Credit Controller

Shakespeare Martineau is a Top 50 law firm that combines creativity, commerciality and clarity. We work with blue-chip companies, leading organisations, high street brands and individuals across the country.

As enterprising and original thinkers, we’re driven to create exceptional experiences for our clients and our people. We handle personal and business-critical issues and game-changing deals across many dynamic sectors. It’s stimulating and rewarding.

We’re hardworking and deeply ambitious about creating opportunities for our employees; to move forward and achieve our ambition together. We provide an environment in which you’re supported to reach your potential.

Our people have a blend of excellent technical and business skills with the talent to do things differently.

Here you’ll find top quality work, cutting edge training, high profile clients, and supportive colleagues. We think it could be time you joined us.

To provide truly outstanding client service we work as one team.  Our Business Operations Group is made up of business professionals who work with our legal professionals to provide market leading expertise to our clients.  The Groups include; Finance, Operations, HR, Clients & Markets, IT, Risk and the Executive Leadership team.

Our Finance team is made up of over 40 people who work from a variety of our office locations. The work is split into four core areas; Financial Accounting, Financial Operations, Business Partnering and Partner Services.

The team work closely with our other business operations teams to provide a first class service. They are responsible for the sound financial management of the firm, including cash flow, budgeting, internal and external reporting and audit. They have responsibilities for the safe-keeping and operating of our clients’ funds held on account and also deal with payroll, credit control ‘Work In Progress’, partner finances and tax returns. The team also provide bespoke finance business partnering support to all other areas of the business.

The role:

We are looking for a permanent and full time Credit Controller to join our Birmingham-based Finance team, part of the firm’s Business Operations group.

The role will be based in our Birmingham office however, it will require regular travel to our other sites.

Your key duties will be:

• managing own portfolio of divisional debts and collecting cash against a monthly personal target as set by the credit manager and head of finance
• recovering the firm’s outstanding debts via telephone, letter and email up to litigation stage in accordance with the firm’s credit control policy
• liaising with the firm’s internal and external clients and other firms of solicitors, banks and insolvency practitioners
• dealing with fee earners and partners to review their outstanding accounts and advising on how to resolve disputes relating to invoice queries and account problems to achieve payment /satisfactory resolution. This will include regular travel to the firm’s other offices
• minimising the firm’s exposure to overdue debt by commencing recovery action at the earliest opportunity in accordance with the firm’s terms and conditions of payment
• undertaking projects and any other tasks, as directed by the line manager

Skills and experience you will have:

• a minimum of 3 to 4 years’ previous experience is ideal, preferably from working within a law firm or within a professional services environment
• attained, or be in the process of attaining, CICM accreditation (or equivalent). This would be desirable however, not essential
• strong Excel skills with the ability to manipulate data and present it well; experience of pivot tables is an advantage

Key competencies you will need:

• excellent communication skills, including a professional and courteous telephone manner
• the ability to handle difficult debtors in a confident and assertive way
• to be able to cope with a high volume workload and work well under pressure and to tight deadlines
• accurate keyboard skills and strong attention to detail
• to enjoy working with figures

About you – you will be:

• highly enthusiastic, willing to go the extra mile and be happy to go beyond the job description
• respectful towards others and have a positive, willing and ‘can do’ attitude
• keen to learn, interested in driving your own career progression and be proactive in taking ownership of this

Due to the nature of the work undertaken, confirmation of employment will be subject to a variety of checks which will be carried out once an offer of employment is accepted. Details of the checks can be found here.

Shakespeare Martineau is a committed equal opportunities employer. We seek to attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures. We value and respect individuality and encourage a culture within our business where people can be themselves and be valued for their strengths and experiences. Everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, regardless of their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.