Financial Accountant

Freshfields Overview

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a global law firm with a long-standing track record of successfully supporting the world's leading national and multinational corporations, financial institutions and governments on ground-breaking and business-critical mandates.

Our people make our firm - we are a people business and want to create a welcoming and supportive environment where all can flourish. We see diversity as a strength which creates fresh perspectives and generates new ideas. We enjoy our work and are determined to do an outstanding job. We deliver best when working in teams.

We think and work globally - we don’t just say we are one firm; we act like one firm right across the world. We work wherever our clients need us. This is how we define ourselves, not by reference to where we have offices. Cross-border work isn’t just what we do, it is what we excel at. We understand what it really takes to work across different legal systems and commercial environments and to bridge language and cultural gaps.

We aim to add value in everything we do - we are passionate about helping our clients succeed. We use our experience and creativity to help clients make judgements and achieve their goals. In everything we do, we seek to make a real difference to the communities in which we operate.

Location Overview

The Freshfields Global Centre provides both business and legal services to the firm. Our services are delivered in a way which supports the global nature of our firm and our clients, enables our fee earners to deliver exceptional service to our clients and to do that in a way which is efficient and effective. Our Centre in Manchester is the first site to be established in the emerging Freshfields Global operating model. Our aspiration is to establish further sites in the US and Asia-Pacific in the coming years. 

Function Overview

The Finance Support function in Manchester provides centralised global support to the firm across its network of offices. Teams currently include Billing, Procurement and Management Accounting.

The Billing team is an essential part of the wider Finance department of the firm and is expected to deliver an exceptional service to our fee earners and clients. The Billing function is extremely fast-paced and our role is to assist fee earners across the network with all aspects of invoice review and processing.

The Global Procurement team, located in Manchester and Frankfurt, is responsible for leading sourcing initiatives, developing and implementing category strategies within the firm. In addition, the team provides support and guidance to the rest of the business with regard to supplier relationship management, spend analytics, procurement compliance and training.

The Group Management Accounts team works alongside the firm’s Chief Financial Officer, senior management partners and global support heads to provide the financial information required to run the business. In addition to the prompt provision of financial data and analytics, the team is expected to manage, develop and control the production of management data across the firm’s local finance functions, providing them with support and guidance through continual review and development.

The Role

We are seeking a Financial Accountant to join Freshfields at our new Global Centre in Manchester.

The Financial Accountant will prepare the Limited Liability Partnership Accounts for Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP in accordance with IFRS.  This role will also be responsible for the preparation of statutory accounts for the Firm’s UK subsidiaries and will have extensive involvement with the Firm’s audit. 

This role will also have responsibility for implementing global policies & procedures and for the integrity of data globally.   

Key Responsibilities and Deliverables

• Preparation of the Limited Liability Partnership accounts for Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).  These accounts will be subject to a considerable amount of scrutiny by the Firm’s competitors, clients and the legal press;

• Responsibility for the integrity of worldwide data included in the firm’s consolidated accounts. The process of preparing the LLP accounts requires the consolidation of the Firm’s global results (on SAP BPC) incorporating branches and separate entities throughout the world;

• Management/processing of the firm- wide cost recharges;

• Extensive liaison with the group finance team in Manchester and regional accounting teams throughout the network to ensure full understanding of the requirements for the consolidation process and to provide support/ guidance during the process;

• Preparation of year adjustments for international offices.  The consolidation process will identify adjustments which need to be reflected in each office’s local accounting records and these will need to be notified and explained to each office following the preparation of the accounts;

• Preparation of statutory accounts for UK subsidiaries in accordance with FRS 101/102;

• Extensive liaison with the firm’s auditors and assisting with the management of the audit process.

Key Requirements

• ACA/ACCA qualified

• Experienced in preparing consolidated financial accounts in accordance with IFRS in a multi-currency environment;

• Partnership background or similar;

• The ability to manipulate large volumes of data a multi-currency environment;

• Confident when communicating with staff and management at all levels

• Numerate, methodical and proactive;

• Excellent attention to detail;

• Friendly, outgoing, social personality;

• Must be a team player.

Inclusion

Freshfields is an equal opportunities employer and all applications received by the firm will be considered by the firm on the basis of their merit alone and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of background. All offers of employment will be conditional on the candidate having/securing the right to work in the UK and providing the firm with evidence of that right (as required by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006) prior to employment commencing. Please note that, in line with the requirements of the UK Border Agency, non-EEA candidates may not be appointed to a post if a suitably qualified, experienced and skilled EEA candidate can fill the position.

Freshfields is a Ban the Box employer. We ask applicants to disclose criminal convictions only when a conditional job offer is made. A conviction does not automatically lead to withdrawal of the offer: we make decisions on a case by case basis and take a number of factors into account (e.g. the role you are applying for and the circumstances of the offence). You would have the opportunity to discuss the matter with us before we make a decision.

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