Business Services Team.
• Ensure adjustments required after review are understood by the Business Services Team and are correctly completed by the team.
• Ensure draft financial statements, meeting agenda, meeting pack, business tax computations and personal tax computations are ready for client interview without further adjustment by the Director.
• Attend and contribute to client meetings as required by the Director.
• After discussion with the Director, conduct client meetings without a Director for certain assignments.
• Ensure the draft financial statements, business tax computations and personal tax returns are correctly adjusted after the client meeting in accordance with the meeting notes.
• Ensure workflow is proactively managed – ensuring financial records are obtained from clients, missing information is obtained, reviews are performed promptly, draft financial statements are issued, client meetings arranged and submission of all necessary documentation to the relevant bodies.
• Follow internal processes and ensure our checklists and work tracking software is kept up to date.
• Manage own time on the assignment in line with the budget and notify the Director prior to any overruns arising.
• Raise fees in connection with the portfolio, approval by the Director sought as required.
• Provide explanations and action plans to prevent any overruns in the future.
• Have a good working relationship with own clients and be the first point of contact for ad hoc client queries throughout the year.
• Visit client’s premises for the above, where required.
• Carry out ad hoc assignments relating to client affairs as instructed by the Director.
• Assist with general queries in the service line as required.

Reporting Lines:

• Reports to Client Partner/Director in connection with assignments and client matters.
• Liaising with Business Services Team and Directors.
• Assisting and managing Business Services Team in connection with their portfolio.
• Liaising with other internal departments as required e.g., Audit/Accounts, Tax, payroll, SST.
• Contact with clients in connection with queries and advice.
• Contact with external bodies e.g., HMRC, professional contacts as required.

Management Information Systems (where applicable):

• Ensure all assignments are performed at the appropriate time and both internal and external deadlines are met.
• Set out a job plan to complete these assignments with a view to making the task as straightforward and efficient as possible.
• Recommend improvements to processes and lead development projects.

Leadership, People Management and Development:

• Define and agree formal objectives for all direct reports.
• Monitor individual performance and ensure all individual KPIs are met.
• Monitor team performance versus original objectives and departmental KPIs.
• Provide regular feedback to all team members on their performance via informal ‘1:1’ meetings.
• Conduct regular assessments of each team member’s competence, motivation and required support and resources and take specific action to rectify via the creation of a personal development plan and ongoing performance management.
• Conduct formal appraisals versus original objectives and job specification for each direct team member every year.

Client, Internal and External Organisational Contact:

• Communicate with the Director issues relevant to assignments.
• Communicate with the team when planning workflow for their teams.
• Manage own portfolio and communicate with Director to ensure internal and external deadlines are met.
• Direct liaison with clients using a variety of methods to facilitate the production of financial statements, business tax computations and obtaining personal tax information etc.
• Liaise with our internal departments in connection with client affairs.
• Return phone calls and written correspondence within required deadlines and ensure promises are kept.

Internal Financial Management & Business Planning:

• Understand and work proactively towards achieving own contribution to the departmental business plan.
• Provide fee estimates at the start of every month for inclusion in the monthly team meetings.
• Monitor and actively manage workflow, work in progress and debt collection (as and when instructed by our finance team) for portfolio of clients.

New Business Development:

• Form good professional relationships with clients, creating an environment whereby clients feel happy to refer their contacts to Dunkley’s.
• Actively endeavour to make non-clients aware of the services and benefits that Dunkley’s can provide.
• Build own network of professional contacts and encourage referrals.
• Assist with business development events as required.
• Liaise with potential new client leads as requested.

Experience:

• Broad experience of all aspects of accountancy.