Finance Business Partner - Commercial Analysis, Reporting & Insights in Newcastle upon Tyne

Norton Rose Fulbright is a global law firm with more than 3,000 lawyers advising clients across locations in the United States, Europe, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East. We provide a full scope of legal services to the world's preeminent corporations and financial institutions. Our vision is to be a world class business, profitable, ambitious, cooperative and considerate, supporting our clients and people through our global business principles of Quality, Unity and Integrity.

With over 7,000 employees worldwide, our culture is the thread that connects us. Our strategy and culture are closely connected - defined by shared ambition, global collaboration and a one-team mindset. We believe pioneering work happens when people are empowered to think beyond boundaries, explore new opportunities and grow through diverse experiences. Alongside the right skills and experience, we are looking for people who are innovative, commercially minded, and motivated by the impact of the work they do - ready to share in our ambition and help shape what comes next.

The Team: A central pillar of the Commercial Finance function, the Commercial Analysis, Reporting & Insights (CARI) team supports firm leadership through the provision of high-quality management information, commercial analysis, strategic insights and executive reporting. CARI works collaboratively with colleagues across the business to support informed decision-making, profitable growth and operational excellence.

The Role: This is a key role responsible for transforming financial and operational data into actionable commercial insight and reporting. The successful candidate will lead a team of finance analysts and be accountable for the quality, consistency and presentation of management information used by business stakeholders. Strong leadership and development of the team is important, but this role will also be hands on, combining analytical excellence with strong stakeholder engagement, ensuring decision‑makers receive relevant, timely and compelling insights that drive performance improvement and strategic outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Analysis & Commercial Insight (45%)
  • Lead the production of insightful financial and operational analysis across practices, sectors, clients and offices.
  • Develop actionable recommendations that support profitable growth, improved productivity and enhanced financial performance.
  • Identify commercial opportunities, emerging risks and performance trends through proactive analysis.
  • Deliver deep‑dive reviews relating to partner performance, client profitability, matter economics, practice group and sector performance, working capital management, and strategic investment decisions.
  • Perform scenario modelling and sensitivity analysis to support strategic decision‑making.
  • Own the delivery of various legal sector benchmarking submissions.
  • Become a SME for the data, KPIs, systems and models used by Finance.
  • Drive increased use of predictive analytics and AI‑enabled analytical capabilities within the CARI team.
  • Schedule and conduct regular financial data audits and quality assurance work to ensure all data that underpins commercial finance activities is trusted.
• Executive Reporting & Presentations (20%)
  • Own the responsibility for production of high‑quality presentations for the Management Committee, Sector and Office Heads, Practice Group Leaders, and Partner meetings.
  • Translate complex financial information into concise, compelling and visually engaging narratives.
  • Ensure reporting focuses on business outcomes, key messages and management actions rather than purely financial data.
  • Maintain high standards of accuracy, consistency and professional presentation across all reporting outputs.
• Team Leadership (20%)
  • Lead, coach and develop a team of three Finance Analysts, providing a structured framework to ensure a high‑quality analytical capability.
  • Establish clear performance expectations and development plans.
  • Create a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, curiosity, and always being 'on the case'.
  • Review and validate team analytical outputs to ensure quality and consistency.
  • Champion automation and efficiency initiatives that reduce manual reporting effort and increase analytical capacity.
  • Promote a data‑driven culture throughout the team.
• Business Partnering and Stakeholder Management (15%)
  • Understand stakeholder priorities and proactively identify opportunities where financial analysis can support decision‑making.
  • Act as a trusted commercial advisor to stakeholders, helping to interpret performance and identify practical actions for ownership and follow‑up.
  • Confidently influence stakeholder decisions through evidence‑based recommendations and constructive commercial challenge.
  • Partner with colleagues across Finance to provide joined‑up insight and avoid siloed analysis.
  • Provide support with financial planning activities, including budgets, forecasts and accurate data to support RemCo requirements.

Skills and Experience Required:

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
• Experience leading analytical finance teams.
• A high degree of commercial acumen.
• Strong financial modelling and data analysis skills with advanced Excel capability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Emotionally resilient, and has strength of personality to ensure the perspective of Finance is clearly communicated.
• The ability to remain calm and focused under pressure.
• Excellent soft skills including the ability to influence or challenge senior stakeholders when necessary.
• A continuous improvement mentality to support development.