Finance Systems Manager

Job Title: Finance Systems Manager Department: Finance Systems Reporting to: Head of Group Reporting & Accounting System and Head of IT Operations Job Location: London The Firm HFW is a sector focused global law firm. We have over 500 lawyers working across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. We take a progressive approach to our roles in commercial business – thinking creatively and pragmatically to support our clients. Whether we are solving complex issues within the construction, aviation or shipping industries, or providing advice across insurance, commodities and energy we are specialist lawyers here to add value to our clients. We think about the commercial solution first, and then underpin our advice with a solid foundation of legal expertise. Job Purpose Managing a small team, you will be responsible for driving and delivering process improvements and change control across functional areas, systems configurations, systems maintenance, day-to-day operational tasks and user support and training. You will be in charge of the development of finance systems and processes and help see those through to delivery, in terms of proposing, specifying, testing and supporting new initiatives and projects. You will be involved in planning, blueprinting, testing and implementing major changes and updates to the key finance systems used by the firm. The ongoing finance systems management and development is critical for our business as we continue to grow. This position also requires strong technical, organisation, administration and analytical skills, together with close attention to detail. The job holder needs strong communication skills (written and oral) and the ability to forge relationships with key stakeholders including senior members of the management team. Principal Relationships Chief Financial Officer Global Director of Information Technology Finance Managers (London and International offices) IT Department Key Responsibilities Manage the Finance Systems group Responsible for the firm's finance systems strategy The core accounting system, Elite 3E Other key integrated finance systems, which currently include Cognos TMI, Elite Data Insights (EDI), Chrome River and Cash Analytics. Key point of contact and go to person for all finance systems users. Overall responsibility for training users in best practice and the functional use of finance systems. Principal Duties Act as the first point of call for any finance systems related queries. Liaise with IT and external support were necessary in relation to user issues. Develop a network of super users and trouble shooters to support users. Work with colleagues in the Finance Systems team to keep up the smooth running of existing arrangements. Maintain finance systems, supporting their continuing build and integration, and partnering with IT to understand the challenges they face and working together to resolve them. Consistently monitor and manage finance systems, how they are used and make suggestions for improvement in co-ordination with IT and any external support that is required. Monitor all systems-based processes, ensuring adequate process documentation is in place. Maintain records of system change requests, including chart of accounts and underlying analysis structure. Manage and identify the impact of changes to financial processes and controls. Lead the design and maintenance of the report creation, including using SQL and other reporting tools. Build reports with financial reporting tools and Power BI running rolling period/year-end closes. Foreign exchange maintenance, including running the unrealised foreign exchange process on Elite 3E at financial year end and posting to the general ledger. Plan for and run month end and financial year end systems close systems procedures. Maintenance of finance systems security in partnership with IT. Maintain finance systems integrity by running and reviewing month end reconciliations of financial data and performing systems balancing procedures. Maintain the data integrity between all finance systems that integrate with the core accounting system Elite 3E. Enhancing the functionality of finance systems through the development of customisations based on business critical requirements. Managing the relationship with external stake holders. Working closely with IT to ensure the efficient loading/exporting of data and maintaining the stability of finance systems. Facilitating and testing any new software updates to ensure that the business is not adversely impacted. Support the delivery of finance systems upgrades with a good knowledge of the Elite 3E accounting system and able to provide constructive feedback. Support all stages of a finance system implementation project lifecycle (requirement gathering through to go live). Create a formal training programme for relevant members of staff across all finance systems. Support internal systems changes in respect of budgeting and year end activities. Present quarterly briefings to senior finance colleagues on systems strategy and other updates. Offer support to members of the finance team, including specialised direction on approach and strategy. Promote finance systems within Finance, IT and the wider business. Any other ad hoc duties as may be required. Key Skills & Experience Required Preferably a qualified accountant with a good understanding of finance systems and how they operate Highly IT literate A minimum of 10 years' experience of working with finance systems Strong Excel and data analysis skills Elite 3E experience would be desirable Experience with improving and maintaining financial data and controls Strong project management experience with the ability to handle multiple work streams and prioritise accordingly Ability to manage all parts of the full system lifecycle The ability to work comfortably within a cross-functional reporting line and take full ownership of tasks The ability to build good working relationships both within and outside of the Finance department, more specifically with the IT department and with international colleagues Ability to work closely with third party suppliers Excellent communication, inter-personal and influencing skills Self-motivated and wishing to make a difference, with a track record of achievements Additional Information Kindly note that this job description is not contractual. It will be reviewed periodically and may be amended or altered to meet the needs of the firm. HFW aims to ensure equality of opportunity and we are actively working towards improving the diversity of our staff. All applications will be considered only on merit and the applicant's suitability to meet the requirements of the role. Due to the volume of applications, only those candidates shortlisted for interview will be contacted. HFW endeavours to recruit and fill vacancies directly. However, when we do need to engage with agencies, HFW operates a preferred supplier list. HFW collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants to manage its recruitment process. The firm is committed to being transparent about how it collects and uses that data and to meeting its data protection obligations. For information on how the firm will process your data, please see our Privacy Notice on our website (www.hfw.com/Privacy-Notice), in the section "What we collect and how we use it".