Location: UK: London
Opportunity: Supported Hiring into permanent, part-time role with hybrid working
Start date: ASAP
Apply by: 4 May 2022
*Applications have now closed*
Vardags is delighted to be partnering with Women Returners for a Director of Finance role and welcomes professionals who have taken an extended career break to apply. A successful candidate who has taken a career break of 12 months+ will receive coaching support through the transition period from Women Returners.
You may have taken time out for childcare or eldercare, for relocation or for other reasons. You may have been working on a small scale basis to fit around your other commitments or have not done any paid work for a number of years.
About Vardags
Vardags is a highly successful privately-owned law firm focused on serving High Net Worth and Ultra High Net Worth individuals and their companies. Founded in 2005 by “Britain’s top divorce lawyer”, Ayesha Vardag, they took the world of family law by storm, and continue to expand their practice areas to support their clients in solving their complex legal situations. They specialise in substantial and complex cases that often involve an international element.
The twin pillars of their success are their people and their innovative approach to marketing. Vardags’ team has been hand-picked for talent, sheer intelligence and a commitment to achieve real results. A business career with Vardags is fast-paced and extremely rewarding for those who wish to work in a supportive, energetic environment where courage and imagination are prized.
About the role
Vardags is currently searching for a talented individual to join their business team as Director of Finance, reporting directly to the CEO. This will also (subject to approval from the SRA) be a board position taking on the role of Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration (COFA).
The ideal candidate is a high-calibre individual with a strong academic background and previous experience as a Director of Finance in a law firm, or related professional services firm. You will act as a strong business partner to the CEO, understanding the strategic vision and driving it using your skills and experience. At the same time, your relentless focus on sound financial management and ability to diffuse that throughout the fee earner team ensures the financial health of the firm.
The candidate will be responsible for managing the full remit of the finance function, including:
- Leading a team of 7, including 3 direct reports
- Overseeing BAU activities, ensuring lean and effective transactional processing (Accounts Receivable/Accounts Payable)
- Robust working capital management
- Driving effective and informed decision making through timely, accurate and informed reporting, including presentation of monthly management accounts and periodic operational reporting
- Leading the financial planning processes, including strategic business planning, quarterly rolling forecasts and monthly cash flow
- Supporting, managing and anticipating needs of the business: close liaison with other functions to identify opportunities for growth
- Internal control, compliance and commercial oversight, including ownership of organisational risk management
- Ensuring the integrity of the financial and practice- management systems
- Owning the relationship with the banking providers
- Engaging and educating the wider business (including fee-earners) in finance to help them gain a better understanding of the firm’s financial wellbeing
- Owning projects such as replacement of time recording system and accounts systems
- Liaising with outsourced functionality – (cash management/daily banking, payroll, tax management, pension providers)
Skills and Experience
Qualifications
- A strong degree level education
- CIMA/ACA/ACCA
Experience
- You are likely to have significant experience PQE
- Experience of a fast-paced scale-up environment and/or a steady-state £30-60m revenue business
- Financial leadership in a professional services environment (particularly law) is highly desirable
- Leadership and project management, delivering tangible value to a business
- Problem solving, process improvement and change management
- Building business models and implementing plans to control costs and grow revenue streams
- Working capital management
- Relationship management with external stakeholders, including banks & auditors
- Familiarity with internal controls and adherence to regulatory compliance
- Proven track record of managing high-performing large teams and developing individuals
Personal attributes
- Commercially aware and evidence-led – a true ‘business partner’ to the CEO, able to articulate and defend the appropriate course of action
- Able to navigate seamlessly between the big picture and the critical detail, and able to drive challenging but achievable visions
- A real desire to understand how our business operates and succeeds
- Excellent stakeholder management skills; able to manage friction productively and diplomatically while robustly driving fee earner adherence to key tenets of case financial management
- Integrity, professionalism and stature to lead not just your immediate team but the wider firm in realising its full financial potential
Further Details
The position is permanent and is offered on a part-time basis with an expectation of 60% FTE (such as 3 days per week) and with flexibility in the hours agreed.
Salary: Competitive base salary and excellent employee benefits: private health and dental insurance, and subsidised fitness club membership.
Holidays: 25 days per annum.
How to apply
To apply for this role, please submit your CV and cover letter to Recruitment@vardags.com. Please ensure that the dates of your career break are clear in your CV.
If you have any questions, please email Recruitment@vardags.com.
The closing date for applications is 4 May 2022.
Vardags Limited is an equal opportunities employer. This job is open to applicants with the right to work in the UK.