Senior Management Accountant (16 month contract)

We have an exciting new opportunity for a Senior Management Accountant to join our Financial Control team, based in the A&O Shearman Belfast office.

Apply today via the link below or reach out to me at [email protected] to find out more!

Department Purpose

The Belfast Finance department provides services to the A&O Shearman network of offices covering management and financial accounting & reporting, revenue control (includes eBilling), credit control, accounts payable and tax. Offices currently served are London, Belfast, US, South Africa, Middle East, Israel, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and Spain.

There is a strong client service ethic and we work to Service Level Agreements, targets and deadlines to deliver in line with client expectations.

What you will do

Based in our Financial Control team, this role will lead our focused team of UK & Ireland management accountants. Our UK business has grown significantly in the last few years, not least from May 24 when we merged with the US headquartered firm of Shearman and Sterling. It is a dynamic, challenging and rewarding team to build a career in.

Functional Leadership

• Responsible for internal management accounting & reporting supporting UK & Ireland offices;
• Ensure processes and internal controls are documented, follow best practice and are continually improved, assisting the Finance Manager to plan and implement changes as appropriate;
• Prioritise work effectively, making realistic compromises when necessary in order to deliver;
• Support the annual financial audit process, providing accurate information to the auditors in a timely manner and execute the annual budgetary/forecasting process;
• Assist the Finance Manager and the Management Accounting Team to develop practical solutions to improve the service and undertake value added activities;
• Ensure that financial data is accurately captured in the financial and forecasting systems;
• Become a trusted advisor to budget holders, business managers and key members of other finance teams, having the ability to present technical information in a way that is easily understood by a non-specialist audience;
• Provide support to the Finance Manager on business improvement projects that are required to improve the quality of output from the overall group;
• Build strong, trusting relationships with the UK CFO and within the wider Finance function, providing both detailed analysis and constructive feedback regarding issues and problems encountered while delivering the service; and
• Anticipate the needs of the UK FC and UK CFO and provide timely solutions and opinions on complex matters.

At A&O Shearman our company values are extremely important to us, we would like the successful candidate to be able to demonstrate evidence of their experience in:

• Quality - Provide exceptional service to staff and clients
• Growth - Lead the market
• Value - Champion operational efficiency and effectiveness
• Efficiency - Promote standardisation and integration across the firm
• Talent - Recruit, motivate, retain and develop the best people
• Risk - Enhance the A&O Shearman Brand and mitigate risk

What you will have

Candidates should have the following job related qualifications and or experience:

• Fully qualified membership of a Professional Accountancy body;
• One years' post-qualified experience in an accounting role;
• Excellent numeracy and literacy skills;
• Great organisational skills, ability to make progress in a range of areas whilst staying on top of deadlines;
• Strong communication skills, comfortable presenting information to senior stakeholders, and also tailoring conversations as needed to non-financially orientated teams;
• Ability to apply technical knowledge and understanding, and identify creative solutions to issues; and
• Computer literacy with strong Microsoft Office skills and direct experience of complex finance systems, including multicurrency general ledger systems.

What we can offer you

We recognise that our people are our most valuable asset, which is reflected in the wide range of benefits that are available to our employees. Some of these benefits include: our occupational pension scheme, group income protection cover, private medical insurance, mental health resources and free apps, health and wellbeing services encompassing GP service, emergency back-up care support, parental and special leave, online discounts and lifestyle management services.

Should you require additional support at any stage of the recruitment process due to a disability or a health condition, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our recruitment team who will work with you to provide any adjustments as required.

We are an equal opportunities recruiter and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

We recognise the value of flexible working and embrace hybrid working, allowing our people to work from home up to 40% of their working time. We do however remain committed to working together in person for the remaining 60% of time so that we can learn, grow and succeed together.