Finance Manager France

Job description

As Finance Manager France, you will lead the local finance team to ensure the accuracy, timeliness, and compliance of financial operations. This includes overseeing statutory accounting, financial reporting, revenue recognition, and cash flow management in alignment with firm-wide policies and local regulations. You will act as a strategic advisor to senior leadership, delivering financial insights and analysis to support business decisions. This role also involves managing the budgeting and forecasting processes, driving cost efficiency initiatives, and overseeing tax and audit compliance. You will play a central role in aligning local practices with global financial strategies and will be expected to develop a high-performing team, fostering excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Main Components Lead financial reporting, budgeting, and forecasting Oversee local statutory accounting and compliance Manage revenue recognition and reconciliation processes Support cash flow, tax, and audit management Partner with stakeholders to provide financial guidance Develop and lead a high-performing finance team Team Management of a team of 5 people: 1 Senior Advisor Accounting &Tax. 1 Advisor in Accounts payable. 1 Advisor in Local and Statutory accounting. 2 Senior Advisors in Accounts receivables / Credit Control. Your key responsibilities Lead financial reporting, budgeting, and forecasting Prepare and deliver accurate monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports. Drive the budgeting and reforecasting cycles to support business planning. Collaborate with senior leadership to translate business strategy into financial targets. Ensure consistency and transparency across financial outputs and planning models. Oversee local statutory accounting and compliance Ensure full compliance with local GAAP and regulatory standards. Manage statutory reporting obligations and ensure timely submissions. Supervise accounting operations to ensure integrity of financial data. Coordinate with internal and external advisors on compliance matters. Manage revenue recognition and reconciliation processes Ensure proper accounting treatment of revenue under applicable standards. Review and reconcile client and matter level revenue and billing data. Collaborate with business teams to resolve variances and improve billing accuracy. Maintain alignment between financial and operational systems. Support cash flow, tax, and audit management Oversee cash management activities including forecasting and payment runs. Ensure accurate preparation of VAT. Ensuring tax and social obligations of the firm and the partnership are met; Supervising preparation of tax and social charges returns (CNBF/URSSAF) and payments. Manage the relationship with external auditors and lead audit readiness. Identify and mitigate financial risks through effective internal controls. Partner with stakeholders to provide financial guidance Act as a trusted advisor to the local leadership team on financial matters. Translate complex financial data into meaningful insights for decision-makers. Present regular updates to stakeholders on financial performance and outlook. Collaborate with regional and global teams to share best practices and tools. Develop and lead a high-performing finance team Set performance objectives and development plans for finance team members. Coach and mentor junior staff to enhance technical and leadership capabilities. Promote a culture of accountability, accuracy, and continuous improvement. Ensure adequate training, succession planning, and knowledge sharing. Your Experience Proven experience (10+ years) in financial management within a corporate or professional services environment. Expert knowledge of French statutory accounting and tax compliance. Demonstrated success in leading budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting cycles. Strong capability in managing external audits and regulatory reporting. Excellent understanding of revenue recognition principles and reconciliation practices. Track record of partnering with senior stakeholders to drive business performance. Experience developing and leading high-performing finance teams. Strong analytical and communication skills to influence non-financial audiences. Comfortable working in a global environment with cross-functional collaboration. Language requirements Excellent written and oral skills in French and English Education / Qualification Degree from a business school or university (Bac +5 or equivalent), ideally with a specialisation in accounting, audit or finance. Professional qualification (e.g. DSCG, DEC) and/or experience in a Big 4 audit firm is highly desirable. Additional skills Skills: Excellent command of the entire Microsoft Office suite. Excellent time management. Efficient document management. Integrity. Respect for the confidentiality of information. Ability to work independently and as part of a team. Ability to work with a global team and network. Flexible and adaptable to change, depending on the needs of the company. Ability to remain calm even in the face of emergency management. Ability to use common sense and take responsibility for the responsibility for the actions taken. Ability to offer practical and pragmatic solutions. Excellent attention to detail. Understanding of business challenges and customer expectations internal and external. Qualities: Sociable Accessible Excellent communicator Adaptable and flexible Confident Dynamic Professional Calm Rigorous Conscientious and diligent The Team You will be welcomed into the Finance team as a valued and integral member of the group. The Finance function is a globally diverse team of professionals dedicated to ensuring the firm’s financial health, enabling strategic decision-making, and delivering accurate, timely financial insight and control. In this role, you will collaborate closely with both the local team and the broader Finance network, with strong support and a shared commitment to excellence. Our culture emphasises teamwork, integrity, and continuous improvement. Working alongside stakeholders across the business, the Finance team is responsible for a wide range of activities including budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, compliance, and strategic planning. The team plays a critical role in safeguarding the firm’s financial stability and driving value through data-led insight and financial stewardship. This role offers a variety of responsibilities and projects, providing opportunities for development, cross-functional exposure, and professional growth. We are excited to expand our team with individuals who are detail-oriented, commercially aware, and passionate about contributing to the firm’s success through sound financial management and collaboration. Linklaters Linklaters is a global law firm, with 30 offices in 20 countries worldwide. Linklaters is a people business. Being best in class in the eyes of our clients means that our people must be exceptional. We look not only for brilliant minds, but for people who will thrive in our environment: people who love working collaboratively and demonstrate the innovative, efficient, agile, entrepreneurial, and responsible mind-set we aim to bring to every interaction. Ours is an environment of outperformance. We achieve this not with targets and incentives, but by fostering a positive, supportive, fair, and open atmosphere. We respect and value difference but insist on inclusivity. We celebrate all aspects of diversity and challenge any form of bias. This is vital to our ability to work as one team, with a common goal. What sets us apart At Linklaters We offer a truly global work experience and the opportunity to be involved in strategic projects that drive innovation and shape the future of our business We belong to a firm that embodies its corporate social, environment, and governance responsibility commitments We remain focused on talent and having the best people which will result in a diverse workforce Having got the best people, we want them to feel included, valued and respected so they can perform at their best We advocate speak-up culture to empower our people in sharing their voices and an open-door policy to ensure they are listened to We invest in custom-fit career paths for our people in line with their talents and aspirations We provide agile working solutions to meet the changing needs of our people and our business We are committed to people first relationships based on mutual trust, respect, and appreciation We support the health and wellbeing of our people, providing a safe space to talk about emotions and mental health with access to expert advice as needed We invest in developing leaders of the future who demonstrate emotional intelligence and a passion to discover, coach and develop the talents of others Technical Skills: Budget Management, Business Risk Management, Cost Optimization, Financial Accounting, Financial Analysis, Financial Forecasting, Financial Modeling, Financial Risk Management (FRM), Liquidity Management, Profit and Loss (P&L) Management, Regulatory Compliance This list of duties and responsibilities above is not exhaustive. It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for, the performance of this job. As such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.