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Finance Manager (SA)

Somewhere

Fully Remote
📍 Cape Town
🇿🇦 SA Friendly: 1.0/1.0

Job Title:Finance Manager

Employment Type:Full-Time | Independent Contractor | Remote

Salary:$4,000–$5,500 USD/monthWorking hours:M-F 9am-5pm EST

A 25–30+ person intellectual property and litigation law firm with a global client base across the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

The firm is entering its next phase of growth and exploring a potential Managed Services Organization (MSO) structure, which will require more sophisticated financial infrastructure and reporting.

The Opportunity

The Managing Partner is seeking a hands-on Senior Financial Controller to professionalize and future-proof the firm’s finance function. Currently, accounting is centralized with a single accounts controller, creating key-person risk. This hire will build redundancy, improve visibility, and provide forward-looking financial insight to ownership.

This is not a passive CFO role. This is a hands-on operator who can both build systems and execute.

Key Responsibilities
* Build and maintain detailedP&L reporting by attorney, department, and matter
Build and maintain detailedP&L reporting by attorney, department, and matter
* Unify fixed-fee and hourly billing into clearprofitability analysis
Unify fixed-fee and hourly billing into clearprofitability analysis
* Develop rollingcash flow forecastsand proactive payroll visibility
Develop rollingcash flow forecastsand proactive payroll visibility
* Establish a consistentmonthly close cadence
Establish a consistentmonthly close cadence
* Oversee billing, invoicing, and timekeeping accuracy
Oversee billing, invoicing, and timekeeping accuracy
* Manage complex international billing rules and client-specific portal submissions
Manage complex international billing rules and client-specific portal submissions
* Design internal controls and redundancy to eliminate single-point-of-failure risk
Design internal controls and redundancy to eliminate single-point-of-failure risk
* Advise ownership (Managing Partner + leadership) on profitability, incentives, hiring decisions, and margin optimization
Advise ownership (Managing Partner + leadership) on profitability, incentives, hiring decisions, and margin optimization
* Support accounting structuring for future MSO implementation
Support accounting structuring for future MSO implementation

Ideal Candidate Profile
* 8+ years in accounting/finance, with experience as a Controller or Senior Finance Manager
8+ years in accounting/finance, with experience as a Controller or Senior Finance Manager
* Strong background in professional services (law firm experience strongly preferred)
Strong background in professional services (law firm experience strongly preferred)
* Experience managing complex billing structures (mixed fixed-fee and hourly models)
Experience managing complex billing structures (mixed fixed-fee and hourly models)
* Advanced Excel skills; experience with financial modeling and forecasting
Advanced Excel skills; experience with financial modeling and forecasting
* Comfortable working directly with ownership in an advisory capacity
Comfortable working directly with ownership in an advisory capacity
* Hands-on, detail-oriented, and operationally strong
Hands-on, detail-oriented, and operationally strong
* High integrity with strong internal controls mindset
High integrity with strong internal controls mindset

Success in This Role

Within 6–12 months, this person will:
* Provide clear profitability reporting by attorney
Provide clear profitability reporting by attorney
* Deliver reliable forward-looking cash flow projections
Deliver reliable forward-looking cash flow projections
* Establish a finance function that no longer depends on one individual
Establish a finance function that no longer depends on one individual
* Give ownership data-driven clarity for growth and compensation decisions
Give ownership data-driven clarity for growth and compensation decisions