Head of Financial Control and Partnership Accounting; Finance

Overview

The role This role manages the firm’s Financial Control and Partnership Accounting, with line management of a team. The partnership accounting side of the role covers the day to day management of all partner related matters including partner current and capital accounts and maintenance of the firm’s partner database and profit allocation model.

• Ownership of all partner standing data and ensuring that the partner database and profit models contain accurate data.
• Management of partner capital, current and tax retention accounts, ensuring that monthly drawings and profit releases are processed accurately and acting as a key point of contact.
• Oversee the monthly, quarterly and annual close cycle, ensuring that journals, accruals, prepayments and provisions (including professional indemnity) are accounted for on a timely and accurate basis.
• Monthly analytical review of key P&L account lines to spot anomalies.
• Working closely with FP&A, to reconcile the management accounts figures to the financial accounts.
• Responsible for ensuring that balance sheet and control accounts are reconciled monthly.
• Responsible for the firm’s direct and overhead cost accounting (including both opex and capex).
• Responsible for the firm’s weekly and monthly cash flow planning and working with the Finance Director to support funding and banking arrangements.
• Introduce and maintain internal accounting policies and processes that result in a robust control environment, ensuring that other parts of the Finance team and the wider business adhere to those procedures.
• Leading the firm’s annual audit and statutory accounts production.
• Oversight for the firm’s VAT return and working with the external partnership tax advisor to ensure that the partnership tax return is filed on time.
• Support the rewriting and simplifying of partner profit allocation, year-end models and other partnership accounting models.

The Finance department consists of 25 Finance professionals, operating across three specialist areas – Financial Control, Financial Operations and Financial Reporting. This role works under the day-to-day supervision of the Finance Director, ultimately reporting into the Finance Partner.

• Likely to be chartered professional or equivalent.
• Knowledge of theoretical concepts and principles and understands diverse practices and precedents.
• High quality experience within area of expertise in a professional services environment to fully competent level.
• Knowledge of technical and legislative requirements and industry best practice.
• Experience of planning, managing, and organising resources to meet objectives.
• Ability to interpret complex requirements.
• Ability to develop and manage new approaches and drive continuous improvement.
• Able to influence and change the motivation and behaviour of others.
• Creates a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the Firm achieve its objectives.
• Knows the most effective and efficient processes to optimize results, with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Anticipates and balances the needs of multiple stakeholders. Works to identify all relevant issues and satisfy the interests of multiple stakeholders.
• Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments. Readily takes on challenges or difficult tasks and has reputation for delivering on commitments.

Saffery LLP is an adviser to individuals and businesses across a range of sectors, providing market-leading accountancy, audit, business advisory, tax and VAT services. Founded in 1855, we are the UK’s 15th largest accountancy firm. When you work with us at Saffery, you work with people who know your name, not just a job title. We’re a place shaped by friendly, intelligent people who are individually excellent and collectively exceptional.

We’re committed to our clients, but also to our greatest asset – our people. As a proud member of Nexia, a leading, international network of independent accounting and consulting firms, we’ve got access to local insight on a global scale.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Equality, diversity and inclusion is a top priority for us. With our ED&I strategy, Everyone Belongs, we are building on our positive work culture and implementing initiatives to improve diversity and strengthen our equitable culture of inclusion, led from the top. We hope you will apply to us, whatever your background, ethnicity, gender, age, sexuality, disability or neurodivergence, because individual differences equal collective strength.

Built on values of excellence, integrity, enthusiasm and collegiality, Saffery is where Potential meets Personal.