Senior Manager - Financial Control

We’re a national law firm with a local reach. Our legal experts are here for you. Whether it’s personal or business, we understand that everyone’s situation is different. But we’re more than just a law firm – we’re a team of people working together to help individuals and businesses navigate life’s ups and downs. Working here you’ll feel a part of our friendly and inclusive environment.

We’ll value you for who you are and what you bring. We support each other and push boundaries to achieve incredible things and make a real difference to our clients and communities.

We're always looking to support our colleagues to work in a way that works best for them and everyone else, including our clients, the business and the regulators. Please speak to a member of our Recruitment and Onboarding team for more information.

Your Role and What You'll Be Doing

Leading a team of five direct reports, this role ensures the effective operation across the whole group of various financial processes and controls within an International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) accounting framework. The role focuses on maintaining an efficient and effective control environment while ensuring the Group's compliance with Solicitors Accounts Rules, other financial compliance practices, and IFRS.

Responsibilities include managing various monthly IFRS balance sheet controls, reviewing the balance sheet reconciliation process, and the calculation of provisions for irrecoverable disbursements. The role also involves maintaining group finance and compliance documentation, such as the group finance manual, the financial approvals matrix (delegation of authorities) and process and control documentation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Be responsible for the work and development of a number of direct and indirect reports
• Oversee the Finance & Compliance manual, financial authorities' matrix, and finance controls matrix, ensuring their effectiveness and visibility
• Ensure the implementation of an efficient and effective suite of controls, working with finance teams to continuously improve and develop current financial controls
• Assist in managing the group wide audit process, and maintaining group accounting policies
• Lead the relationship with internal audit on behalf of the whole finance team
• Setting and executing the agenda for Group-wide process and control projects
• Manage the successful operation of various month end financial processes and controls, including period end balance sheet reconciliation reviews and the calculation of the provision for irrecoverable disbursements
• Manage the monthly and quarterly processes and controls which validate information provided by fee earners in order to perform accurate accounting valuations of both accrued income and disbursements
• As part of the above processes, determine and review the reasonableness of accounting judgements made under International Financial Reporting Standards in relation to the valuation of balance sheet items such as disbursements, debtors and accrued income
• Ensure effective controls and processes are in place to comply with Solicitors Accounts Rules, other financial compliance practices, and International Financial Reporting Standards
• Oversee various financial compliance processes, including SAR/LSS breach monitoring, matter balance compliance, and other related financial compliance and control activities
• Seek to continually improve financial controls and compliance processes by identifying synergies, enhancing procedures and recognising areas that could benefit from new technologies such as PowerApps and AI
• Aim to eliminate single points of failure by evaluating both technological and staffing solutions.

About You

• Qualified financial accountant with significant post qualification experience operating in a similar environment
• Demonstrable experience liaising with stakeholders at all levels in order to influence decision making and enact process change
• Experience making accounting judgements in an IFRS accounting environment
• Experience either preparing or reviewing statutory accounts prepared under IFRS

Our Benefits - What We Can Offer You

• 25 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays - You can ‘buy’ up to 35hrs of extra holiday too.
• Generous and flexible pension schemes.
• Volunteering days – Two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid)
• Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services.

We also offer a wide range of well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you’re fully supported. This includes our Flexible by Choice programme which gives our colleagues more choice over a hybrid way of working subject to role, team and client requirements.

We have been ranked in the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations for 2024!

Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We’re committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish, and we have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business to support this aim.

Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It’s made up of four strands: Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono.

Additional Information

As part of the Irwin Mitchell Group’s on-boarding process all successful applicants are required to complete the group’s employment screening process. This process helps to ensure that all new employees meet our standards in relation to honesty and integrity therefore protecting the interests of the Group, colleagues, clients, partners and other stakeholders.

We carry out pre-employment screening to establish your eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record and financial checks ­with our trusted 3rd parties.

The employment screening process will fully comply with Data Protection and other applicable laws.

Irwin Mitchell LLP is an equal opportunity employer.