Finance Manager in London

The Institute for Law & AI (LawAI) is an independent think tank that researches and advises on the legal challenges posed by artificial intelligence. We believe that sound legal analysis will promote security, welfare, and the rule of law. We conduct research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, law, and policy and advise governments, international organizations, public institutions, and private actors.

About the role

We are seeking our first dedicated finance professional to build and lead financial management at LawAI. To date, financial oversight has been split between operations teams in the US and EU/UK, and external accountants. As we continue to grow and our portfolio of activities expands, we expect significant new multi-year funding and need someone who can establish robust financial systems, ensure compliance across jurisdictions, and provide strategic insight to the leadership team.

This is a hands-on role managing day-to-day finance operations, developing systems for tracking and reporting, and providing crucial support to our Director in shaping budgets, forecasts, and revenue strategy.

Your main responsibilities would include:

• Supporting the Director and leadership team in preparing grant budgets, donor financial reports, and revenue projections.
• Monitoring actual vs. budgeted spending, providing timely variance analyses and recommendations.
• Tracking multiple grants and donor streams, ensuring funds are properly allocated, spent, and reported.
• Overseeing compliance with US 501(c)(3) requirements, audits, and IRS filings, coordinating with external accountants.
• Advising on US/EU/UK finance and grant compliance requirements, ensuring cross-jurisdictional consistency.
• Establishing internal controls, policies, and audit processes to safeguard financial integrity.
• Coordinating with external legal, accounting, and compliance partners as needed.
• Managing expenses and reimbursements.
• Overseeing vendor contracts, service agreements, and financial aspects of partnerships.
• Ensuring systems (QuickBooks, Bill, Wise, Airtable, etc.) are integrated and efficient.
• Working closely with operations managers in the US and EU/UK to align finance with day-to-day operations.

About you

You might be a good fit for this work if you have:

• A strong background in nonprofit finance, experience managing multi-stream budgets (>£1M annually), and preparing financial reports for donors, boards, and leadership.
• A demonstrated ability to track and report on restricted/unrestricted funding, grants, and multi-year monetary commitments from donors and supporters.
• A strategic mindset: able to advise leadership on revenue streams, financial risks, and long-term sustainability.
• Hands-on experience setting up or improving financial systems, policies, and reporting.
• Strong analytical and communication skills, with the ability to translate finance for non-finance stakeholders.

This role might also benefit from you having some of the following qualifications, although you could still be a highly competitive candidate even if you don’t have any of them:

• CPA, ACCA, or similar qualification.
• Experience working in US, EU and/or UK contexts.
• Familiarity with finance for think tanks, academic institutes, or international nonprofits.
• Interest in AI, law, or technology policy.
• Comfort with remote collaboration tools (e.g. Slack, Google Workspace, Airtable).

All of the above said, there’s no such thing as a perfect candidate; we don’t expect a successful hire to excel in all of the dimensions here. If you’re on the fence about applying because you are unsure whether you are qualified, we strongly encourage you to apply.

Compensation

The salary range for this role is $90,000–$130,000 depending on experience and location. For exceptional candidates whose experience exceeds our expectations in terms of relevance and seniority, we may consider higher compensation.

We’re ideally looking for someone able to start as soon as possible, but we’re open to waiting for longer if the ideal candidate isn’t available immediately.

Time zones and location

This is a full-time, permanent position with flexible work hours and location. We’re based primarily in the US and the UK, but we have staff working from many different countries.

Part-time: We’re not considering part-time candidates at this time.

Visas: We may be able to sponsor visas in some instances for this role, though individual eligibility is not within our control.

Our benefits include:

• A fully remote work environment and flexible working hours (with an option to work from our office in Cambridge, UK)
• 5 weeks of PTO recommended per year, plus public holidays
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave that can be taken prior to birth or adoption and during the first year, with the option to take additional unpaid leave
• Employer pension or matching 401(k) contribution up to 4% of your salary
• Health insurance for employees residing in countries without nationalized healthcare
• An annual reimbursement fund of $4,000 for productivity and professional development
• An annual reimbursement fund of $4,000 for mental health support
• An annual reimbursement fund of $2,500 for equipment and office supplies
• A friendly, open work culture that encourages feedback and close collaboration, and a team that appreciates the contributions of all team members.

Diversity

We aim to employ people with many different experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds who share our mission. We’re committed to creating an environment where all employees have the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their race, religion, disability, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation.

Requests for accommodation

If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability or incompatible assistive technology, please contact hiring@law-ai.org to request reasonable accommodations.

Application process

If you think you might be a good fit for the role but are unsure whether you should apply, we strongly encourage you to do so. The hiring process looks like this:

• Invitation to take a work test (~2hrs) designed to simulate the work you would do if hired and/or evaluate certain skills important for success in the role
• Remote interviews and optional reference checks
• Employment offer
• Referral program

This position is eligible for LawAI's referral program. The referral program offers $5,000 to eligible individuals who refer a candidate who is ultimately hired for one of our open positions.