Financial Systems Manager

Steptoe LLP, a Washington, DC-based Am Law 100 firm, is seeking a Financial Systems Manager to join its IT Department. This role will be responsible for managing, overseeing, and improving the financial systems and processes within the organization. Acts as a liaison between business units, especially Accounting & Finance and Information Technology, to ensure that business needs are being appropriately addressed. Actively seeks opportunities for continuous improvement within the financial systems and related systems across firm. Responsible for maintaining, upgrading, and optimizing financial systems and tools to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and data security. Collaborates with others within the Information Technology and Accounting & Finance departments to resolve technical issues concerning financial systems. Resolve end user financial system issues and provides software application support. Develop financial system procedures, documentation and end user training. Analyze current business processes, make recommendations, and manage the implementation of new procedures.

Essential Functions

• System Maintenance and Optimization: Maintain and upgrade financial systems and tools to ensure efficiency, accuracy, and data security. Coordinate all efforts related to implementing new software programs and upgrades. Interact with end users and vendors to provide detailed specifications for custom reports, inquiries, and IDE changes for 3E. Coordinate testing efforts for customizations. Resolve end user financial system issues and provides software application support. Track and maintain financial systems bug/issue list and follow up regularly for successful resolution or acceptable workaround.
• Continuous Improvement: Continually seeking opportunities for improvement within the Finance department and across all related systems within the firm.
• Collaboration: Collaborate with other departments, such as Accounting and Finance, to resolve any technical issues related to the financial systems.
• Training: Provide necessary training to the staff to ensure they are well-equipped to use the financial systems.
• Vendor Management: Manage relationships with vendors of financial systems and tools.
• Project Management: Leading or participating in financial system implementation or upgrade projects.
• Routine processes: ensuring that daily and other processes are completed timely and accurately (e.g., uploads from other systems) and manage the accounting month- and year-end close processes.
• User Support: Providing support and training to system users to ensure any issues are resolved promptly and efficiently.
  
  

Non-Essential Functions

• Work on projects as assigned by the CFO, CIO, firm Chair, and others.
• Completes other duties as assigned
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, information technology, or other business-related field
• Minimum eight years of relevant professional experience within a law firm or other professional service organization
• A solid understanding of financial concepts, accounting principles, and financial systems, as well as proficiency in IT systems management to effectively facilitate communication and collaboration between the Finance and IT departments.
• In-depth knowledge of law firm financial systems with a strong preference for Elite 3E experience
• Excellent technical skills including SQL and experience with data cubes and integrations
• Understanding of related auditing, and tax functions
  
  

Success Factors

• Communication: convey goals and objectives clearly and in a compelling manner; listen effectively and clarify information as needed; ensure that project status, issues and successes are communicated to project team, stakeholders, sponsors, steering committee and all levels of management and documented appropriately; ensure open communications within project team.
• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving: recognize problems or situations that are new or without clear precedent; evaluate alternatives and find solutions using a systematic, multi-step approach; develop improvements and innovations to enhance performance.
• Decision-Making: understand how and when to make a choice; how and when to escalate issues to higher levels; analyze the risks and future impact of decisions; make decisions and take timely independent action in pursuit of priorities.
• Initiative and creativity: identify areas for improvement within personal areas of responsibility, group, department and firm; develop unique and new approaches to address existing challenges and/or positively affect lawyer productivity, client service, and overall fiscal health of the firm
• Responsibility & Accountability: prioritize own and team’s work; anticipate consequences of actions, potential problems, or opportunities for change; sets and meet realistic deadlines. Ensure a high level of fiscal control and accountability for project budget.
• Team leadership: ability to hire, develop and retain a high-quality work force whether directly employed by the firm or outsourced; ability to inspire others by creating a vision and gaining buy-in from those important to achieving strategic and operational goals.
  
  

Work Environment

• Position may be hybrid with availability to attend in-person in-office meetings as required
• Willing to work staggered schedule as required
• Must be available to work beyond regular hours
• Must be able to work under tight deadlines and in stressful situations
• Non-smoking environment
  
  

Steptoe LLP is an equal opportunity employer EOE/AA/Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, mental or physical disability, genetic information, or any basis proscribed by applicable statutes.