We are recruiting for a Lead Commercial Business Partner to join our Finance team in Bristol. This is a new and exciting role which brings the opportunity to be part of a growing commercial business partnering function. Key to the delivery of the firm’s profitability and pricing strategies, this role is an opportunity to have a real influence on the business.
You will be a true partner, building close relationships with senior management in order to gain a strong fundamental understanding of operations, analysing and modelling to identify opportunities, working with management to build plans to capitalise on these, and being a key part of delivery within a cross functional team.
Your Role
As a Lead Commercial Business Partner your day to day remit includes:
- To support the Head Of Commercial Business Partnering in coaching and developing a team of Commercial Business Partners, to ensure they are performing at the highest level as commercial trusted advisors, employee champions and change agents; meeting the firm's needs in a rapidly changing and demanding environment.
- To act as a key contributor within the Finance senior management team, leading and contributing expertise to key projects and providing direction on strategy and operational plans to colleagues
- To act as an effective deputy when the Head of Commercial Business Partnering is unavailable.
- To develop strong business relationships and to be recognised as a trusted commercial advisor to Group and Team Leaders.
- Responsible for sharing expertise and acting as a coach and / or mentor to support the development of Finance colleagues
- Plays a lead part in assigned fee-earning group’s management meetings
- To play a key role in onboarding partner lateral hires into the Firm
Collaboration
- To develop the relationship with the FP&A team to champion a cohesive delivery of finance support. To challenge existing ways of working to ensure the CBP team are ‘fit for purpose’ to achieve the aligned strategic goals.
- To foster excellent inter team working relationships, developing established ways of working with the Business Development, Legal Technology and Legal Project Management teams, to leverage combined commercial support.
Pricing, Profitability and Performance
- To deliver insight, analysis and recommendations to Group and Team Leaders in relation to current performance. To ensure monthly and quarterly reviews are delivered on a timely and consistent basis.
- To directly support partners in modelling strategic and tactical pricing proposals, supporting the Firm’s profitability. To drive consistency of approach and promotion of best practice in pricing for panel pitches and individual matters.
- To oversee consistent delivery of targets relating to all elements of the working capital cycle. To provide timely updates to Team and Group Leads on key areas of time recording, WIP creation and conversion. To ensure corrective action is taken.
- Takes a lead on the exploration and promotion of Alternative Fee Arrangements (AFAs) and how these are woven into pricing proposals, including adopting novel solutions to meet client needs while delivering improved profitability for the firm.
- Work with the Legal Project Management and Legal Technology teams to design and implement methodologies to ensure AFA matters meet projected cost bases and to monitor the efficiency of the work done on those projects.
- Attend client meetings to discuss Pricing and Value Add proposals
- Oversees budgeting process for all aligned Groups
Growth and Development
- To gain a deep knowledge and understanding of their aligned Group (s), using this to proactively identify internal / external influences, risks and opportunities and anticipate the needs of key stakeholders.
- Working with the Senior CBPs to spot trends and examples of poor practice or procedure across Group and challenging and coaching the Partners and senior management team to improve.
- To build and maintain strong internal and external networks across the Firm and Finance profession.
- Assist in delivering fee earner commercial training programmes
Your Skills and Experience
- An experienced Lead or Senior Commercial Business Partner with a track record of operating at a senior level within a Finance team. A Qualified accountant (CIMA, ACA, ACCA) with 7 years PQE, or equivalent
- Experience of leading and managing a high performing team of Finance professionals.
- Significant experience of driving improved business insight across a sizeable commercial organisation
- A broad base of knowledge gained across the finance function, including strong experience in an FP&A or business partnering role
- Demonstrate experience of driving profitability improvement by influencing senior stakeholder’s business decisions and working cross functionally
- Experience of presenting at board level meetings
- Proven ability to quickly build credible working relationships, based on mutual trust, with both internal and external clients at a senior level.
- Proven ability to influence, coach and challenge senior leaders.
- Demonstrates strong business/commercial approach and understanding of business needs
- Robust, resilient, approachable and diplomatic communication skills, with the ability to present complex ideas and confidence to deal with challenging senior leaders.
- Strong project management and organisational skills, able to prioritise and manage multiple workstreams, meet deadlines and be responsive to changing priorities
- Good IT skills with demonstrable experience of developing and maintaining complex financial models to drive commercial decisions
- Excellence in commercial judgement, extending full consideration to ensuring both the Firm and client are at the heart of decision making
- Ability to manage multiple initiatives and projects simultaneously
- A willingness to travel to different UK locations to support offices across Great Britain
Your Team
Our Finance and Procurement team are key to strategic decision making, providing key management information, data and analysis to ensure our business runs smoothly and that we comply with all our statutory and regulatory obligations. To do this effectively, these teams take responsibility for billing, payments, credit control, purchasing, client accounting, commercial business partnering, reporting, sourcing, buying and more.
About TLT
Fast paced, fast growing and forward thinking, TLT is the law firm that helps clients stay one step ahead, and we do the same for our people.
We work with high profile clients in innovative sectors. With local, national and international reach, we have over 1,200 people in offices across the UK and a network of partner firms across Europe, India and the US. In 2021 we were named The Lawyer’s Law Firm of the Year, recognising our incredible success story.
Our purpose is to protect, prepare and progress our clients for what comes next and it’s essential that we do the same for our people, our planet and our communities too. In our open and collaborative culture, we encourage everyone to be their whole self, to have a voice and to contribute.
Our Benefits
We value our employees highly and we want you to feel valued. You’ll receive a competitive salary with an annual pay review. You will also have access to an extensive range of benefits via our flexible benefits scheme including 25 days holiday (which will increase to 30 days based upon length of service) and private medical insurance.
At TLT we have a progressive fully flexible working approach. We empower our people to work in a place and at a time that meets their needs, those of their clients and of the wider team and firm. Part of this agile approach is a focus on hybrid working and supporting the work/life balance of our people.
TLT is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive working environment and encourages applications from all suitably qualified people, regardless of any of the characteristics protected by the laws in the locations in which we operate.
We welcome applications from people with disabilities and are committed to providing reasonable adjustments, where necessary, to make interviews and jobs more accessible. Should you have any difficulty during the recruitment process, require any reasonable adjustments or an application to Access to work please contact the recruitment team on Recruitment.Operations@TLTsolicitors.com
