Description
Role purpose
To be responsible for a team of 33 across the Baker McKenzie offices in Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, and Rome. This is a challenging yet rewarding opportunity to lead the finance function in a vital region.
The role-holder will support a leading Global Law Firm with a diverse and prestigious client base. The Firm offers a supportive and inclusive work environment, along with numerous opportunities for learning and development.
Main responsibilities:
Financial Planning, Reporting, and Analysis:
- Manage the financial planning, reporting, and analysis for the region, ensuring compliance with global and local standards and regulations
- Prepare and present monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements and reports to local management highlighting key performance indicators, variances, and trends
- Analyze and monitor the financial performance and profitability of the region, identifying risks and opportunities, and providing recommendations for improvement
- Ensure the accuracy and integrity of the financial data and systems, and implement internal controls and policies
- Strategic Financial Advice and Guidance
- Provide strategic financial advice and guidance to the local leadership teams, supporting business development and growth initiatives
- Conduct financial modelling and scenario analysis to support decision-making and investment proposals
- Evaluate and advise on the financial implications and feasibility of new business opportunities, client agreements, and projects
Budgeting, Forecasting, and Performance Management:
- Oversee the budgeting, forecasting, and performance management processes, ensuring alignment with the firm's objectives and targets
- Coordinate and consolidate the annual budget and quarterly forecasts for the region, and communicate them to the regional finance leadership
- Establish and monitor the key performance metrics and financial targets for the region, and provide regular feedback and coaching to the finance team and the business leaders
Financial Hygiene:
- Manage the Firm’s lock-up to targeted levels and ensure an efficient cash conversion cycle
- Manage billing and collections to their monthly phased targets, liaising with fee earners, business professional colleagues, and clients as appropriate
- Ensure the regional billing and collections teams are utilizing all relevant systems and tools to their maximum potential
- Monitor time recording statistics and ensure fee earners are recording their time in line with internal guidelines
- Review current working practices across the regional offices and provide recommendations for improvements
Team Leadership and Development:
- Lead and develop a team of finance professionals across the region, fostering a culture of collaboration, excellence, and innovation
- Define and communicate the vision, mission, and goals of the finance function, and align them with the firm's values and strategy
- Provide direction, guidance, and support to the finance team, and ensure they have the necessary skills, resources, and tools to perform their roles effectively
- Promote a learning and development culture within the finance team, and provide opportunities for training, coaching, and mentoring
- Facilitate the annual performance review and compensation process for the finance team, and provide input and feedback to the regional leadership team
Continuous Improvement and Efficiency:
- Drive continuous improvement and efficiency in the finance function, leveraging best practices and technology solutions
- Review and streamline the finance processes and workflows, and implement automation and standardization where possible
- Identify and implement best practices and benchmarks for the finance function, and ensure alignment and consistency with the global finance team and the other regions
- Support the rollout of new technology solutions and systems that enhance the finance function's capabilities and performance
Travel requirements: Some requirements for travel to other offices in the region.
About the team
Function
The Finance function provides the following services to the Firm:
- Supports strategic decision-making from a financial and business perspective
- Manages cash flow, including accounts payable, credit checks, billing, and collections
- Ensures Firm-wide purchasing excellence and efficiency
- Provides financial reporting, budgets, and forecasts
- Secures financing across the global Firm
You will report to: Chief Financial Officer, EMEA
Your direct reports, if any: Senior Finance staff across the Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, and Milan offices.
Key relationships Partners across the Southern European offices, Regional Finance leadership, all Finance staff, and other senior business support colleagues across the Southern European offices.
About the candidate
Technical skills, qualifications and experience:
- Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, or a related field; A professional qualification such as CPA, CMA, or ACCA or their equivalent would be beneficial
- Strong progressive experience in finance roles, preferably in the legal or professional services sector
- Experience in a senior finance leadership role, managing a regional or multi-country finance function
- Experience in financial planning, reporting, and analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and performance management, and business partnering
- Experience in leading and developing finance teams, and driving continuous improvement and efficiency in the finance function
- Strong business acumen and analytical skills, with the ability to provide strategic insights and recommendations
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with senior stakeholders and external partners
- Fluency in English and Spanish required, working knowledge of Italian an advantage
- Proficiency in MS Office, especially Excel, and other finance software and systems
- High level of integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality
- Flexible working in place with the option to work remotely, but with a requirement to be in the office for the majority of the working week
Personal qualities
These personal qualities represent the shared characteristics of high performers across Baker McKenzie, regardless of job level and location.
