Client Delivery Manager - Accounting Services

The Client Experience Manager is one of the most important roles in the practice. The person in this position is responsible for ensuring that Hughes, Isaac & Co delivers consistently for its clients, which means taking ownership of the practice's accounting delivery targets and not just managing their own portfolio in isolation.

Working closely with the partners, you will manage colleagues' workloads day to day, keep the practice on track against its client deadlines, and be the person everyone looks to when they need to know where things stand. Alongside that operational leadership, you will also be the primary point of contact for a mixed portfolio of clients; the quality of those relationships and the experience those clients have will be a direct reflection of how you do the job.

We are looking for someone who is technically strong and has a track record of managing clients well, but who also brings the kind of interpersonal and organisational skills that translate into a genuinely good experience for the people we work with. This is not a role for someone who wants to keep their head down; it is for someone who takes ownership, leads their team with clarity and thinks about the client experience as much as the technical output. This is a leadership role that requires both technical competence and the kind of interpersonal skills that make clients feel genuinely well looked after. The right person will find it varied, stretching and rewarding.

• You will own a portfolio of clients across our mixed client base and act as their primary point of contact. We want clients to feel that they are dealing with someone who genuinely understands their business, communicates proactively and makes every interaction feel straightforward.
• Set a high standard for how and when we communicate, so that clients are never left wondering where things are, and look continuously at how our workflows and information-gathering processes could be smoother for the people we work with.
• Build deep, lasting relationships with clients across the portfolio, understanding their businesses and their ambitions well enough to add value beyond the compliance work.
• Set and maintain a clear standard for proactive client communication, so clients always know what is happening and what to expect next.
• Identify where the client experience could be better, whether that is how we request information, how we deliver work or how we handle queries, and take the lead on improving it.
• Onboard new clients thoroughly, establishing good working habits from the start and making sure they understand how we like to work.
• Identify additional services that would genuinely benefit existing clients and have those conversations naturally, as part of the ongoing relationship rather than as a separate exercise.

• A significant part of this role is ensuring that the practice as a whole hits its client delivery targets. That requires active management of the team's workloads, clear visibility over what is in progress and what is at risk, and a working relationship with the partners that allows issues to be raised and resolved quickly.
• Take ownership of the practice's client delivery targets, including deadlines, turnaround times and quality standards, across the whole team and not just your own caseload.
• Manage colleagues' workloads actively, allocating jobs, monitoring progress and intervening early when capacity or timing is at risk.
• Maintain a clear and visible system for tracking everything that is in progress, so that nothing is ever a surprise and any slippage is caught early.
• Work regularly with the partners to review the delivery pipeline, flag risks and agree priorities.
• Foster a culture in which meeting client deadlines is taken seriously and clients are never kept waiting without a good reason.

• Review and oversee statutory accounts preparation across a mixed portfolio of entity types.
• Manage corporate and personal tax compliance, including CT600s, self-assessment returns and associated planning.
• Handle VAT compliance and provide advice where questions or issues arise.
• Ensure that all work leaving the practice is properly documented, thoroughly reviewed and delivered to the standard clients expect.
• Lead by example in adopting our digital workpapers system and cloud-based working tools, and actively support colleagues in doing the same.

• You will be responsible for the day-to-day management and development of a small team of accountants and trainees. That means reviewing their work, planning their time well, and creating an environment where standards are clear and people are well supported.
• Manage the day-to-day work of a small team of accountants and trainees, with clear accountability for the quality and timeliness of their output.
• Review work thoroughly and provide feedback that is specific, constructive and helps people develop.
• Plan the team's capacity in advance so that workloads are manageable and client commitments can be met without unnecessary pressure.
• Develop your people so that the whole practice benefits, not just your part of it.

• Bring your ideas about how the practice could improve. We are a firm that changes and develops, and we welcome input from across the team.
• Help to shape how we adopt new technology and tools, including how the Planner, Controller and Reviewer functions evolve as the practice grows.
• Play a part in making Hughes, Isaac & Co a practice that clients recommend and talented people want to join.