Manager -Business Services and Outsourcing - Guildford

Ideas | People | Trust

We’re BDO. An accountancy and business advisory firm, providing the advice and solutions businesses need to navigate today’s changing world.

Our clients are Britain’s economic engine – ambitious, entrepreneurially-spirited and high‑growth businesses that fuel the economy - and the owners and management teams that lead them.

We’ll broaden your horizons

The Business Services and Outsourcing team are essential to meeting our clients' evolving requirements. As well as delivering long-term, sustainable value to businesses by providing a range of solutions such as accounting, payroll and compliance services, they also play a key role in tying together many of our services across BDO both domestically and internationally. By building deep and meaningful relationships with a range of clients from ambitious entrepreneurial SMEs to large multi-national groups, our BS&O team don’t just advise on their specific business challenges, they open doors for other teams to provide our firm’s wider service offering. To succeed in this agile environment, you’ll need to demonstrate excellent problem-solving skills and initiative. In return, you’ll have the opportunity for progression, and the chance to develop in one of the industry’s most exciting and varied roles.

We’ll help you succeed

Our clients trust us because of the quality of our advice.  That quality grows from a thorough understanding of their business, and that understanding comes from working closely with clients and building long-lasting relationships.

You’ll be someone who can work pro-actively, managing your own tasks, but you’ll also be confident collaborating with others, communicating regularly with senior managers, Directors, and BDO’s Partners to enable us to serve our clients effectively.  You’ll be encouraged to identify and draw attention to opportunities for enhancing our delivery and providing additional services to our clients.

Principal Accountabilities and Attributes:

Technical

• Manage client assignments, which includes determining the resource requirements, monitoring progress against budget and established timeframe, review of work completed by junior team members and resolving all project issues prior to Partner and Director review.
• Manage the overall team on a day-to-day basis.
• Manage a portfolio of clients including client take on procedures, agreeing scope, fee negotiations, control of billings and cash collections within the firm’s criteria.
• Acts as a major point of contact within the firm for the client together with the partner.  This includes responding quickly to, as well as anticipating, client requests/needs, keeping clients informed of progress in relation to all aspects of the service provided and maintaining regular contact with clients.
• Ensure that the firm’s risk management and quality control procedures are adhered to
• Recruit, retain, develop and motivate our employees (includes participating in recruitment, ensuring job appraisal documentation is completed within deadlines and ensuring appropriate objectives and development plans are in place for appraisees).
• Work as part of management team on issues such as  resource planning, staff retention, merit rate meetings, improving our tools and processes and efficiency gains
• Keep up to date with all technical developments in order to ensure continued excellent delivery of services to the client.
• May develop a specialism and actively work to identify new business opportunities in that market

Commercial

• Build sustainable relationships with clients, and take point responsibility for delivering answers to clients in most cases.
• Puts quality first in every client interaction by ensuring accuracy, timeliness and honesty
• Encourages team members to put their ideas forward to improve the BDO experience for clients
• Acts within agreed fees, scope, deliverables and timescales and support the team to deliver on promises
• Solicits feedback from clients and acts promptly to amend or improve client service
• Escalates potential overruns and does not put off difficult conversations
• Identify and recognise new project and business opportunities for BSO, and inform the partner and client as appropriate. Acts as an ambassador of the firm, participates in marketing events, keeps abreast of the wide range of services the firm offers and suggests innovative products and services.
• Contributes to bidding for new work and supports senior people as needed
• Builds relationships with existing clients and seeks out new opportunities
• Takes the time to reflect on and learn from experience
• Understands wider BDO service offering and can spot opportunities outside the stream
• Personally invests the time and energy in building BD and management skills
• Encourages others to build networks and get into the market
• Introduces professional contacts to others as appropriate

Personal

• Demonstrates a “can do” attitude for assignments and is enthusiastic to learn new skills
• Takes personal responsibility for delivery of projects and tasks
• Is an effective people manager and delivers results through others
• Coaches team members to deliver results
• Knows when to delegate and when to take personal responsibility
• Undertakes effective performance reviews discussions with team members
• Seeks regular feedback on own performance and acts on findings
• Sets realistic but stretching performance targets for self and others
• Understands their impact on other people
• Knows own strengths and limitations
• Undertakes difficult conversations when necessary
• Acknowledges and praises people for their effort and achievements
• Offers solutions rather than presenting problems 

You’ll be someone with:

• ACCA/ACA Qualified or equivalent
• Proficient at Microsoft Office especially Excel.
• Excellent knowledge of accounting packages eg. Xero, Sage Quickbooks etc
• Excellent knowledge of UK GAAP and FRS 102, experience of Caseware and consolidations preferred.
• Experience of managing client assignments
• Experience of identifying and developing new business leads

We’re in it together

Mutual support and respect is one of BDO’s core values and we’re proud of our distinctive, people-centred culture.  From informal success conversations to formal mentoring and coaching, we’ll support you at every stage in your career, whatever your personal and professional needs.

We can provide the best support for our clients and people when we’re working side by side.  Our agile working framework helps us stay connected, bringing teams together where and when it counts so they can share ideas and help one another.  At BDO, you’ll always have access to the people and resources you need to do your best work.

We know that collaboration is the key to creating value for our clients and satisfying experiences at work, so we’ve invested in state-of-the-art collaboration spaces in our offices.  BDO’s people represent a wealth of knowledge and expertise, and we’ll encourage you to build your network, work alongside others, and share your skills and experiences.  With a range of multidisciplinary events and dedicated resources, you’ll never stop learning at BDO.

We’re looking forward to the future

At BDO, we help entrepreneurial businesses to succeed, fuelling the UK economy. Our success is powered by our people, which is why we’re always finding new ways to invest in them. Across 17 UK locations, we are 6,500 unique minds coming together to help our clients reach their ambitions.

We’ve got a clear purpose, and we’re confident in our future, because we’re adapting and evolving to build on our strengths, ensuring we continue to find the right combination of global reach, integrity and expertise. We shape the future together with openness and clarity, because we believe in empowering people to think creatively about how we can do things better.

For further information, and to apply, please visit our website via the “Apply” button below.