Finance Business Partner

Main information* Experience level:
Advanced

• Term type:

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• Team:

• Location:

The role
This role sits at the heart of strengthening financial insight, planning capability and decision support across Shoosmiths’ Business Services functions, combining core FP\&A with change, systems improvement and strategic analysis in a complex professional services environment.

Working as a trusted finance partner within FP\&A, the role helps shape investment, resource and performance decisions across the firm, bringing sharper analysis, clearer challenge and stronger financial discipline to support Shoosmiths’ strategic priorities.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Insight, Analysis \& Decision Support

• Provide clear, decision\-ready analysis of Business Services performance against budget, forecast and strategic plan.


• Prepare concise management information, dashboards and insight packs that support sharper performance oversight and executive decision\-making.


• Deliver financial modelling, scenario analysis and investment appraisal to inform business cases, prioritisation and strategic choices.


• Identify financial risks, opportunities and emerging trends, translating complex data into commercially relevant insight and action.

• Lead budgeting and forecasting for assigned Business Services functions, partnering closely with Directors and senior managers on priorities, risks and trade\-offs.


• Develop robust assumptions, planning drivers and forward\-looking views that align local plans to firm\-wide financial priorities.


• Produce variance analysis with clear narrative, root\-cause assessment and practical actions to improve performance.


• Drive cost discipline, efficiency opportunities and value\-for\-money assessment across Business Services, balancing control with strategic investment.

• Act as the lead finance contact for Business Services Directors, providing commercial insight, constructive challenge and trusted support.


• Build strong relationships across Business Services, Finance, HR and Operations to enable joined\-up planning and effective decision\-making.


• Contribute actively to leadership discussions, bringing financial perspective, challenge and recommendations to shape priorities and outcomes.


• Partner on cross\-functional initiatives and firm\-wide strategic programmes, ensuring financial insight informs delivery and decision\-making.

• Develop and monitor KPIs and financial metrics that strengthen visibility of Business Services performance and value.


• Provide insight into performance drivers and track progress against financial, operational and strategic objectives.


• Support prioritisation of investment, resourcing and transformation initiatives through clear financial analysis and evidence\-based recommendations.

• Support the Head of FP\&A and senior leadership on strategic projects, investment cases and complex financial analysis.


• Drive continuous improvement in financial processes, reporting and planning capability across Business Services and FP\&A.


• Develop and coach the FP\&A Analyst, helping build a high\-performing business services finance capability.

Essential

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with a strong grounding in commercial finance, planning and performance management.


• Strong experience in Finance Business Partnering or FP\&A, ideally within legal, professional services or another complex, multi\-stakeholder environment.


• Advanced financial analysis, modelling and business case capability, with the ability to turn complex data into clear insight, recommendations and action.


• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills, with credibility and confidence with senior non\-finance stakeholders.


• Strong commercial judgement, intellectual curiosity and a proactive, solutions\-focused mindset.


• Ability to manage multiple priorities, work at pace and deliver high\-quality output to deadlines in a dynamic environment.


• Experience supporting central or Business Services functions such as Finance, IT, HR, Business Development or Property, with an understanding of how these areas create value for the wider firm.

• Experience with financial planning, reporting and modelling tools such as SAP, TM1, Planful or similar, and confidence working with systems to improve insight and planning capability.


• Experience in legal or people\-led professional services environments, including understanding of overhead leverage, investment prioritisation and service line economics, would be particularly valuable.


• Understanding of professional services or legal sector economics, including the commercial drivers that shape performance, investment and resource decisions.

• Credible, confident and collaborative partner to the business.


• Comfortable providing constructive challenge while maintaining strong relationships.


• Curious, analytical and continuously looking for ways to improve insight and outcomes.


• High levels of integrity, professionalism and attention to detail.

• Competitive salary and benefits package.


• Pension and healthcare provision.


• Flexible and hybrid working.


• Ongoing learning and professional development.


• Inclusive, collaborative and high\-performance culture.

Shoosmiths is the law firm clients choose for excellent service, incisive thinking and above all for our ability to focus on what matters. From offices across the UK and Brussels, we support some of the world’s most exciting and ambitious businesses; amazing clients making an impact. We empower our people to be their authentic selves and deliver together in supportive teams committed to excellence and innovation. The first top 50 law firm to achieve ‘Platinum Standard’ Investors in People, our values and culture are not just words on our website but are the heartbeat of the firm.

We have an outstanding benefits package to complement our competitive remuneration system. In addition to the competitive salaries, great working environment and high\-quality work, we believe that all staff should be rewarded for their commitment to the continued success of the firm through a comprehensive and flexible range of benefits.

Shoosmiths is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. Disability Confident is a government scheme designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term conditions. The Disability Confident scheme replaced the Two Ticks Positive about Disabled People scheme. We had been accredited as a two tick employer for many years \- Disability Confident broadens and develops that original commitment, and demonstrates we have adopted a proactive approach to employing disabled people and developing their abilities.

As part of our accreditation, we commit to interviewing any applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria for each vacancy. In some circumstances we may only be able to interview those that best meet the essential criteria due to the volume of applications received.

Further information on the Disability Confident scheme is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/disability\-confident\-campaign

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to and usable by everyone. If you have a disability or long\-term condition and would like to receive information in a different way, or need us to make any adjustments, changes or do anything differently during the recruitment process, please get in touch with the Talent Acquisition team on Experienced.Hire@shoosmiths.com. We can consider your needs and requirements, and how we can assist you to apply for our roles. For example we can provide a copy of our application via email so that you can complete it using your own accessibility software.

Equal opportunities
Our approach to our people is underpinned by our approach to diversity, inclusion and well\-being. Our ambition is to build a diverse and ambitious workforce that reflects all backgrounds and talents, and a workplace that is supportive and inclusive, recognises and nurtures talent, and has a strong sense of community between colleagues.

This means that everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, whatever their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.

\#LI\-WC1

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