Lead Business Support Manager

In a nutshell

Are you a dynamic strategic leader with a passion for operational excellence and team development?

We’re seeking an accomplished Lead Business Support Manager to take ownership of our business support function and drive continuous improvement.

In this pivotal role, you’ll shape processes, optimise performance, and lead a high-performing team to deliver exceptional service for both clients and colleagues. You’ll be at the heart of shaping how our firm delivers support—managing key teams like reception and telephony, mentoring Business Support Managers, and optimising processes that directly impact our profitability and strategic goals.

If you're excited by the idea of leading change, enhancing service delivery, and making a measurable impact, and set the standard for excellence, we’d love to hear from you.

What you'll be doing day to day

• Lead and develop business support teams, ensuring effectiveness, collaboration, and continuous improvement
• Provide line management for Business Support Managers and central teams, setting clear responsibilities and performance standards
• Drive process optimisation and quality improvements to enhance efficiency, consistency, and profitability
• Enhance client experience by implementing best practices and working with firmwide teams for seamless service delivery
• Support strategic projects and initiatives, including testing and implementing new processes
• Manage the business support budget and monitor performance against KPIs
• Build strong relationships with Partners, Directors, and business support networks to influence outcomes and drive operational excellence
• Oversee team capacity, workflow, and service delivery while fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and inclusion
• Coach and develop team members, contribute to reward discussions, and promote ESG, sustainability, and diversity initiatives

About you

• Degree-level education or equivalent professional qualification
• Proven experience in a professional services environment
• Strong understanding of administration, business processes, and workflows
• Experience improving processes and delivering projects in BAU settings
• Ability to develop strategies for effective reporting and compliance
• Proficient in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Self-motivated with strong problem-solving skills
• High attention to detail and commitment to quality
• Excellent communication skills, adaptable to diverse audiences
• Strong organisational and time management skills, able to prioritise effectively
• Flexible, proactive, and open to change
• Ability to handle sensitive information confidentially

Why work at PKF Francis Clark

As the largest firm of independent chartered accountants and business advisers in South West England, PKF Francis Clark offers a breadth of opportunities to develop your career in the way that’s right for you. 

Established in 1919, we’ve grown to a team of nearly 1,000 people, based across our offices in Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Poole, Salisbury, Southampton, Taunton, Torquay and Truro. This means we’re big enough to do challenging work for exciting clients, but small enough to maintain our friendly and supportive culture. 

We work hard to ensure you can belong, be yourself and be brilliant as part of a forward-thinking team. This includes a flexible approach to hybrid working. And our focus on wellbeing and learning and development has been recognised nationally. 

For the past three years, PKF Francis Clark has been certified as a Great Place to Work and ranked among the UK’s Best Workplaces. In 2025, we climbed four places to 20 out of 100 large organisations on this prestigious list. 

We’re also in the UK’s top 10 Best Workplaces for Women (6 out of 100 large organisations), as well as being ranked among the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing (35 out of 100), Best Workplaces for Development (24 out of 100) and Best Workplaces in Consulting and Professional Services. 

All these lists are compiled by workplace culture experts Great Place to Work. Our rankings are a direct result of feedback from our people in a confidential, independent annual survey. 

The success rates of our trainees mean we’re also ranked 33rd in The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2025. 

While we’re proudly independent, we collaborate with colleagues around the world to enable our clients to succeed. PKF Francis Clark is a member of the PKF Global family of firms – together we’re the 12th largest provider of accountancy services in the UK. Being part of this international network provides opportunities to connect with like-minded accountants and business advisers in 150 countries. 

Your core benefits 

Financial benefits:
•    Pension
•    Group life assurance - up to four times your core salary
•    Group income protection
•    Health cash plan to help cover the costs of everyday healthcare 

Health & Wellbeing benefits:
•    Option to buy 5 extra days holiday*
•    Counselling and support for you and your immediate family
•    Virtual GP for you and your immediate family
•    Cycle to work*

Other benefits:
•    Medicash Extras providing you with shopping and gym discounts
•    Gifts for career and family milestones
•    One volunteering day per year to support local organisations
•    Emergency funding from the Francis Clark Charitable Foundation 

Please note
* These benefits are provided via a salary exchange and are subject to employee’s post exchange hourly rate remaining above the national minimum wage.