Commercial Finance Analyst

Practice Group / Department:

Finance Business Partnering

Job Description

We're Norton Rose Fulbright - a global law firm with over 50 offices and 7,000 employees worldwide. We provide the world's preeminent corporations and financial institutions with a full business law service. As well as the relevant skills and experience, we're looking for people who are innovative, commercial and value the work that they do. To attract the best people, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to work, have a sense of belonging, and realize their full career potential. We value difference and actively promote a culture of respect for each individual, encouraging and creating inclusion. Our new hybrid working model allows our people to have more flexibility in the way they choose to work from both the office and a remote location, while continuing to deliver the highest standards of service. We offer a range of family friendly and inclusive employment policies and provide access to programmes and services aimed at nurturing our people's health and overall wellbeing.

The role provides the opportunity to support the development of finance business partnering in Norton Rose Fulbright LLP through commercially driven finance support to the Business Services functions.

Reporting to the Senior Finance Business Partner - Business Services and working in a small team of three (Senior Finance Business Partner - Business Services and Finance Business Partner - Business Services), the role supports the team in delivering accurate and insightful financial and other information to the Business Services Leadership Team over the short and medium term.

This role ideally suits an ambitious individual:

• who wants to be part of a progressive, customer-centric team that works closely with the business to provide budget assurance, performance improvement, financial leadership and proactive financial support;
• looking to progress to a Finance Business Partner. The role also offers the development of Finance Business Partnering skills by being the key contract for some functions under the guidance of the Finance Business Partners;
• who is hands on, especially leveraging the reporting benefits from systems; and
• enjoys working closely with other teams (including the Financial Accounting team and Business Intelligence team)

The role

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Preparation of financial information to the business, providing analysis and recommendations as and when required. This includes, but not limited to, preparation of:
  • Monthly budget holder packs for distribution to Budget Holders in the Senior Business Leadership Team;
  • Travel analysis for the Finance Director and other senior stakeholders; and
  • UK Remuneration analysis, include headcount, for the Finance Director and other stakeholders.

• Working with Finance and other teams to ensure integrity and accuracy of data used in Finance reporting (the current focus is on the accuracy of FTE or Headcount data which entails working directly with HR and Business Intelligence team)

• Support the formal annual budget process for Business Services (the budget year is to 31 December with budgeting starting in September of the current year), along with the informal forecasting during the year (we plan to leverage the recent investment in Tagetik, to more formally Forecast during the year) by providing ad hoc support and analysis to the Budget Holders

• Assisting with the development and improvement of financial reporting following the recent implementation of Tagetik. (The 2024 budget was completed in the new Tagetik planning system. This will be the first full year of using Tagetik).

• Under the supervision of the Senior Finance Business Partner and Finance Business Partner:
  • work with Budget Holders to drive accountability for delivering budgets, managing costs to ensure value for money,
  • identify any remedial actions to support budget and forecast delivery.
  • Provide financial support to the Business Services functions, working towards understanding and managing costs to ensure value for money.
  • Driving query resolution for any issues that arise, monitoring performance, highlighting trends and identifying areas of improvement.

• Ensure financial controls, processes and disciplines are in place and adhered to.

Accountable To

Senior Finance Business Partner - Business Services

Location

The role is based in the Newcastle Office (Hybrid working)

Skills and Experience

The individual should:

• Be ambitious, hardworking and have the desire to grow professionally within a Finance Business Partnering team.
• Be self-motivated and self-disciplined, passionate about meeting deadlines and providing commercial insight.
• Have good written and verbal communication skills.
• Be a good problem solver, methodical in approach with an "eye for detail".

Experience for the role:

• Experience in a finance function, with knowledge of management accounts and a strong foundation of accounting principles (essential)
• Someone interested in studying CIMA to grow professionally (essential) or currently studying and seeking a new challenge. (preferred).
• Excellent time management skills and able to prioritise work when facing competing deadlines. (essential)
• Demonstrable experience of being able to analyse large data sets and deliver qualitative and quantitative information and findings in a concise and useful manner in order to support key stakeholders. (essential)
• Proven track record of managing to deadlines and delivering commercially driven financial insights (essential)
• Working with Tagetik or other leading enterprise performance management (EPM) systems, and extracting value from EPM systems (preferred)

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

To attract the best people, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to work, have a sense of belonging, and realize their full career potential.

Our new enabled work model allows our people to have more flexibility in the way they choose to work from both the office and a remote location, while continuing to deliver the highest standards of service. We offer a range of family friendly and inclusive employment policies and provide access to programmes