DLA Piper are looking for a commercially minded professional to join as a Finance Business Partner who will be a key part of our Finance Business Partnering team sitting within the Finance function.
The successful candidate will primarily support an individual practice group but will work across the matrix (countries and sectors) and should gain an understanding of service area performance.
The firm is split across seven practice groups, each with a presence throughout the International offices. Each group is a separate area of law with its own management structure. The Finance Business Partner team work closely with the business to provide budget assurance, performance improvement, strategic financial leadership and proactive financial support to the International Group Heads and Group Head of Operations in managing their Practice Groups.
You will be an experienced commercial finance professional, who can demonstrate strong written and verbal communication and the required soft skills to work effectively with stakeholders, quickly developing a trusted adviser status.
Main duties and responsibilities
Business Partnering
- Serving as the key financial interface between the international practice group management and the Finance department
- Proactively working with International Practice Group Heads, their leadership teams and partners to provide financial expertise and support, e.g. effective and regular presentations at partner meetings, identifying and leading initiatives to improve financial performance relating to profitability, working capital and financial efficiency
- Working with colleagues across the Finance function in leading the delivery of the finance curriculum agenda for the lawyers, including mentoring and training to newly promoted partners / laterals / promotion candidates / new firm joiners and presenting at firmwide learning academies for fee earners at all levels from trainee through to partner
- Providing necessary financial support to ensure strategic business development, client retention and increased client profitability within the practice groups
- Supporting the pricing team including presentations to key stakeholders to increase internal use of the pricing team, the toolsets and broaden commercial awareness around pricing and delivering profitable work. Encouraging broader and better use of the Firm's tools to develop more profitable and consistent pricing approaches
- Work in conjunction with the credit control and local finance teams, to ensure visibility of any issues within the practice group and assist in finding a resolution. Being able to clearly articulate any financial or business risks, or significant working capital issues
- Liaise with budget holders to support their understanding of their results and work with them to monitor costs
Financial Planning
- Support and lead the annual planning and budgeting process for the practice group and support the delivery and maintenance of group led strategic plans
- Contribute to the wider commercial review and playback of the budget to the Finance Leadership Team and contribute to the presentation of the firmwide budget for approval by Executive and Board
- Undertaking the reforecasting process to actively monitor and manage financial risks and opportunities for the practice group and provide an updated view of trading to management
Financial Analysis
- Enabling the practice group to achieve its objectives, make decisions and plan appropriately through the effective understanding and use of financial analysis
- Interpretation of monthly finance MI into insightful commentary, analysis, and articulation of required management actions
- Monitoring performance against long-term strategic and short-term operational plans and assisting the partners to formulate the necessary actions to be taken to achieve agreed financial targets
- Working on ad-hoc projects including financial modelling for required initiatives, such as lateral hires, partner promotions, practice area and geographic expansion
- Monthly reporting for the Executive and Board, highlighting key issues for discussion and proposing actions/solutions
- In conjunction with Commercial Finance Business Partner colleagues, supporting the Head of Finance Business Partnering in the overall financial management of the practice areas including conducting thorough annual financial reviews
- Supporting the development of the Finance Analysts through mentoring and guidance
About you
You will be an experienced commercial finance professional, who can demonstrate strong written and verbal communication and the required soft skills to work effectively with stakeholders, quickly developing a trusted adviser status.
- ACCA / ACA / CIMA qualified with proven PQE experience
- Finance Business Partnering experience with senior stakeholders (ideally within a professional services business, but would consider similar experience in other sectors)
- A high degree of commercial acumen with exceptional analysis and financial modelling skills and evidence of applied strategic thinking/planning
- Excellent written and verbal communication and has strength of personality to ensure the Finance view is clearly communicated.
- Capable and confident in presenting to large audiences face to face or via technology
- The ability to remain calm and focused under pressure
- Well-developed soft skills with the gravitas to influence or challenge senior stakeholders when necessary and to gain respect as a trusted advisor
- A continuous improvement mentality to support development of self, colleagues and business processes and interactions
- Attention to detail as well as an ability to see the bigger picture which considers any cross-business implications
- Excellent time management skills, able to manage stakeholders during times of conflicting deliverables and proven experience of delivering on simultaneous tasks
- Excellent Excel, PowerPoint and Word skills
- Great team working skills and a passion for delivering results
- Ability to flex working style to collaborate across functions and geographies and adapt to change
