Finance Business Partner

Overview

The Firm

Montagu Evans is a UK property consultancy that helps clients unlock value from complexity, because that’s where the most meaningful opportunities live.

Our purpose is to bring clarity, creativity, and conviction to the complex. We are experts who collaborate to create value, not just preserve it and our team is built for impact, not oversight.

We specialise in high-value, complex assets across the property lifecycle, where political, technical or commercial challenges demand a joined-up approach.

The Team/Department

The Finance team are an integral part of the firm and the Central Management Services department. The team is responsible for managing the firm’s finance function in all areas: from credit control, to accounts payable, expenses, management accounting, billing, payroll, cash flow, budgeting and forecasting, as well as business partnering with the firm’s fee earning departments.

We work with all areas of the firm and, in conjunction with other teams within the Central Management Services function, support andadvisethe firm’s partners, departments and fee earners. Financealsoprovides financial information on a regular basis to the executive committee and to the salary andremunerationcommittees.

The team currentlyconsists of aChief Finance and Operations Officer(CFOO),Head of Finance,aFinanceBusiness Partner(FBP),Financial Controller(FC), Senior Management Accountant,3Credit Controllers,Accounts Payable Manager, Partnership Accountant, and 2 assistant accountants.

This role willreport intotheHead of Finance, jointly business partnering with the incumbent business partnertoprovide business partnering and financial analysis support toall areas of the business. In addition to working closely withthe wider finance function on billing, reporting,forecastsand budgets.

Role Overview

The individual will be responsible forsupportingfee earnersinthedepartmentsto help prepare forecasts and budgets, provide financial analysison profitability andpricing for new, prospective and current jobs, and provide that partnership link between the fee generating departmentsand the central finance team. Theywill act asa central contactfor any financial analysis and internal and external departmental reporting, including to clients.

The role will support the fee-earning departments inmaintaining(and improving) WIP schedules, reconciling these to the Finance system, communicating monthly forecasts to the Senior ManagementAccountantand providingappropriate support(and challenge) to Heads of Department as to revenue trajectory. A key part of the role will be ensuring that reporting isaccurate,timelyand robust, so that partners, departmentheadsand senior management can rely on it when making commercial decisions. The individual will also provide feedback and recommendations for improvement on departmental billing and process issues.

Despite being a well-establishedfunction in the firm, the role holds considerable scope for growth and development. Central to the role is improving reporting,forecastingand billing practices and processesforthe departments, and beginning to create/adopt standardised procedures for pricing work and calculating profitability. The individual will work closely with fee earners to ensure that delivering value and driving profitability are embedded into the department’sdecision-makingprocesses.This role would also liaise with the departmentsadministrative and support staff, ensuring all financial administrative tasks and duties are completed withtimely, efficient processes.

We are looking for a qualified finance professional (1+ PQE), with a proactive approach and a keen eye for detail. The individual will need to be “hands on” and able to work closely with team members, whilst building relationshipswith the wider departments.

This is an ideal opportunity for an individual that is willing to grow and change with the Finance team.The firm has recently implemented a new Business Information System(OracleNetsuite), with a Business Intelligence layer (Qlik)so willbe fully involved in making this a success from day 1.

Responsibilities

• Business partnering with the3fee earning departmentsand central management function, developing relationships with department sub-teamsand fee earners, and providing real-time support andhigh qualityanalysis to inform commercial decision-making.
• Support departmental leadership in maximising revenue,profitabilityand cash conversion, using financial insight toidentifyrisks,opportunitiesand practical corrective actions.
• Preparingaccurate,timelyandclearly-presentedfinancial reporting for the departments, in the mostappropriate formatfor various forums, meetings, committees and other groups, in line with each department’s reporting cycles.
• Working with fee earners to calculate and review the profitability and pricing of prospective,newand existing jobs and projects.
• Provide constructive and evidence-based challenge to Heads of Department and fee earners on forecasts, pricing, profitability, expenditure,billingand financial performance, while helping stakeholdersidentifyworkable solutions.
• Providing analysis of market information toidentifyand track competitor trends
• Supporting ad-hoc business projects, for example helping business cases for senior lateral hires and preparing analysis reports
• Analysecost driversand value including benchmarking costs and making recommendations for improvement
• Maintaining(and supporting the evolution of)WIP, Pipelineand invoicingschedules, ensuring the records are complete and up to date and reconcile to Finance department systems
• Workwith fee earners to assess and evaluate, on a job-by-job basis, the likelihood of jobs completing, and in so doing produce monthly forecast figures.
• Improve financial understanding across the business through clear communication, targeted training and practical guidance on pricing, job profitability, forecasting, WIP, billing and cash collection.
• Controlling the department’s month end billing process, performing checks to ensure that invoices are issued in line with Finance department procedures and encouraging/enforcing compliance
• Reporting promptly to the Head of Finance, FC and CFOO on billing issues, forecast variances and reporting risks, while considering practical solutions and corrective actions.
• Calculate and verifyingWIP valuesfor the year-end financial statements andassistingwith the audit process
• Working with department partners,FBP, Headof Finance, FC, and CFOO onthe management and continuous improvementoffee-earning departments
• Ad hoc pieces of analysis and reporting, as and when required by the department’s fee earners
• Ad hoc project work including support and training on the newBusinessInformation System (“BIS”/ OracleNetsuite) and othersystems development asrequired

Qualifications

• Strong communicationskills– both written and verbal
• A keen desire to drive improvement, with a solution driven mindset
• Full accounting qualification (ACA,ACCAor CIMA)
• Minimum1years PQE
• Advanced Excel skills preferred including Pivot tables and advanced formulae
• Business partnering experience. Ability to build trust and rapport with business stakeholders (junior and senior)
• Ability to juggle and prioritise competing priorities
• The energy and dynamism toidentify, and pro-actively deliver improvements
• Real Estate background preferred but not essential
• Experience of implementing new systemspreferred but not essential
• Experience of usingOracleNetsuitepreferred but not essential
• Experience ofQlikpreferred but not essential

Recruitment fees are only payable where Montagu Evans' Talent Acquisition team has formally instructed an agency and agreed terms are in place. All CV's must be submitted through our recruitment portal to qualify as an Introduction. Unsolicited or speculative CVs will be treated as non-fee bearing submissions.

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong and has access to equitable opportunities and clear pathways to success.

We welcome applications from all backgrounds and experiences and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, caring responsibilities, neurodiversity, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know and we will work with you to support your needs where possible.