Team Manager
Job Title: Team Manager
Location: Coventry, initially 5 days in the office
Reports to: Head of Operations
Direct Reports: Senior Client Adviser, Client Advisers, Accountants/Tax Consultants, Client Service Coordinator
We’re not your typical accountancy practice. Yes, we deliver expert accounting, tax, and advisory services, but growth is at the heart of everything we do, for our clients and our business. That’s where you come in. We operate from modern premises in Coventry and provide excellent working conditions for everyone that chooses to create their career with Oldfield.
This is not a senior accountant role with management responsibilities bolted on. The team is your product. Everything you do is in service of one outcome: a team that ships accurate work on time, profitably, and to the standard the firm expects. You are accountable for three things: hitting the team’s fee target, growing the people in it, and running the operational machine that delivers the work. You are a playing manager. About half your time (50-60%) is chargeable, mostly spent unblocking the team, coaching them on harder jobs, and stepping in on reviews when needed. You don’t need to be the strongest technical person in the room; you need to be the one who knows where every piece of work should go, can spot when something is stuck, and has the credibility to challenge a soft estimate. The other half is management proper: scorecards, 1:1s, second-stage interviews, performance handled cleanly, and process improvement built in.
- Hit the team fee target. Forecast weekly to month-end. Flag risks early with a plan, not just the problem. The team’s numbers are your numbers, no surprises.
- Manage by exception. Every job has budget hours in the system before work starts. Weekly red, amber, green review. You act on amber, not just red.
- Hold the standard. The Oldfield Way sets out our communication and quality standards. Your job is to uphold them in the team’s work, in client interactions, and in how you conduct yourself. The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.
- Run monthly 1:1s. Not a chat. A meeting that drives outcomes, with documented actions. Six-monthly development reviews on time, every team member on a defined career pathway.
- Address underperformance early. Probation reviews on time. Performance concerns acted on within two weeks. The senior leadership team should never have to ask if something is being looked at; you’re already on it.
- Own how client issues get resolved. Wherever they start, they end with you. You drive the fix and you stop it happening twice. The SCA stays informed on every issue; whether they lead the client conversation, you handle it direct, or they just need a heads-up is your call.
You’re a senior in practice and you’ve been leading without the title
You’re technically competent, but what you actually enjoy is the team work. Mentoring colleagues, unblocking jobs that are stuck, being the person others come to. You set the tone without anyone asking you to. You pick up the things that fall between the cracks. You’re already doing the job; you just don’t have the badge that goes with it. You want a role where leading the team IS the job, not the unpaid extra on top of your billable hours.
You’re a manager or senior accountant and your people skills are underused
Most accountants don’t get involved in HR, performance management, or coaching, even when they’re the obvious choice for it. You’ve been the one who sees what’s going on with the team, who has the difficult conversation, who notices when someone is pulling their weight or quietly drifting. But your firm has structured the role so that’s not officially your job. You want a firm where the people side of practice IS the role, with proper authority and accountability.
- You have the difficult conversation early. When someone is underperforming, when a client’s expectations need resetting, when a colleague needs to hear something they won’t enjoy, you have the conversation now, not next quarter.
- You know your team as people, not just roles. What each of them is good at. What they avoid. What they're slower on and faster on. Who works well together and who needs to be kept apart on a job. People who feel anonymous to their manager check out; you don't let that happen, and you also use what you know to route work better.
- You bring a recommendation, not a problem. When you escalate, you’ve already thought about what should happen next.
- You carry yourself well in front of clients. When something needs resolving and you’re the right person to take the call, you do, and the client comes away reassured.
- Technical credibility without being the strongest technical person. You know enough about accounting, tax, and the firm’s software to challenge a weak estimate, sniff-test deadlines, and step in on a review when needed. You don’t pretend to be the technical answer to every question; you know who to route it to.
- Two-plus years in practice, reviewer level or above. Solid grounding in corporation tax, personal tax, accounts production, and business software systems.
- Some experience leading or coordinating people in any context, even informally. If you’ve never managed anyone but you’ve been the de facto leader of a team or project, that counts.
- ACA/ACCA welcome but not essential. Operational and people judgement matters more than letters after your name.
- A team to lead with a clear remit. You own delivery; the SCA owns the relationship; the compliance team handles technical production. You’ll have direct input into how the team works and what gets built.
- A defined operating rhythm. Weekly scorecard, monthly review, quarterly health check. You walk into a system, not a free-for-all.
- A real playing-manager role. 50-60% chargeable, 40-50% management. Not management bolted on top of a full caseload.
- Competitive base salary
- Company car or car allowance option (after qualifying period in the role)
- Profit share scheme (after qualifying period in the role)
- Medical insurance (after qualifying period in the role)
- Free quality lunch 4 days a week
- 30 days holiday (including bank holidays)
- Flexible working hours
- Reward lunches
- Team building days
- Opportunities for professional growth and development
- A supportive and collaborative work environment
“For me personally, the best thing about working at Oldfield Advisory is the sense of satisfaction you can have in being able to help, assist and support a wide variety of clients and businesses in their financial affairs. You can play an active role in growing profitability of your clients by providing meaningful information to improve the effectiveness of management decisions.