Our client, a long-established, reputable legal firm at £5 million turnover and 30 employees, specializing in commercial, family, divorce & property / residential conveyancing law based in Datchet, Berkshire are now actively seeking an onsite, Assistant Finance Manager to deal with all day-to-day finance duties, in addition to satisfying legal SRA compliance responsibilities within this multi-partner firm.
This dual-responsibility role is pivotal in both assuming all accounting responsibilities internally within the firm and also ensuring regulatory compliance with SRA - ensuring the firms' commitment to both legal and professional sector standards and obligations, but also working closely with Partners and fee-earners, overseeing billing, reporting, risk management and legal compliance, in a full-time, onsite role suited to AAT qualified or part-qual ACA / CIMA / ACCA studiers - or qualified by experience - though current / recent experience in a UK legal firm is essential - along with the strong soft skills to liaise effectively across the business - especially with Partners.
Candidate Responsibilities;
- Assume full ownership of the finance / accounts department, including monitoring of income, expenditure and budget control
- take ownership of both ledgers - AP & AR - managing the full billing cycle, ensuring accurate, timely invoicing
- Monitor payments and assume ownership of aged debt and all outstanding balances in credit control
- Provide regular reports and commercial insights into the financial health of the firm, reporting into the Managing Partners and liaising effectively and professional with all fee-earners
- Produce regular financial reports to support overall firm strategic decision-making
- Ensure full compliance with all SRA legal commitments / standards from an accounting perspective and also full legal operational compliance
- Posting of monthly journals (accruals, prepayments, payroll)
- Process VAT returns
- Manage payroll processing and PAYE / NI payments, perform bank reconciliations
- Manage SAR audits and liaise effectivelt with HMRC and Banks
- Ensure full compliance across the spectrum of SRA rules, GDPR, AML, COFA and other regulatory frameworks within UK legal finance and compliance standards
- Manage professional indemnity insurance and other business-wide policies
- Provide support to fee-earners with client onboarding and KYC processes
- Act as the main contact for finance audits and regulatory reviews
Candidate Requirements;
- AAT qualified or part-qualified ACA / CIMA / ACCA - or qualified by experience
- Applicants must have current or recent finance experience for a UK legal firm - with knowledge and demonstrable experience applying SAR / SRA rules within a finance and compliance context
- Be an effective, strong communicator, with the soft skills to work effectively and professionally with both Managing Partners and fee-earners across the business - and with stakeholders and suppliers
- Have experience of dealing with both AP / AR ledgers end-to-end, ideally in a sole finance role or as part of a small finance team for a legal firm in UK
- Be confident and willing to take ownership of the finance function, up to Trial Balance level - with an outsourced audit firm contracted for Year-End accounts
- Be based near Datchet, Berkshire with a willingness to work fully onsite
Contact Details:
tailored recruiter ltd Careers Recruitment Team