Know-how
- Demonstrates the ability to identify the real issue, and to anticipate requirements and potential consequences; distills a range of possibilities by thinking in a considered, prudent manner
- Has the capacity to take on new ideas and develop knowledge and think holistically about business and address media, analyst, employee, and client audiences
- Able to move through a variety of tasks requiring different approaches, knowledge, and expertise, with the agility of mind and capacity for analysis and synthesis
Dedication
- Driven by a strong personal sense of integrity and upholds exemplary quality standards
- Prepares thoroughly, takes responsibility, uses initiative, and is self-reliant to ensure work progresses to the fullest extent possible
- Hardworking and diligent with a keen understanding of client demands
- Demonstrates composure when dealing with difficult situations
Personal Impact
- Uses complex, coordinated influencing/negotiation strategies, adapted to people, organizations, and/or the situation, e.g. networks
- Leverages direct reports to facilitate increased collaboration across the organization
- Builds partnerships based on a common agreement that acknowledges individual differences but creates a new commonality beyond root belief large-scale
- Creates a positive impression at all times; develops relationships through collaboration and reciprocity
- Negotiates to achieve mutually satisfactory outcomes; shows good judgment on when to stand strong and when to compromise
- Invests in, nurtures, and builds a network of productive relationships
Humanity
- Respectful to others, regardless of their position, and earns the respect of others by being transparent
- Has care and concern for others and a genuine interest in others as people
- Treats delicate or confidential issues with discretion
Why Join Us?
Baker McKenzie is a truly global law firm. Founded in 1949, we advise many of the world's most dynamic and successful business organisations through our 13,200 people in 74 offices in 45 countries. Yet big does not mean impersonal. We work hard to ensure that everyone knows their role and has the support they need to perform it to the highest standard. Our culture encourages this - how we work, think and behave in a collaborative and fulfilling way.
In London you will be part of a 1,000 person office, which is also our largest office globally. Originally opened in 1961, Baker McKenzie London is well established in the UK as a leading international law firm and is regularly involved in some of the country's most high-profile legal matters. We can offer you the work, pride and experience of being part of a leading law firm but in a local office environment that is hardworking, friendly and supportive.
The strength of the firm and our culture is evidenced by a number of recent awards, including:
- Thomson Reuters (formerly Acritas' Sharplegal) Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index, 2010- 2022 - ranked 1st
- The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers 2021-2022: currently ranked 52nd
- Thomson Reuters ranked the Firm No. 1 for cross-border deals for the last 12 years. More than 70% of our deals are cross-border.
- For the 14th consecutive year, the Firm was ranked first for deals with emerging market involvement, by both number of announced and completed deals.
- Law360 ranked the Firm as one of the 400 Largest US Law Firms in in its annual survey in 2020.
- Identified as one of the Hall of Fame for best law firms for women by Working Mother magazine, 2011-2021.
- Received a a Gold Award in Stonewall's Global Workplace Equality Index of Top Global Employers for LGBTQ+ Inclusion.
- Ranked as one of the Top 20 Employers in the 2023 Social Mobility Employer Index.
- Received Double Certification for earning top marks in the 2022 Corporate Equality Index and Equidad MX of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
- Winner of the Europe Mentorship Programme - International Firm award in the Euromoney Women in Business Law Europe Awards 2021
- Winner of the Gender Diversity International Firm, Talent Management International Firm, and Work-Life Balance International Firm awards in the Euromoney Women in Business Law Asia Awards 2021
Have a look at our YouTube channel to find out more about us!
To Apply
Please click on the Apply icon to start the online application process for this role. We will then be in touch with you once we have reviewed your application.
For more information about this position or to discuss any adjustments you may require during the process please contact in confidence, David Roberts, Recruitment Manager, on David.Roberts@bakermckenzie.com
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NO AGENCIES PLEASE
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Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity & Equity
As the first truly global law firm, diversity and inclusion are foundational to our culture and strategic vision. We are a Firm of individuals from across the globe with different backgrounds, ideas, and points of view who collegially work together to solve complex problems and design practical solutions for our clients. Our multiple perspectives come from many sources, including the diverse ethnicity, culture, gender, nationality, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, parental status, education, social background and life experience of our people.
Our global strategy is focused on our people, our culture, our clients and the communities where we operate. In 2019 we enacted ambitious new targets related to gender, racial and ethnic diversity at the Firm. These targets are viewed as a floor, not a ceiling, to advancing underrepresented groups, and they are backed by a variety of strategic initiatives aimed at achieving our goals. Our strategic vision is supported in London by six active employee led networks which champion diversity, lead on a number of internal campaigns and deliver a range of activity to celebrate differences in identity, inclusion, and key dates throughout the year including: LGBT+ History Month, International Women's Day, International Trans Day of Visibility, Mental Health Awareness Week, Pride, Black History Month, Social Mobility Week, International Day of Disabled Persons and many more!
Baker McKenzie London has been accredited by Disability Confident, joining over 18,000 organisations that have signed up to help change behaviours and cultures in businesses, networks and communities and reap the benefits of inclusive recruitment practices.