Commercial Finance Manager

Recruiter
CMS UK
Location
London
Salary
Competitive
Posted
02 Oct 2021
Closes
21 Oct 2021
Category
Legal
Contract Type
Permanent
Hours
Full Time

CMS' Commercial Finance team are growing and have an opportunity for a Commercial Finance Manager.
About CMS

CMS is a Future Facing firm. With 75 offices in 43 countries and 4,800+ lawyers worldwide, we combine deep sector understanding with a global overview, giving us the ability not only to see what's coming, but to shape it.


CMS is well equipped to help our clients face the future with confidence. We are driven by technology and readily embrace the possibilities it opens up for developing new and better ways of delivering legal services. Our bold approach to a changing future ensures that we nurture our employees and recruit top talent.


About the Role

The role sits within the Commercial Finance team – a growing team of finance and pricing professionals which supports the CMS leadership and the firm to deliver its overall strategy, improve profitability and recovery, and give pricing support on key client engagements.
Commercial Finance works very closely with the Finance Business Partnering team, and alongside the Financial Control, Finance Operations and Tax teams to form the Group Finance and Accounting function.
Team make up: Head of Commercial Finance, a senior consultant, three managers, one assistant manager and two analysts. This role is being created on a permanent basis initially to cover one manager on maternity leave until summer 2022 but will continue as an additional manager thereafter, reflecting proposed team growth.
This is a fantastic opportunity for an ambitious individual who wishes to be part of a progressive, customer–centric and strategic thinking team that has buy in and backing from the very top of the organisation. Working closely with the business' management and partnership at large to provide financial expertise, support and challenge where needed.


Education and training
* Working closely with Finance Business Partners, Sector Leaders, Practice Group Leaders, business support teams and the general partnership to identify gaps in training and provide outreach and support across the entire firm.
* Designing and creating targeted, effective, and collaborative training solutions to upskill stakeholders in pricing, commerciality, confidence, value, profitability and recovery improvement.
* Promoting and developing current and new tools to educate and empower the firm's partners and associates, to gain greater confidence and price smaller, less complex matters independently.
Commercial insight
* Working with partners and the Client Management Team to maximise the value of client relationships, those within our Strategic Client and Sector growth client programmes.
* Preparing regular financial analysis and commentary for key sectors and clients, and providing advice in relation to potential areas of improvement.
* Business partnering with Sector Heads and Client Relationship Partners to provide financial support and drive profitability.
* Working with practice group and team leaders and other practice support teams.
* Supporting the Head of Commercial Finance and Senior Commercial Finance Manager as needed.
Governance, guidance and policy
* Working with Business Development leads and legal staff to develop fee structure options (pricing, discounts, commercial terms, etc.) to support pitching for and winning new work.
* Creating new, and developing existing, guidance and governance policies to ensure best practice in areas of work delivery, profitability management, pricing, fee structures and other associated areas.
* Model the financial impact and viability of proposed pricing arrangements, and present to partners and management personnel as required. Evaluating options and challenging key decision makers when appropriate.
* Provide post–matter financial analysis and associated pricing and business insight to partners, Commercial Finance, and Business Development teams as required.


About You
You will have the following attributes:

Essential:
* Pricing experience within professional services, but will consider other commercial environments.
* Advanced MS Office suite user (particularly Excel).
* 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 focussed under pressure.
* Strong presentation skills, with the ability to confidently present to small or large groups of senior partners and staff.
* Excellent soft skills including the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
* Ability to make strong relationships with other teams.
* Good commercial acumen and exceptional analysis and financial modelling skills.
* A collaborative team–player who is transparent and has a straight–forward approach.

Desirable:
* ACCA/ ACA/CIMA or similar qualified with a minimum of 2 years PQE or with relevant experience.
* Working proficiency of Elite Enterprise or Elite 3E and some knowledge of BI tools would be helpful.
* Finance Business Partnering experience with senior stakeholders within a professional services business.


Equal Opportunities

At CMS, a next–generation mindset is woven into all we do. We're diverse, supportive and inclusive, embracing our corporate social responsibility and creating a culture of sustainability in which every one of our people, whatever their background, can maximise their potential and thrive. For further information about CMS' diversity initiatives and programmes, please view the Diversity & Inclusion pages on our website.


Please apply online or contact a member of the Talent Acquisition team if you have any questions. For information regarding our competitive range of benefits please visit our Rewards & Benefits page on our website.


Please note that CMS have a preferred agency panel in place. Only applications submitted via the portal at the point of instruction will be accepted.

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