Client Value Analyst

Overview of the Function

The global Finance function ensures robust financial control across our global operations, while partnering with the firm as a valued commercial advisor, influencing strategic decision making and driving long term profitable growth for the firm.

We achieve our vision with all our people working collaboratively with a shared culture and identifying themselves as part of one inclusive Global Finance team.

Role summary/purpose of job

The Client Value (CV) Analyst works as a business partner to engagement partners and their teams, delivering pricing and budgeting support for clients, actively managing inventory, ensuring timely billing and collections and providing insight and reporting on client and matter profitability while ensuring adherence to firm guidelines.

The CV Analyst directly supports the global commercial finance business partnering vision as set by the Global Head of Commercial Finance.

Key responsibilities and deliverables

Pricing and Budgeting

• Provide pricing support, including proposing alternative fee arrangements and modelling various staffing scenarios to deliver efficient client value.
•   Support efficient engagement management by developing budgets and forecasts and monitoring actual time and cost investments against recovery.

Inventory Management

• Provide timely updates to team management on critical areas, including: time recording, WIP conversion (billing and write-downs/write-offs) and cash collection and ensuring that corrective action is taken where required. Responsibilities include:

o      WIP and A/R management, including liaising directly with clients, partners, fee earners, and assistants as needed.

o      Addressing client queries regarding invoiced fees, accruals, or other detail information as required.

o      Overseeing complex billing requirements including multi-jurisdiction, multi-practice group, e-Billing requirements and other specific client billing needs as they evolve.

o      Coordinating billing and credit control requirements with allocated partners.

•    Monitoring the performance of the Global Shared Services team against SLAs and KPIs to ensure timely processing of transactions, while working with finance colleagues to deliver process improvements.

Business insight and advisory

• Provide commercial finance insight and guidance by ensuring that strategic, plan, and financial performance benchmarks are achieved by partnering with key stakeholders to maximize Practice Group financial performance.
• Suggest areas of improvement based on current reporting and analysis as well as post-mortem reviews.
• Work closely with the wider Finance team to ensure a well-rounded knowledge of strategic issues impacting the firm’s financial risk profile promoting and, where appropriate, enforcing financial policy.
• Maintain an outward focus through networking and business research.

Business planning and projects

• Supports practice management with setting and monitoring practice group performance targets, including budget and forecast, and challenging assumptions where appropriate.
• Support the commercial finance team with analysis on resource management for practice groups, focusing on size, shape and overall equity profile.
• Collaborate with Finance and other Business Services teams to ensure service delivery and SLAs are delivered to the Practice Group.
• Support the design and delivery of Finance projects as required, and to champion continuous improvement by seeking opportunities to increase efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery.

Key requirements (Communication/skills/experience)

Essential

• Experience as a business partner providing data driven analysis and insights within in a professional services firm.
• Knowledge of the legal market, products, and services.
• Ability to communicate clearly at all levels.

Desirable

• Experience working within a matrix structure and a Global Shared Services environment.
• Experience working within a leading international law firm.
• Experience working within a leading international law firm.

For individuals assigned and/or hired to work in New York and California or whose Manager is in New York, Freshfields is required by law to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. This compensation range is specific to the States of New York and California and takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including