About Ashurst:
In order to comply with regulatory and client requirements, Ashurst will undertake appropriate vetting of staff. When applicants accept a job offer, Ashurst, alongside a specialist provider, will undertake professional verification and background checks. These checks are only undertaken with consent, and in accordance with our legal and regulatory obligations.
Role / Department Overview
The primary focus of the Commercial Finance Analyst (CFA) is to support the firm's client/matter life cycle, including:
1. Matter tracking and monitoring, flagging any deviation from matter budget
2. Producing financial reports and analysis;
3. Matter pricing and resource planning - including reporting to Business Managers around compliance with pricing governance framework
4. Quality assurance for matter set up and commercial terms for high value matters and commercial arrangements
The role requires extensive interaction with stakeholders in the legal and central teams and therefore a professional, confident, enthusiastic and solution based approach is essential.
Main Responsibilites
5. Business Manager day to day support. This will include first review of monthly profit and loss analysis, review of partner financial reports to assist with discussion with Practice and Division heads, assistance with the annual budgeting process and financial plans and working capital management review
6. Supporting Senior Commercial Manager in delivery of projects
7. Supporting the pricing of matters and large opportunities, attendance at kick off meetings and overall analysis and presentation of pricing proposals as well as providing matter/client reporting which allows for timely review of issues with partners
8. Where possible, assist with ad hoc requests from Practice and Division heads. This is generally additional analysis around monthly numbers or partner performance
9. Work with relevant financial teams to drive the annual rate reviews across all jurisdictions (and working with APAC counterpart/s where required for consistency with clients)
10. Produce ad hoc strategic financial analysis to assist with cross functional and Commercial management initiatives. Some examples would be working on business services transformation projects and within Commercial management specifically assisting with client, industry and firm reporting improvements
11. Prepare and deliver training of financial tools and reports to legal and other business services teams
12. Risk and Control: Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with our regulatory requirements and internal policies.
Essential Skills and Experience
13. Analytical and numerate.
14. Excellent time management skills with the ability to prioritise tasks that may have tight and competing deadlines
15. Self-motivated with excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate effectively across all levels of an organisation both verbally and in a written manner
16. Intermediate to advanced knowledge of programs in the Microsoft suite including Excel (vlookups and pivot tables), Power BI and a working knowledge of Word and PowerPoint.
17. Experience with 3e or similar and IBM TM1 also preferable
18. Ability to identify and escalate areas of risk to the divisional Business Managers
19. Prepared to travel as and when required
20. Willingness to perform a range of tasks from routine administrative tasks through to bespoke activities of a more complex nature as directed by the Business Manager
21. Previous experience in a business partnering role/professional services environment desirable.
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