Working Capital Controller

A&O Shearman is a new global industry-leading law firm, with 48 offices in 29 countries worldwide. Our fluency in English law, US law, and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets, enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future.
- We offer exceptional opportunities for our people; opportunities to work for the world’s leading businesses; to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work, helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients.
- Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth-running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimise your wellbeing.
- What truly defines a career with us? We recruit the best and ask for the best of you. And together, we will redefine success.
- **Department purpose**

Achieving the firm’s vision requires a world class Finance department and our finance teams add value when the information we produce enable great decisions. That means producing information that is relevant, accurate and understandable and doing so as quickly as possible. It also means building relationships with the Partners and other decision-makers in the firm so that they trust us to advise them on what the information means and what the best course of action is.
- **Role purpose**

The role of the Working Capital Controller has three distinct elements:

- Work as a member of a team of Working Capital Controllers / Assistants - based in Singapore, who focus on managing the financial elements of matter lifecycle. Including matter inception, billing, collections, profitability analysis and other related reporting and activities.
- Partner relationships and acting as a commercial advisor to the business.
- Develop a deep relationship with finance contacts at our top clients, to ensure speedier processing of bills and collection of money
- This particular WCC will have a part focus on overall credit control, under the management of the WCM, taking hands on responsibility for managing, prioritising, reducing and reporting on the debtor balance for all clients and matters

**Key relationships**
- ASEAN Working Capital Manager (WCM)
- Partners
- Business Development Teams
- WC staff across the network

**Role and responsibilities**

**Working capital control**
- Prepare monthly billing and collection forecasts.
- Manage the end to end matter and client financial lifecycle, suggest improvements to enhance the quality of service and seek efficiencies.
- Advise on billing & collection technical tax related matters - often cross border - seek assistance or advice from others.
- Monitor ageing balances and support bad debt provision estimation.
- Contribute to the annual audit process by providing samples, information and judgement based on thorough knowledge of the WIP and debtor balances and anything related that is necessary for local fiscal year end processes.
- Managing rates within 3e and working with partners to ensure the matters are set up correctly and the client finance related requirements are fully understood by reviewing the client contracts
- Involvement in the Client and Matter Inception work flow process, overall ownership of completion Liaising with the lead relationship partners to ensure that rate agreements are reviewed in a timely manner offering assistance and information which may assist in client rate negotiations
- Providing detailed financial information in support of bills, i.e. hourly schedules, disbursements and narrative breakdowns. Preparation of client detailed billing schedules as requested.
- Where required keep partners and clients advised on a weekly basis of the status of fees and debts.
- Provide training to Legal PAs for bill & time narrative completion in 3e and support them going forward
- Liaise with Working Capital Controllers across the network on cross unit matters and billing matters

**Client, commercial and relationships**
- Using and promoting the Pricing and Profitability Models, providing appropriate support and assistance to partners and working capital manager on pricing of matters and reporting on matter profitability
- Understanding of local and global client rate agreements, supporting the WCM in other offices on global / regional client rate negotiations
- Regular meetings with partners to review the working capital on their current matters.
- Comprehensive follow-up of action items, such as time transfer, time write off, dispatch of billing guides, disbursements, queries etc.
- Dealing with enquiries from clients, partners and fee earners relating to financial aspects of client matters.
- Develop and