Working Capital Controller

US Head of Pricing and Commercial Management and US CFO

Americas Senior Working Capital Managers

Working Capital and Pricing Managers

Working Capital Controllers Globally

Partners and Matter Managers

Shared Service Teams in Belfast

Meet with partners monthly, or as needed, to review current matters, obtain billing forecast information and follow up to ensure that all pledged billing is actioned in a timely manner each month.

Oversee and follow up on the processing of action items, such as time transfer, time write off, dispatch of billing guides, disbursements, etc., handled mainly by our Revenue Assistants in our Belfast Shared Services Center.

Oversight and review (occasional preparation/processing) of invoices, ensuring time and disbursements are accurately charged in accordance with client billing guidelines.

Uphold department standards and preserve integrity of established revenue accounting controls.

Thorough final review of invoices before sending them to partners for distribution to their clients.

Provide training and technical financial system support to Legal PAs and Fee Earners where necessary.

Review and management of working capital lock-up days – monitor trigger points where write offs occur to ensure early attention and counteraction.

Review inventory for working capital hygiene purposes, to clear inventory that is no longer recoverable in a timely manner.

Flag inventory and accounts receivable issues that may impact the Lock Up Profile and ensure the partner and management are well informed of increasing exposures.

Assist the Working Capital Manager as required, in maintaining a holistic understanding of the working capital position of your particular practice area.

Assist with matter inception process, review engagement letter and agreements to ensure that agreed billing rates are accurate for new instructions.

Review client/matter working capital balances (WIP and Debts), take ownership of reporting on and escalating matters that are aging or where we have increasing client exposure.

Send regular working capital related reporting to partners with concise narratives.

Provide support to the cash allocations team to assist with the allocation of client-related payments.

Oversee client money balances and ensure that funds are being applied/refunded in a timely manner.

Review billing write offs and ensure any material amounts are escalated, prepare write-off narratives for write-off committee approval.

Review unbilled disbursements balances and disbursements written off on a monthly basis and investigate any significant movements.

Diligent file maintenance for all associated billing, collections, and client money related backup materials.

Act as trusted business advisor to assigned partners and other fee earners, working closely with their assistants and other support functions.

Provide supporting materials and information for client meetings – determine nature of meeting and provide succinct financial advice in relation to time submission, billings, profitability and collections.

Draft matter budgets for all significant instructions in conjunction with the matter manager and ensure automatic alerts are activated to ensure progress is reported on an ongoing basis.

Establish solid working relationships with the offshore SSC Finance Teams (Revenue, eBilling and Credit Control).

Involvement in ad hoc projects.

Responding to requests for ad hoc reporting in support of Marketing/BD related efforts.

Fee Earner Business Reporting and other HR related efforts.

Assisting other teams as and when cover is required.

Client specific reporting.

Missing timesheet review and follow-up.

General administrative housekeeping requests.

Pro-active self-starter with drive, enthusiasm and tenacity, possessing excellent communication skills both written and verbal. Will need to be visible with the confidence to advise, encourage, and sometimes challenge partners.

Excellent analytical and numeracy skills are a prerequisite for the role, plus the individual will need to adopt a ‘broad bush,’ big-picture approach and appreciate the commercial realities of a dynamic, fast-moving practice.

Intermediate level experience or above in Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint.

Excellent attention to detail, prioritization, and organizational skills. Ability to work under pressure and cope with high demands and varied workloads.

A recognized accountancy qualification is advantageous but not essential.

Experience with 3E is advantage but not essential.

Previous supervisory experience is desirable, but not essential.