We have an interim Commercial opportunity for an Assistant Commercial Manager to join our Commercial Finance Team to support the Head of Commercial Finance in our portfolio brands team. The role will work closely with fee earners and the business services teams to help deliver insightful performance analysis and reporting to help deliver growth and improvements in working capital management across our portfolio.
We’re looking for a confident individual with a proven track-record working in a similar role, to strengthen and expand our reporting and analysis capability as well as building solid business partner relationships with our incredible people
This role is being recruited to cover a 12 month period on a hybrid basis from either our Birmingham or Nottingham hub.
The portfolio brands Commercial Finance team provide support and commercial direction to the following brands:
- Lime Solicitors - A national claimant consumer law firm that helps people and their families.
- Marrons - A property planning consultancy, backed by legal and local authority expertise.
- Corclaim - A national law firm specialising in recovering debts, assets and goods.
- CSS Assure - A business consultancy specialising in cyber security, data protection and risk management.
- Coadax - Aligning business’ strategic plans with commercial opportunities
- Managed Legal Services (MLS) - Provide temporary and / or permanent legal support to in-house counsel, regulators and other legal teams in our business.
What you will be doing:
- Preparation of Board papers
- Preparation of month end performance analysis and supporting commentary
- Working closely with credit control on debt & debtor day management as well as improving collection processes
- Having responsibility for WIP & debt management including quarterly WIP reviews and debt management across the portfolio, and monthly WIP recognition for our consumer brand.
- Working with fee earners to determine bottlenecks in case progression, identifying and deploying fixes to improve the processes
- Supporting on firm-wide monthly forecasting for fees and direct costs for the portfolio
- Involvement in annual initiatives, including rates and salary review process support
- Supporting on pricing and tender opportunities
- Supporting monthly fee forecasting for our consumer brand
- Distribution of weekly time recording reports and resolution of queries
- Monthly calculation and recharge of Managed Legal Services resource
- Liaising with central finance teams to improve processes & resolve issues for the legal teams
- Ad-hoc reporting and analysis as requested
- Deputise for the Head of Commercial Finance during absences
What you will need:
- to be a qualified accountant or finalist studying or qualified in one of the following qualifications (ACA/ACCA/CIMA). We would also consider outstanding qualified by experience individuals
- to have demonstrable experience, in a similar role in a business services organisation
- Advanced Excel skills with the ability to handle large amounts of data accurately to build and maintain comprehensive financial models aligned to different business models
- the ability to tailor reports to the end user and highlight and interpret key findings, turning data into information
Desirable Experience:
- experience of working within the legal sector or other professional services business
- IBM COGnos Analytics experience or similar forecasting and reporting tool
Key competencies you will need:
- excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build rapport, credibility and impact quickly at all levels
- to be enthusiastic, positive and have a ‘can do’ approach, willing to go the extra mile and go beyond the job description
- a strong attention to detail with high levels of accuracy
- the attitude and ability to prioritise effectively and meet deadlines
- quick and keen to learn
- to be an excellent communicator with an enquiring mind
- comfortable working across a number of IT platforms
- Flexibility and the ability to operate in a changing environment
Benefits, Agile Working and Additional information
We embrace agile working and offer a blended approach to where and how we work.
We appreciate that people have different needs and preferences and we’re keen to be flexible, after all, we value what you do, not where you do it.
We have hubs in Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leicester, London, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Solihull, Stratford-upon-Avon, Lincoln and Sheffield. This role can be based from one of our hubs with travel to various offices as and when required.
Want to find out more about our amazing benefits?
Additional information:
Please be aware, for some vacancies, where we receive high numbers of applications we may need to bring the close date forward.
Due to the nature of the work undertaken, confirmation of employment will be subject to a variety of checks which will be carried out once an offer of employment is accepted. Details of the checks can be found here.
Equal opportunities
Shakespeare Martineau is a committed equal opportunities employer. We seek to attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures. We value and respect individuality and encourage a culture within our business where people can be themselves and be valued for their strengths and experiences. Everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, regardless of their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.
About Ampa Group
Welcome to Ampa - a leading group of legal and professional services brands, home to leading legal services firms such Shakespeare Martineau, Lime Solicitors, Mayo Wynne Baxter, Marrons and others.
Our ‘House of Brands’, is where legal and professional service brands converge to unlock exciting opportunities for career advancement, collaboration, and comprehensive business services support across various disciplines including HR, IT, finance, and marketing.
Our overall purpose is to act as the cornerstone that facilitates the growth of every brand within our collective, empowering them with enhanced purchasing capabilities, access to specialised expertise, and a cohesive set of values and culture.
At our core, we are dedicated to creating an environment where each brand thrives through mutual growth and co-operation. Through our shared infrastructure and central support, we enable our brands to flourish, using the strength of our collective resources.
If you are passionate about driving positive change and immersing yourself in an inclusive, diverse, and supportive culture, then we invite you to join our team as we continue to unlock the potential in our people, clients, and investors.
