Legal Accounts & Client Money Reconciliations Team Leader

Legal Accounts and Client Money Reconciliations Team Leader
Work level 6A
Stratford-Upon-Avon or Bristol – hybrid 
Full time, 37.5 hours

9 month secondment 

We’re looking for an Accounts Team Leader to join our Co-op Legal Services (CLS) finance team.

In this role, you’ll lead and develop our Finance Operations Team who are responsible for all transactions relating to our legal casework. Alongside line management responsibilities, we’ll also look to you to make sure that all daily tasks are completed in adherence with internal and external policies, as well as driving continuous improvement, making sure robust controls are in place and proactively working to address areas of concern in a highly regulated environment. This is a fantastic chance to develop your skills, and with new projects on the horizon there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.

What you’ll do:

•    Lead, coach and develop the Financial Operations Team – managing team objectives, reviewing performance, carrying out regular 121s and identifying training needs
•    Make sure daily processes comply with the Solicitors Regulatory Authority rules, accounting standards and the Co-op Group policies, putting procedures and controls in place
•    Review and report on the performance of controls with a focus on continuous improvement 
•    Review and approve complex reconciliations and bank payments 
•    Work closely with IT and the wider CLS finance team on implementing our new case management and legal accounting system 
•    Lead on period end closure and work alongside Group finance to post period end journals 
•    Complete case related balance sheet reconciliations, highlighting areas of concern and proactively working to address those areas.
•    Support with external SRA auditor requests where required and make sure they’re delivered within agreed timeframes

This role will suit people who have:

•    Significant experience within a regulated environment or are working towards an AAT, ACCA, or CIMA qualification 
•    Experience of coaching or mentoring 
•    Experience of managing a high volume of transactions or tasks
•    Strong organisation and prioritisation skills
•    Excellent relationship building and communication skills

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive::
• an annual bonus scheme (dependent on personal and business performance)
• a pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• 28 days holiday plus bank holidays (rising to 32 in line with service)
• wellbeing benefits to support your physical financial and mental health
• coaching, training, and support such as study leave, to help you develop your skills and progress your career
• discounts on Co-op products and services

Building an inclusive work environment

We’re actively building diverse teams and we welcome applications from everyone. We want to build inclusive work environments, where our colleagues have equal opportunities to reach their full potential. We celebrate our differences and recognise the importance of our teams reflecting the communities they serve.

If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process according to your needs. We're also part of the Disability Confident scheme, meaning we'll always offer an interview to disabled candidates who apply through the scheme if they meet the minimum criteria for a job.

We'll ask whether you’d like to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme when you apply.

If we invite you to take part in the recruitment process for any of our jobs, we’ll ask you if you need any reasonable adjustments to enable you to participate.

You can find out more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process.

You can find out more about the Disability Confident scheme and all our commitments to diversity and inclusion at colleagues.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion-and-wellbeing.

If you’re successful in your application, we’ll perform some background checks as part of our pre-employment screening process. These will include an SRA check, credit checks, and a DBS (disclosure and barring service) check. Please note Co-op does not offer visa sponsorship for this role.

As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically take up to 50 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.