Finance Manager, E&D

Description

Berkeley Research Group provides independent advice, data analytics, authoritative studies, expert testimony, investigations, and regulatory and dispute consulting to Fortune 500 corporations, financial institutions, government agencies, major law firms, and regulatory bodies around the world. BRG experts provide sophisticated economic, financial, and analytical advice across a wide range of disciplines, including antitrust and competition policy, complex damages, finance, healthcare, intellectual property, restructuring, valuation, and workforce issues. In addition, the firm assists clients in major industry sectors with compliance, business process improvement, and strategy consulting.

The Community Finance Manager (“the Manager”) will be the key finance partner for BRG’s Economics and Damages (E&D) practices and their community Managers with respect to a wide variety of accounting, planning and financial management topics associated with the E&D practices and their matters. This position may be based in Washington DC, Chicago or Emeryville CA.

The Manager will be part of BRG’s finance organization with direct accountability to the head of Financial Planning and Analysis (“FP&A”) with dotted line reporting to the Chief Accounting Officer and the E&D community Managers. The Manager will provide close support to the Managers of individual practice groups in the E&D community and to other key experts charged with practice financial management.

Responsibilities

The Manager will either take the lead on or be heavily involved in all of the following:

• Pricing (or providing practice or corporate review of the pricing) of non-standard and complex matters, particularly fixed fee or other complex engagements.
• Helping identify non-standard or complex matters at inception to ensure appropriate setup.
• Tracking matter status to support the operational management of the matter by the practice unit and engagement team, including the use of independent contractors.
• Creating tracking tools, analytics and dashboards to support practice and community management from practice, community, and corporate perspectives.
• Regularly maintaining tracking tools, including continuing training of and contact with engagement Managers to foster broad and consistent use of tools.
• Regular meetings and review with engagement leadership to discuss progress and document barriers for proactive management and revenue prediction.
• Revenue recognition for non-standard and complex matters. While the Manager does not have to be a CPA, the Manager must be able to master and implement revenue recognition concepts with a high level of sophistication, including identifying matters with complex revenue attributes, analyzing matters to isolate and model performance obligations, and creating supporting schedules and worksheets to support revenue recognition throughout the life of the matter under the supervision of the Controllers group.
• Regularly refreshing revenue and other financial projections as needed by practices, FP&A and Controllers.
• Computing monthly and year-to-date available utilization of staff and report to service line Managers.
• Enhancing billing and collection processes in Healthcare and supporting complex collection activities.
• Supporting practice profitability calculations as utilized in compensation processes.
• Budgeting, both operational and corporate.
• Supporting community projects, particularly financial management of business development efforts, R&D and conferences that are either large and material or span more than one practice team.
• Supporting building cases for and providing other analytical support for practice expansion.

Qualifications

The Manager will require sophisticated abilities to work in a matrix.  The Manager must earn and retain the confidence and respect of practice Managers while working closely and transparently with corporate units to deliver centralized services to the healthcare community, ensure the firm discharges its compliance obligations and to support effective and efficient management of the firm.   

• CPA, MBA or equivalent advanced degree or credential (for example CFA) preferred.
• Minimum of 7-10 years of professional financial experience grounded in operationally-focused financial management, which could include planning, analysis, strategy and budgeting roles, business division financial controller experience, or other roles providing close financial support for leadership with P&L responsibilities.
• Experience in a matrixed environment and/or professional services business (or other project-oriented business reliant on significant revenue-generating individuals) is a significant positive, but not required. Exposure to and understanding of the various components of the U.S. healthcare industry would be helpful, but less directly relevant.
• Willingness and ability to build complex models and analyses.
• Excellent communication and written/verbal presentation skills. Able to participate actively in business decisions speaking from an analytical, data-driven and accountability-oriented vantage point.
• Experience with and solid understanding of US GAAP.
• Experience must include participation in, understanding of and respect for enterprise control and governance processes.
• Able to juggle multiple projects and competing requirements, often under deadlines.

 Candidate must be able to submit verification of his/her legal right to work in the United States, without company sponsorship.