This established full-service US law firm based near St Pauls station are looking to hire a qualified legal Head of Finance to manage the day to day accounting functions for the London office.

The role will see you reporting to the Director of Administration and the CFO in the US HQ, whilst managing a small accounts team of cashiers, billing and revenue. The firm offers agile working of 3 days in the office, 2 from home however it will be expected that the incumbent be a regular presence in the London office as there will be a lot face to face contact with London partners. They are prepared to offer a salary of £110,000 to £130,000 DOE plus benefits.

You will monitor the day-to-day quality control of operational accounts, payroll, client and offices accounts, client billing, VAT returns, budgeting, month end procedures and compliance. This is a very hands-on role suitable for an experienced legal account professional who has completed the ACCA/CIMA and is comfortable handling themselves in a client facing transactional accounting position. Successful candidates must also possess strong report writing experience and have a good understanding of SRA / COFA regulations.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage and supervise the day-to-day finance operations of the London and overseas offices to include but not limited to Billing, Accounts Payable, Cashiering, preparation of VAT and other jurisdictional returns and providing responses to requests for information
• Preparing the monthly partner information packs and presenting to the board at monthly meetings
• Preparing the annual budget for the London office along with expense budget review and variance analysis
• Working with the COFA and auditors to complete the annual SRA engagement. Comply with any obligations imposed under the Solicitors Accounts Rules; ensure that a prompt report is made to us of any serious breach of the Accounts Rules which apply to them. Attend and participate in quarterly compliance meetings
• Reviewing and clearing residual client balances and overseeing the general day to day running of the client account
• Preparation of the UK Partners tax computations
• Prepare the quarterly VAT returns and monthly EC Sales list submissions
• Preparation of the annual accounts including year-end journals, WIP and AR analysis, VAT reconciliation, fixed assets register, etc
• Preparing the monthly payroll, pension contribution submissions and partners drawings
• Provide research and reports to internal departments and vendors with respect to various accounts payable, general ledger and related accounting inquiries related to the London office

Candidate requirements:

• ACCA, ACA or CIMA qualified
• 5 years + experience in a finance manager role within a law firm, preferably international
• A high attention to detail to produce work/documentation which is consistently of a high standard
• Comfortable checking the work of others in the team and working at a pace whilst maintaining quality and eye for detail
• Good working knowledge of Aderant
• Sound knowledge of the Solicitor’s Accounts Rules
• Good time management skills with the ability to prioritise workload, to have a flexible approach to ensure all deadlines are met
• Must be able to work as part of a team and possess excellent communication skills both written and verbal
• Reliable and trustworthy and possess a willingness to learn whilst maintaining an exceptional eye for detail