Financial Accountant

Fox Williams offers a unique opportunity to advance your career in a personable, progressive and entrepreneurial environment.  Our people and culture are important to us and central to everything we do. We continually strive to create and maintain a friendly and supportive environment for our staff.   You will quickly get to know everyone from the Senior Partner to the most junior staff.  Whilst we are recognised for our strong culture and investing in our people, we are equally well known for our high profile matters, quality of our work and solving our clients’ most complex legal issues. 

This is an exciting opportunity to become part of an ambitious and supportive Finance Team. Reporting to the Financial Controller, you will play a crucial role in the financial and management reporting for the Firm. This role allows you to gain valuable experience by executing projects to a high standard and contributing to the firm’s success.

Our firm is experiencing rapid growth, leading to a continuous stream of finance-related projects and analysis required. As the Financial Accountant, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the Finance teams success by implementing new systems, policies, and procedures. The key responsibilities outlined below are not exhaustive, and the role offers the potential to expand as you gain experience.

We are looking for a motivated, proactive and detail-oriented individual with a strong willingness to learn and a problem-solving mindset. A flexible, collaborative, and supportive approach to work is essential, along with a positive attitude. The successful candidate will be a team player, demonstrating a commitment to excellence and a willingness to work overtime when required to meet the needs of the firm.

Accounting

• Preparation of the monthly management accounts, including P&Ls, investigating variances against budget
• Calculation and posting of standard month end accounting journals (e.g. prepayments, accruals, bad debt provision etc)
• Reconciliation of balance sheet codes to supporting documentation
• Assist in the month-end and year-end system close down procedure (including running month end reports) to ensure a prompt turnaround
• Maintenance of the fixed asset register and calculation and posting of depreciation journals
• Preparation of the Firm’s financial KPIs, including the Weekly pack, Monthly fees report, Top 100 clients report, investigating variances against budget
• Preparation of schedules for the LLP’s annual statutory audit and assist in answering queries as they arise during the audit
• VAT return preparation

Other Tasks

• Preparation of ad-hoc reports on financial performance as required by the Financial Controller e.g. analysis of matter billing and profitability, fee earner performance
• Sending out the twice-weekly time reports to fee earners to encourage the closure of open & unassigned time
• Completion of legal and regulatory surveys, (e.g. for the Office for National Statistics, legal-industry specific)
• Assist the Finance Systems Accountant, Cashiering Manager and Credit Controllers, with their duties, as and when required
• Developing a good knowledge of the financial systems; Practice Management, Time recording and Expense, to ensure data is correct & assist other team members with the resolution of issues.
• Assisting the Finance Director and Financial Controller with improvements to systems and updates to financial policies and procedures.

You will be expected to demonstrate the following:

The role will suit a newly qualified to 1 year post qualified Accountant (ACCA, ACA) who has advanced excel skills. Previous experience in the legal sector or professional services firm is advantageous.

Self-Management

• Self-motivation and an ability to organise own work with supervision
• Ability to work well under pressure and cope effectively in demanding circumstances
• Good time management, adopting a flexible approach to work and a willingness to work overtime when the needs of clients or the firm so dictate
• Persistence and commitment to completing tasks and objectives
• Paying attention to detail and quality of work
• A commitment to improving working practices and supporting the firm’s plans and policies

Working with People

• An ability to build and maintain working relationships with others and is seen as ‘approachable’
• An ability to work effectively as a part of a team, including providing limited cover in times of team absences
• Sound judgement and good decision making when dealing with problems, including looking for solutions to new problems
• Knowing when to seek guidance or further input from others before taking action

Communication Skills

• Strong communication skills, particularly when explaining finance terms with non-finance staff
• An ability to express oneself both orally and in writing in a clear and constructive way
• A willingness to ask questions, listen to others’ views and accept advice
• A willingness to contribute ideas and seek improvements